aag & misc test

The novel coronavirus pandemic crisis of 2020 has plunged the healthcare system, and frankly the whole economy, into a dark place. It will take time, and likely a lot of time, to overcome what may end up being several months of a national shut down. Eventually people will re-emerge from isolation, business will resume a new normal, and healthcare providers will turn their attention to the revenue generating services that they temporarily halted, as well as the patients who delayed care for a myriad of conditions. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published “phase one” re-opening recommendations that recognized in some areas the possibility of non-COVID-19 care is already being considered. There will be an overflow of pent-up demand and provider organizations need to position themselves now to be ready. One consideration, with many health systems now feeling the squeeze and not being able to re-deploy staff to serve in the crisis, is to use some of those resources and prepare for the next phase.  Here are few strategies to get ahead of the curve, if you will, as it flattens: Reschedule appointments – Literally hundreds of appointments– for some providers, thousands – that had been cancelled or delayed will require rescheduling. Deploying an omni-channel scheduling platform now can relieve the pressure of that future volume in several ways: Online scheduling can guide patients to the right care with rules automation, allowing patients to accurately self-book and reducing call center volume.Enable patient scheduling via automated outreach messages sent via text message or IVR. (For example, you can target all those who need to reschedule, reaching them via text campaigns and reducing call center workload).Reduce training time with a call center scheduling solution. Agents (such as temps hired to handle the influx of appointments) can be trained in a matter of hours to schedule and book appointments accurately.Harden your telehealth offering – This crisis has shown the necessity for virtual visit technology during a pandemic; however, its value won’t disappear as the crisis fades. Telehealth is destined to become a staple of healthcare delivery. Restrictions have been lifted and the technology has proven practical, convenient and efficient, paving the way for broad acceptance. But what are the digital complements that can be paired with telehealth to harden the solution and make the offering a robust tool into the future? While many providers are now able to offer this type of virtual care, scheduling across a variety of specialties has become a challenge. A  tool that guides patients and call center agents to the right provider across all services, including telehealth, is going to be critical in the months ahead to maintaining scheduling efficiency and delivering an optimal patient experience.Establish your digital front door – Patients aren’t going to want only clinical telehealth options; the whole spectrum of patient-provider interaction is shifting. Scheduling, registration, payments – all these are going to see increased demand for digital self-service. This gets patients out of the waiting room and removes the need to swipe or insert a credit card or use a POS kiosk. Patients, who are consumers, want to use their mobile devices and they will form lasting opinions of those services enabling – or restricting – their ability to do that.Collections optimization – Right now the focus is on caring for patients, as it should be; however, in order to continue operating, providers must collect for the services rendered. Putting in systems that automate collections processes and reduce the human resources necessary to bring in revenue will to be key to capitalizing on the rush of non-COVID-19 care that will soon be required. These are just a few of the ways that healthcare providers can deploy digital technology to prepare and turn this looming challenge into opportunity. The reality is that managing patient engagement and collections through this next phase is critical to the U.S. healthcare ecosystem’s recovery. Organizations that emerge stronger will be those that prepare now and are ready when the time comes. Find out more about patient engagement solutions that can help you respond now and prepare for the future.

From the moment a patient is admitted, automation strategies can help devise payment plans, find missing coverage, or screen for financial assistance and charity eligibility.

During this time when the whole world is wrestling with the Covid-19 crisis, planning for the future is difficult. However, there is no question that as the nation emerges from its stay-at-home status, there will be huge release of pent-up demand – especially for healthcare. Health systems have streamlined their operations to deal with the influx of COVID-19 testing and treatments. As a result, any non-emergent care or care unrelated to COVID-19 has been heavily gated, if not canceled entirely. This of course includes preventative care, non-critical regular screenings, and other services related to care gaps. Once the patient flow moves out of crisis mode, these services will certainly resume – and they will resume in earnest. This increased demand for services, coupled with the time lost to meet quality metrics, will place a real burden on member services and quality teams as they work to ensure missed preventative care, screenings, and other care related to care gaps are being sought and coordinated. It is possible to make small moves now to strategically prepare for what’s coming, so that when the crisis subsides organizations can be well positioned to serve their members. Here are a few key things payers can do to get ready: Get your data and strategy in order – Now is the time to use data to better understand your members and fill in any gaps you may have. For example, it is going to be essential to understand geographies and associated provider groups where care gap non-compliance is likely to be highest, so you can strategically focus on those areas. Also, understanding what the best channel of communication is and ensuring that you have accurate contact info for those members is critical. Fundamentally, plans will need data that can help them identify who to target and can supply needed, accurate contact info.Understand your members’ SDOH barriers – Understanding your members’ social determinants of health (SDOH) barriers will be more important than ever. One of the unfortunate byproducts of this COVID-19 crisis is the economic damage. As a result, there will undoubtedly be critical gaps, like transportation, that will affect your members’ ability to access care and thus need to be accounted for. Likewise, with the downturn in the economy, additional social determinants will be on the rise, like food insecurity, housing insecurity, and access to medications. These should also factor into your overall plan – and thankfully there are increasing ways to identify and track SDOH.Implement digital tools now – Ensure your member engagement strategy is fully informed and your teams are ready to efficiently execute. While data can round out any information gaps that may exist for you – contact info, SDOH gaps, etc. – tools that can provide quick, convenient access to services will be needed to take action. For example, enabling your member engagement team with a digital scheduling platform that allows them to book appointments with providers without calling the provider, is a proven way to accelerate member engagement and close gaps in care. This type of digital engagement not only provides an efficiency gain, it also greatly improves the member experience as call times are shorter and members are given greater access to care. In times like this current pandemic it can be hard to think about much else beyond the here and now, and especially hard to picture a brighter future. But prudence would dictate that taking a little time now to prepare can make a big difference when things do start to open back up. Find out more about data driven solutions for member engagement.

With many hospitals already operating at slim margins amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the consequences of a rise in uncompensated care could be significant.

As most Americans stay home to limit the spread of coronavirus, consumers and providers are showing more interest in patient portals and telehealth programs.

In the case of COVID-19, providers are considering SDOH to flag particular data fields in an attempt to identify patients with access to care challenges.