All posts by Experian Health
Seven years ago, Bill\'s healthcare group invested in a new health information system, and the dust still hasn’t quite settled. Like most health information system providers, Bill\'s vendor communicates mostly through the group’s IT leader. He has to pick and choose what updates and features are implemented, and the people who work with the system daily are expected to figure out how to make the most out of it. Fortunately, Bill and the head of IT are great pals. They eat lunch together, go out for after-work cocktails, and try to bridge the gap between their healthcare software vendor and the end users on the frontline. But Bill shouldn’t have to rely on that friendship for his healthcare team members to be able to do their jobs, and it shouldn\'t have taken seven years for the software to be properly integrated. Bill\'s not a real person, and his healthcare group is fictitious, but both are archetypes of the new healthcare landscape. Constant market changes and ongoing challenges have forced healthcare systems to partner more closely with medical software vendors. However, it’s challenging to find vendors that are willing to roll up their sleeves and work alongside the end users to design solutions that are tailored to their specific needs. At Experian Health, we want to make sure the first experience your team has with our health information system products is a positive one and that you all look forward to using them every day. Your group’s success is our top priority, and playing an active role in your onboarding process helps ensure that success. Providing health information systems and the knowledge to use them The problem with the archetype of Bill is that the end users in the group had to take on the tasks of learning and optimizing the system themselves. Trainers lacked the deep level of understanding needed to create enthusiasm about the system, and overall adoption lagged. By contrast, we know our solutions like the back of our hands, so it only makes sense for us to share that knowledge and collaborate to implement those solutions through medical software training. With years of experience under our belt working with healthcare organizations across the country, we’ve heard virtually every possible question end users ask. That experience gives us the flexibility to come up with on-the-fly solutions to challenges we haven’t thought of yet and suggest ways to optimize your group’s workflow with the system. We can offer shortcuts, tips, and tricks to make the system work more efficiently for your team. Collaborative onboarding lets our clients dive deeper into learning their new systems than they could by just reading predetermined lesson plans and FAQ lists. It helps us when we help you make the medical software training go smoother and ensure all end users actually want to use the product. In fact, for the first three to five months, Experian will be a physical presence at your organization, helping with change management and the onboarding process. Personalized, effective onboarding The process differs depending on how complex your organization is and what you’re installing, but typically, collaborative onboarding adheres to the following timeline: We start the process with a formal kickoff and demo to get executive leadership and everyone on the frontline up to speed. The demo lays out what the project will look like for the group and gives everyone the chance to start considering how to operationalize it for the organization. After the kickoff, our teams collaborate with specific subject matter experts and start digging into the nitty-gritty design and functionality detail work. We really stress the importance of operational input from people who will be champions for their specific areas, not just the IT teams. These champions need to communicate the details of the system’s design to their peers. When the design is complete, we do all of the heavy lifting to build the product, and then we conduct internal testing to make sure it works effectively. Next, we guide operational champions through user-acceptance testing to make sure the product meets their needs. User-acceptance testing occurs in a real-life, day-to-day setting so users can validate that it fits into their workflow. Once we iron out any changes warranted by the user-acceptance testing, we extend training into the larger workforce and officially go live. A month later, we come back and hold an optimization workshop to observe users in action. We can answer questions and provide suggestions on how to improve efficiency even further or make tweaks to improve user processes. With the rush to adopt faster and more efficient technology, many healthcare organizations have been left in the dust to figure out how to make new technology work best for them. At Experian Health, we stick around after software implementation to make sure your entire organization can hit the ground running. Our mission is to help the healthcare industry succeed in providing better, more comprehensive care to patients, and collaborative onboarding ensures our products do just that.
As the health industry faces extraordinary changes, how can leaders better drive efficiency and optimize resources? Recently President for Experian Health, Jennifer Schulz, sat down with The Business Debate to answer this pressing question. In short, the best way to get there is to turn to data-driven technology. In this interview, Jennifer touches on some of the main barriers to efficiency in health systems: Patient financial payments and identity management. Here are some excerpts from her interview. To watch the video and read Jennifer’s editorial, please click here. Patient financial payments and price transparency “The use of technology in healthcare is slim. When a consumer in a retail experience or a financial service experience uses their mobile device, or goes online, that experience doesn\'t translate into healthcare. Experian Health is very focused on improving the transparency of healthcare from a financial perspective. We\'ve launched things like patient estimators because there’s no other large purchase you make in your life that you don\'t know what you\'re about to buy. And healthcare, for the most part, this all happens after the transaction, and that type of transparency in healthcare can come with the use of technology.” Universal patient identification “Another issue is identity isn\'t the same when you go from system to system. Every hospital, every provider looks at you as an individual, and puts a number associated with you. That number is within their system only, and so you may go across systems, but there is no view of identity. One of the solutions we\'ve launched here at Experian Health is the universal identity manager, and we\'re offering that with no charge to our clients because we think identity is the one key to provide transparency across systems.” As we have done for other industries, Experian is at the forefront of bringing this type of consumerism to healthcare. Through our data assets and technology, we empower our clients to connect with consumers through a tailored approach that is personalized along the patient journey. To learn more, visit www.ExperianHealth.com.
In a new whitepaper, Technology and Data-Driven Decisions Driving Best Practices for Patient Collections, Experian Health analyzes the results of two recently fielded surveys aimed at learning how organizations approach the process of obtaining payment from patients. The paper reviews both an HFMA-led survey and an Experian Health-facilitated one, discussing the current state of patient collections, as well as emerging best practices to improve performance. While knowing that organizations are working with varying degrees of success to offer more patient-friendly financial interactions, using technology and data to inform and drive patient engagement, Experian Health wanted to understand the best practices that organizations are using to elevate performance in patient collections. Our findings were published in this HFMA whitepaper which discuss the findings from these two research projects and validate best practices and offer unique insight into the successes and shortfalls of the patient financial experience at health organizations.
This is an exciting time for our industry, and agility and knowledge are critical for your organization to Lead the Way by meeting the growing expectations of patients and keeping pace with the ever-changing healthcare landscape. Since 2004, the Experian Health 2017 Financial Performance Summit has connected business leaders to discuss innovative ideas and solutions, allowing organizations to improve their overall financial performance and increase profits. Summit 2017 focused on collaboration, idea sharing and networking, with numerous sessions on how you can take control of your organization’s road map for growth and operational efficiency. The intimate setting of Summit 2017 allowed for unique networking opportunities, one-on-one conversations with subject matter experts and numerous breakout sessions that will provide valuable insights from industry thought leaders. The three-day Summit provided hands-on learning opportunities with product experts and the exchange of knowledge with peers in an engaging environment. The agenda featured industry-leading speakers, provider- and Experian Health-led educational sessions, a dedicated leadership track, one-on-one training, networking lunches and receptions, and evening events featuring live entertainment. Break-out sessions at the Summit covered: Claims Collections Contract Manager Patient Access Patient Engagement Price Transparency Thought Leadership If you attended the Financial Performance Summit about would like to download any of the presentations, they are available here. If you would like to attend one of our future events, please contact us.
Manually cold-calling patients to remind them of upcoming appointments or of bills nearing a due date has never been an effective engagement strategy. On the contrary, such reactive tactics reduce engagement quality and can harm revenue cycles. It\'s important to remember that real connection empowers patients to be proactive in their care and improve their own outcomes, which encourages them to keep up with future appointments and medical payments. For modern healthcare organizations, maintaining this level of high engagement requires more than the automatic actions they’ve grown used to. Instead, the overall healthcare world needs more robust patient engagement to push forward and stay relevant with patients. Without this change, organizations are more likely to encounter skipped appointments, preventable readmissions, missed payments, revenue loss on several fronts, and poor patient outcomes. Fortunately, Experian Health offers a range of solutions that make it easy to engage patients in their care, improve patient outcomes, and create more profitable revenue cycle management (RCM) throughout an entire organization. Using patient engagement technology to improve care As previously mentioned in an Experian Health blog, patient portal technology — among others — is rewiring the technological landscape and capabilities in the physician and patient relationship. Portals are used for secure messaging by 41 percent of family practice physicians, and 35 percent of physicians also use them for patient education. This type of patient engagement technology culminates in our Patient Self-Service portal, which pools together data from our Patient Estimates, Patient Statements, and Coverage Discovery tools. The portal gives patients a single point of access to request estimates, pay bills, check financial assistance eligibility, and receive advice from doctors, nurses, and specialists. The above are just a few results from elevated, proactive patient engagement. Another perk is the portal’s unique ability to automatically populate patient-specific and payer-specific information into each estimate for optimal accuracy. This feature gives patients peace of mind by knowing what their exact out-of-pocket expenses amount to. When they receive a bill that matches the estimates they’ve been budgeting for, patients are more likely to adhere to payment obligations and return to a healthcare organization for future medical needs. This also makes it easier for an organization to collect payment at point of service and throughout the rest of the patient’s care continuum. Risk stratification for more successful revenue recovery For the first time in history, there is a growing convergence of powerful, internet-connected personal devices and massive amounts of analytical, social, financial, and behavioral data tied to individual patients. Experian Health’s timely patient engagement tools allow providers to tap into this convergence to revolutionize how they engage with patients at all points throughout their care. For example, by analyzing patient-specific financial information, this engagement technology can help providers identify when patients may benefit from financial assistance, especially for upcoming treatments. In turn, the provider can send the patient information about how to request for this type of assistance through an interactive portal with accurate estimates. To help reduce readmission rates for non-critical concerns, Experian Health’s tools can also help identify when patients may need unique, targeted engagement. For instance, patients with heart conditions can benefit from information regarding diet and lifestyle changes that improve cardiovascular health. These tools help providers determine the best type of content to send and the appropriate medium to send it through, such as email, text, or app notifications, according to the patient’s specific preferences. By working together with healthcare providers, Experian Health’s solutions combine highly personalized self-service with accurate price transparency and patient-risk stratification to proactively engage with patients. You, too, can be at the forefront of improving patient outcomes and RCM strategy effectiveness by understanding the changing healthcare environment. Utilizing tools, such as a patient portal and others, can position your organization to increase patient engagement and benefit from being a forward-facing healthcare provider.
Healthcare has always been driven by data, and today, providers have access to an unprecedented amount from a wide variety of sources. While this influx could be a blessing to the healthcare industry as a whole, it also poses a number of challenges, particularly when it comes to patient identity management. With a soaring volume of patient information coming in from numerous sources, identity errors become increasingly more likely, as well as the potential consequence of fatal mistakes. Keeping this in mind, the importance of effective identity management cannot be overstated. Every year, an estimated 195,000 people die due to medical mistakes. More than half of those deaths – 10 out of every 17 – are the result of identity management errors, such as duplicate records and mistaken patient identities. While current healthcare IT solutions attempt to tackle these discrepancies, they only succeed in identifying about 10 percent of all duplicate records. Consequently, patients often undergo repeated tests or receive incorrect treatment or medication that can result in adverse effects to their health. Also, there is limited coordination of patient data throughout the healthcare ecosystem. The main culprit of this is the lack of secure data transfers that compromise patient records and identity. This raises the question: How can healthcare organizations better manage the massive amounts of data related to each patient’s medical identity? Luckily, such issues can be improved with Experian Health’s Universal Identity Manager (UIM), which creates a single identity for individual patients across multiple disparate healthcare databases. Upgrade your identity management system The ability to share patient information across multiple healthcare organizations with different care management programs is at the core of optimizing overall patient care. Properly utilizing patient and population health data can dramatically improve an organization’s efficiency, raise its quality of care, and lower its readmissions rate. For patient data to be useful, however, providers require a robust infrastructure that allows for secure, precise, and accurate storage of patient data. The same framework should be able to assign patients unique identities across the entire network. In turn, a single, universal patient identity system allows for better analytical insights and more effective care personalization. This kind of management system also allows an organization to add relevant data to a patient’s medical profile faster and more accurately, creating an improved dynamic database that can develop personalized patient engagement and care plans. How Experian Health’s universal identity management software helps Administrative slip-ups in healthcare can have drastic consequences for a patient’s health and wellbeing. Eliminating these inaccuracies is the main goal of Experian Health’s UIM solution. Experian Health has the benefit of leveraging data assets available to us from being part of broader Experian. As a result, the identity management software generates and assigns a unique identifier to each patient that remains consistent across various healthcare systems, such as hospitals, therapeutic facilities, pharmacies, and healthcare payers. Drawing on decades of experience in identity management, Experian Health\'s multi-matching methodology approach eliminates duplicate and erroneous data through comprehensive search and alert processes. It provides a high degree of likeliness because it expands beyond the limitations of the conventional single-matching methodology that most health systems use today. Even records created on disparate healthcare systems can be automatically analyzed and assigned to the appropriate patient identity. In addition to eliminating discrepancies that could affect the quality of patient care, universal identity management also reduces medical and billing errors, ultimately minimizing an organization\'s risk of fraud. The solution also works in tandem with Experian Health’s suite of patient engagement and transparency tools, including its Patient Self-Service portal, to further optimize an organization’s ability to deliver personalized, high-quality care. Unique patient identifiers are critical for healthcare organizations to reduce the risks of inaccurate and duplicate records that lead to errors and low-quality care. Combined with Experian Health\'s suite of patient engagement and price transparency tools, its identity management software is a leap toward making efficient and reliable interoperability more possible across the healthcare ecosystem.
Consumers love the ability to research and compare prices of products on the fly so they know upfront what they’re signing up for. They’ve come to expect this level of empowerment in every transaction. Yet in healthcare, that expectation is now a demand as patients shoulder increasingly higher out-of-pocket costs. Patients are also wary of being surprised by exorbitant hospital bills months after care. As a precaution, they want to know how much of the costs they’ll be responsible for before they receive treatment. Additionally, it would also be nice to make payments and schedule appointments online without being put on hold for hours or dealing with confusing call centers. Until now, healthcare providers have been more or less behind the times when it comes to integrating technology into everyday workflows. With this in mind, organizations need to make price transparency and self-service vital aspects of the care they provide, and they need the right technology to do it. Fortunately, benefits of self-service portals not only include price transparency, but also appointment scheduling. Experian Health’s range of tools, such as the Patient Self-Service portal, makes it easy for any healthcare provider to catch up and equip patients with the tools they need to be confident in their care and payments. Advantages of self-service portals Patient engagement is the cornerstone of quality care and clinical outcomes. However, it can be difficult when patients are prematurely frustrated because they already know they’ll be hit with higher than expected costs for their visit, tests, and treatments. As a solution, moving patient billing to the front of the revenue cycle eliminates that worry, making it the first step to build trust and improve patient engagement. The next step is making administration simple and convenient for patients. Scheduling appointments, changing insurance or address information, and asking questions about their treatment shouldn’t be arduous processes. When patients can accomplish these tasks quickly and conveniently, they feel more satisfied with their chosen healthcare provider. Empowering patients through information and engagement helps them manage their ailments, illnesses, or simple doctor visits more efficiently, which translates to fewer readmissions. Providers can also improve their cash flow by delivering accurate estimates and immediate balance notifications, rather than making patients wait up to 30 days for paper statements. In turn, patients and providers can both benefit from using a self-service portal because it improves virtually every aspect of healthcare administration. Key benefits of self-service technology in an all-in-one portal Experian Health’s Patient Self-Service portal makes it easier to keep patients informed and empowered, which not only improves the quality of their care, but also aids an organization’s financial health. For instance, manual scheduling alone takes one person or a team of full-time employees, which can be costly. On the other hand, in a self-service portal, patients interact directly with technology without the need for full-time human assistance. The easy-to-use portal isn’t just about scheduling, though. Through the portal, patients can also check whether they qualify for financial assistance, receive support for presurgery planning and postsurgical follow-ups, and email questions to their medical team. Another helpful portal feature notifies patients about their possible qualification for charity care. If eligible, patients can avoid medical bankruptcy by setting up a crowdfunding page to help pay their bills. Furthermore, the portal is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It\'s where the head of a household can review and update the entire family’s billing, account, and insurance information conveniently in one place. In addition, patients can receive a consolidated bill that\'s easy to understand and set up automatic payments so they know how to budget for future healthcare costs. Combined with upfront price transparency – which is now a legal requirement in many states – the Patient Self-Service portal provides vital benefits for streamlining healthcare administration and engaging with patients on the level that they need and expect.
As healthcare in the United States shifts toward a more value-based model, reducing readmission rates has become one of the biggest challenges healthcare organizations now face. Last year, approximately half of all hospitals in the country collectively lost more than $500 million in reimbursements because they had not learned to overcome this roadblock. In most cases, the difficulty doesn’t stem from provider inadequacy, but rather from the inability to effectively coordinate patient care among multiple providers and departments. From treatment specifics and aftercare instructions to prescriptions and follow-up visits, there are plenty of cracks in the communication pavement for important details to fall through. Here\'s the unavoidable fact: Suboptimal care coordination results in higher readmission costs to hospitals, even for patients with highly treatable conditions. In turn, providers lose much of their profitability, which further hinders their efforts to improve quality of care. Two key (and often missing) factors in care coordination are advanced IT strategies and patient engagement. The only connection among inpatient, outpatient, and long-term care teams is the patients treated in each. Therefore, providers should make it easy for patients to be proactive in their own healthcare. In large part, that requires technology that allows all patients and their care teams to communicate easily and securely, at any time and across any device. Modernizing healthcare communication while reducing hospital readmissions If healthcare providers could simply call or instant message each other with details about patients’ medical conditions, then coordinating care wouldn’t be as strenuous. Without a secure platform, however, healthcare providers might leave sensitive patient health information out in the open for anyone to steal. That liability would be multiplied among numerous physician groups, specialists, skilled nurses, home health aides, and more, possibly affecting several cities and states. All of that is in addition to hazards created by patients who log into public Wi-Fi networks and carelessly leave their mobile devices unattended. There are a lot of elements to consider, but providing a safe and convenient communication platform for patients and their healthcare teams eliminates most security concerns. With a care coordination platform, communication is protected across a broad provider spectrum, no matter what device is used. For example, after a patient is released from the hospital, the Care Coordination Manager generates and delivers real-time messages to members within the patient’s care continuum. These messages, which include discharge details, a checklist for contacting the patient, and schedules for future visits, are automated and delivered within a closed-loop system for optimal safekeeping. Better coordination equals fewer readmissions Closing communication gaps between patients and care teams is a big factor in reducing hospital readmission rates. With this in mind, as a rule-driven platform, the Care Coordination Manager automatically sends email or texts to patients and caregivers about meaningful events. By doing so, patients and their teams stay on the same page at all times with notices for completed test results, newly prescribed medications, and schedule or treatment adjustments. With the platform\'s two-way, real-time communication capabilities, patients can also ask questions and receive answers about their conditions almost immediately. This helps keep patients informed and engaged, and it encourages them to seek self-care solutions rather than visit the hospital repeatedly for minor concerns. In addition, different providers on the team can easily request information from each other. The Care Coordination Manager is unique and requires virtually no additional training for doctors and staff to utilize. The platform offers all of the benefits of secure, automated communication without the time-consuming catch-up training that often comes with implementing new systems and processes. Of its many advantages, however, the most significant is that the Care Coordination Manager patches up the cracks in care coordination and communication where important patient care information often gets lost. When patients and their healthcare teams can connect and discuss sensitive health information without the worry of security and efficiency, the better care becomes. As a result, organizations can reduce readmission rates across the board, which equally benefits patients and healthcare institutions, all while keeping the main goal of providing quality care top of mind.
Almost every day, new developments come from Washington, D.C. regarding the U.S. healthcare system. From the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion to laws and regulations governing cost transparency and debt collection — there\'s constant fluctuation. This affects healthcare organizations across the country. They don’t know what rules they’ll be operating under in the future, but they do know they’ll have to meet these changing laws and regulations to avoid fines or lost revenue. Consequently, a crucial question emerges: How do you comply without overburdening employees? Compliance with laws and regulations: 3 ways Experian Health can help The answer is in technology. Healthcare organizations need systematic changes and IT solutions that help establish stability and security. For example, Experian Health’s data-driven technologies help organizations remain compliant with laws and regulations while improving the population\'s health and ensuring more successful collections. Here are three ways Experian Health can help: 1. Early and accurate cost transparency Nearly 30 states have current laws and regulations that require and govern healthcare price transparency. This list will continue to grow, so organizations need to thoughtfully prepare. Even if it weren’t legally required, patients are now demanding more transparency as they bear more healthcare costs. Historically, the problem stems from patients not receiving accurate, upfront cost estimates. They’re surprised and dismayed when medical bills arrive weeks or months after treatment. If patients are unable to successfully budget for these high costs, then collecting payment becomes more difficult. Experian Health’s Patient Estimates solution solves this by producing fast, highly accurate estimates based on a variety of data. Employees don’t need to manually update price lists, which eliminates the guesswork that leads to outdated, inaccurate estimates. Patients can even self-request treatment estimates through a self-service portal or mobile app. When patients know what to expect before they receive treatment, they’re more willing and able to adhere to payment plans. With our Power Reporting feature, organizations can also accurately judge potential and actual revenue recovery to vastly increase the rate of successful upfront collections. 2. Ensured compliance of third-party vendors Accurate and upfront estimates make capturing revenue easier, but they don\'t eliminate the need for collections. With patients paying higher percentages of medical costs, healthcare organizations now rely more on agencies to collect debt on their behalf. However, if an agency doesn’t comply with all healthcare laws and regulations that govern debt collections, then it could be liable for its practices. The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) are examples of these regulations. In addition to maintaining overall compliance in your organization, being responsible for a collection agency working on your behalf can be burdensome. This burden increases when a large percentage of your patients live out of state, making them harder to manage. 3. EMV-optimized payment solutions With more payments coming directly from patients, the risk of credit card fraud is exponentially higher. Healthcare organizations can be held liable for any fraud that occurs on their watch if they haven’t upgraded their systems to be compliant for EMV payments. To help avoid credit card fraud or liability, we offer state-of-the-art card acceptance devices. These are powered by our PaymentSafe technology to provide a patient payment solution that is highly secure and EMV-ready. Because PaymentSafe is processor agnostic, it can be integrated with Experian Health’s eCare NEXT suite of products to leverage the data created at other points in the revenue cycle. It also works in a standalone environment and can be used at a kiosk, through a patient portal, or on a mobile app to accept all forms of tender. PaymentSafe and other Experian Health solutions make up an advanced, integrated revenue cycle that consumes and displays information from a wide variety of sources. The goal is to increase collection opportunities and cash flow, lower the costs of collections, allow staff members to use their time more efficiently, and increase patient satisfaction. It also makes it easier to adapt to compliance regulations that can only be met with the help of advanced technology. The country\'s healthcare laws and regulations may be in flux, but Experian Health continues to help hospitals and medical groups keep up with safe and secure solutions. By providing increased price transparency, better oversight over debt collectors, and highly secure payment solutions, Experian Health’s suite of products can make navigating complex compliance laws and regulations a breeze. For more information about current laws and regulations in the healthcare industry, please visit: S. Department of Health & Human Services — Laws and Regulations overview Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
