Patient Engagement
Arm patients with a secure online self-service portal to settle bills, manage accounts, schedule appointments, pre-register and view lab results
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.
With the ability to research products, compare price information, and conduct transactions all from their mobile devices, today\'s consumers are more savvy than ever. They expect an unprecedented level of transparency from companies. In fact, they demand it and will easily take their money elsewhere if a company doesn\'t follow through. Consumers expect the same high-level transparency from healthcare providers, and the demand is growing as patients are forced to bear more out-of-pocket costs for medical care. They want to avoid surprises, such as higher-than-expected cost estimates for services or insurance that may cover only a small portion of the expense. Price transparency initiatives are becoming increasingly more important in healthcare systems, and providers must embrace new capabilities to meet patients\' expectations. The old model of billing patients weeks or months after they’ve received services is no longer viable. Billing needs to move to the front of the revenue cycle management process, and a number of Experian Health\'s solutions are designed to help do just that. 3 tools for greater price transparency in healthcare As patients are responsible for a higher percentage of their healthcare costs, healthcare providers\' financial performance depends on an optimal collections strategy that focuses on patient engagement. The advantage of patients knowing and having confidence in healthcare cost estimates makes the collections process much easier and helps drive the future revenue cycle. Here are three Experian Health solutions that can help healthcare providers improve price transparency: 1. Patient Estimates: Patient trust is built on meeting expectations. With this in mind, Experian Health\'s Patient Estimates tool brings accurate, upfront price transparency before or at the point of service so patients know what to expect and can confidently make decisions about their healthcare. Cost estimates are derived from numerous types of data, including a patient’s benefits information, a healthcare provider\'s reimbursement agreements, and payer contract rates, among others. Much of the information can be automatically populated into the system, eliminating the need to constantly update price information lists and reducing the risks of inaccurate cost estimates resulting from error. With Patient Estimates, healthcare providers can also more effectively comply with state and federal price transparency requirements. 2. Patient Statements:Accurate price information is one thing, but even if the patient’s billing statement matches the cost estimates, collections can be a challenge if the statement is hard to read or understand. Patient Statements is a communications tool that simplifies and customizes patient billing statements, complete with important, easy-to-understand updates and messages. Making billing statements straightforward for patients to manage helps healthcare providers build a stronger level of trust when it comes to payments. Personalizing the statements with marketing and educational information turns them into valuable resources that create a better overall patient engagement experience. 3. Patient Self-Service:With accurate, upfront price estimates and simple, useful bill-paying systems and statements, healthcare providers can more successfully integrate our online self-service portal. Experian Health\'s Patient Self-Service tool digitally delivers cost estimates and statements to patients. It also allows patients to securely make payments and conveniently schedule future appointments from their desktop or mobile devices. Patient Self-Service brings the high level of price transparency to healthcare providers that consumers now expect. This makes it more likely for patients to meet their self-pay responsibilities and return for future healthcare services. Patient Self-Service also helps healthcare providers more efficiently comply with \"meaningful use\" Stage 2 program requirements. The capabilities for price transparency that these solutions provide is just a small sampling of what we offer today, and we’re continuing to research and develop even more useful tools. In addition, we’ve recently launched an extensive consumer research project to better understand patients’ wants and needs. We’re excited to use these insights to continue developing solutions that help healthcare providers improve engagement with patients.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) is a distinguished nonprofit academic medical center and one of the oldest pediatric hospitals in the United States. A few years ago, the center set out to make a much-needed change: upgrade its online bill pay system, as the current system was not popular with patients. The center kept two important objectives in mind while implementing the reboot: offering patients an attractive online experience and making it easier for patients to understand what payments they owe. Attracting patients with an intuitive bill pay system In 2012, CCHMC launched Patient Self-Service to deliver a more intuitive, comprehensive online portal. Before the launch, 900 families used the medical center’s basic online bill pay system. But after a small marketing push to promote the new option — a simple note on the center’s paper statements describing Patient Self-Service — enrollment jumped from 900 to more than 45,000 families in a single year. Plus, CCHMC saw immediate cost savings and increased revenue: The cost of distributing general notices dropped to $0. This was a significant change because mailing a notice about a new customer service phone number in the past could cost $1,400. Online payments increased from $200,000 to $800,000 per month. The medical center’s patients now use the portal to ask questions of their healthcare providers, change on-file insurance information, and schedule or revise appointments. These features reduce customer service phone calls and other related costs. In addition, the new bill pay system makes it easier for patients to clearly see and complete payments. Patients can request a cost estimate before treatment, submit payments, and set up payment plans — all online and whenever it is most convenient for them. Helping patients understand the bills they pay When CCHMC released its new self-service portal, the center also used Patient Statements to simplify and customize hard-copy bills. In the first year after the launch, the medical center saved $70,000 in invoicing costs for three reasons. First, the medical center reduced printing and mailing costs by utilizing a more attractive, interactive online bill pay system. Second, it minimized material costs by trimming invoices to a one-page statement. Lastly, the center saved on postage rates by earning the five-digit ZIP code discount. Institutions can earn a discount by bundling statements directed to the same ZIP code, thus reducing time in a postal processing center. CCHMC also combines hospital and doctor bills in a single statement that explains all treatment costs. The medical center can also add personalized messages related to each patient’s interests to foster engagement through educational opportunities, videos, microsites, and social media. Two of the most important ways a company communicates with its customers are through billing and customer service. For example, a bill pay system can give many impressions: that a company cares about its customers, doesn’t care, or, worst of all, attempts to trick its customers. It’s common to read stories about the hidden fees lurking in airline or cellphone bills. In fact, entire marketing campaigns are built around the idea — think of those “no hidden fees” commercials. Unfortunately, such instances also occur in the medical industry, which is why it is crucial to be upfront and transparent with patients. For a medical center like CCHMC, billing and customer service may rarely be in the same important spotlight as patient interactions with doctors and nurses. Still, no medical center wants to detract from its reputation by providing any kind of faulty service. CCHMC proves it cares about its patients every day by giving them an intuitive, comprehensive self-service portal and improved statements that just make sense. In the end, the hospital saved money and boosted revenue with its improvements, but it ultimately achieved much more in the overall care for its patients. To learn more about CCHMC use of Patient Self-Service to improve its bill pay system, read this case study. To see how Experian Health helps improve ROI in healthcare, view the full list of our client videos and case studies.
Yale New Haven Health is an award-winning academic healthcare system, and a big part of why its people achieve success is because they continually ask, “How can we do better?” For two years, the financial preservice team used focus groups and other feedback to learn about the financial concerns of patients and their loved ones. Then, they pursued a rigorous, tech-driven transformation to better develop estimates, identify patient payment solutions, explain billing and collections, and engage with patients. Yale New Haven Health employees and executives view patients’ financial care as an important facet of healthcare. By pairing their own dedication and know-how with Experian Health products, they’ve improved the patient experience and increased staff satisfaction. Here’s how: Create transparent, plain-language patient estimates The preservice team wanted to give patients cost estimates that were easier to understand and more accurate. Now that they’re using Eligibility, team members know exactly what procedure a patient is having and are better equipped to verify eligibility and explain the patient’s deductibles, co-insurance, and out-of-pocket expenses. For example, the team has standardized the varying (and sometimes cryptic) eligibility responses returned by hundreds of different insurance companies and other payers. Team members give patients the same clear answer — no matter how many ways payers use to describe what their plans will and won’t pay for. Find alternative payment solutions Another challenge confronting Yale New Haven Health was helping patients find ways to pay for procedures. The preservice team deployed Coverage Discovery, which can find and verify insurance coverage that patients didn’t even know they had. As patients register for their procedures, the tool searches for previously overlooked Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial insurances. Patients can sometimes avoid costly self-pay situations, and Yale New Haven Health avoids write-offs and unwarranted charity designations. Also, the preservice team is watching trends in what Coverage Discovery finds so they can spot potential problems earlier and identify payment alternatives sooner. Make it less painful to receive a bill It’s nearly impossible to achieve pain-free billing, but the confusing terms and codes found on most healthcare statements shouldn’t add to the pain. As part of its financial care transformation, Yale New Haven Health started using Patient Statements to combine hospital and physician billing into one easy-to-understand document. It even added customized messages to further explain the procedures and costs. Patients have said that they’re happy with the new design. Give patients a way to be self-sufficient Patients want an easy, digital way to evaluate options and understand what products and services cost. Healthcare is no exception. Yale New Haven Health uses Patient Self-Service to serve up a self-service portal that gives patients a greater say in their healthcare and connects them to their providers. For example, patients can set up their own payment plans (within parameters set by Yale New Haven Health). It saves time for the patients and the preservice team, which enjoys a reduced volume of customer service calls. Yale New Haven Health already had a relationship with Experian Health. It was already using Payer Alerts and Collections Optimization Manager to improve back-end revenue cycle operations. This time around, it focused on preservice processes and added Eligibility, Coverage Discovery, Patient Statements, and Patient Self-Service to its financial care system. These tools have garnered more satisfied patients, to be sure. They’ve also served as physical expressions of Yale New Haven Health’s commitment to excellence. Staff members can take greater pride in their jobs knowing they have the tools to better fulfill their patient-centered mission. A lot is said about treating the whole person instead of just the disease. By approaching financial care as an important companion to clinical care, Yale New Haven Health has discovered countless ways to answer the question “How can we do better?” Learn more about Yale New Haven Health’s patient financial care transformation. Read the case study.
Today’s healthcare consumers are at the center of healthcare transformation. They demand a personalized experience, use devices to monitor their health and are vocal when they are not satisfied with their service or care. Healthcare organizations are being challenged to think differently about healthcare engagement. To succeed, you must become consumer-facing and expand your reach. You need to attract and retain patients for service line growth. Connecting with consumers by tailoring their journey is expected, so you using data to predict health conditions and message effectively is critical. Do you know who your patients are? How to build a relationship with them? Can you improve their satisfaction and retention? Are you providing personalized communications? Superior data with actionable insights can help you remain competitive in this new healthcare landscape. This is a new approach to most healthcare organizations, but it provides an exciting opportunity. Leverage data the right way and gain deeper insights to improve patient and consumer engagement. To learn more, visit Experian Health’s Marketing Services page, contact your account representative or email us at experianhealth@experian.com
Reimbursement pressures and the real potential of changing regulations require that revenue cycle leaders leverage data and technology to be as efficient and nimble as possible to maximize net revenue, reduce denials, and lower operating costs. Shifting reimbursement models, complex benefit designs and limitations, increased patient responsibility, and growing regulatory pressures are driving near-constant change in the healthcare revenue cycle. Healthcare organizations that used to be paid by the encounter are adapting to emerging trends of also being selected, measured, and paid for how they perform and collaborate with other providers to improve outcomes. This value versus volume movement has forced hospitals, physicians, and other providers to focus on delivering high-quality, collaborative care at a lower cost while enhancing the patient experience, including efficiency and patient sensitivity in the revenue cycle. Experian Health’s Revenue Cycle Analytics provides visibility across the revenue cycle continuum, transforming operational and financial information into actionable insights. By tapping into Experian Health’s vast product workflow data and revenue cycle transactions, you can hone in to optimize specific workflows and compare your facility’s operations and processes against industry peers to make more informed business outcomes. Relevant data is presented for users based on responsibilities. With your internal data, we can Improve your workflows, operational performance, and financial results by leveraging your data across the revenue cycle, matching it, and analyzing the account across the various revenue cycle workflows and transactions Ensure accurate reimbursement by analyzing workflows and optimizing activities Create and monitor revenue cycle KPIs around pre-service, point-of-service, post service, denials, etc. to provide data points needed for process and financial optimization Provide comparative analysis and benchmarking that scores payer performance based on claim, rejections, denials, and exceptions Identify trends by drilling down to the staff, department, and service levels to uncover insightful details Maximize return on investment in Experian Health revenue cycle management products Enable the calculations of HFMA Map Keys and NAHAM Access keys for true peer-to-peer benchmarking With decades of Big Data experience, and as experts in gathering and securely managing huge quantities of data, Experian Health’s Revenue Cycle Analytics manages an unrivalled breadth and depth of data to help clients gain a deep understanding of people, businesses, places, economics, and health.
Yale New Haven Health (YNHH) established a goal to elevate the patient financial experience by compassionately educating patients about the finances surrounding their care, and educating staff on the tools and methods for delivering that message. YNHH embarked on a two-year patient financial advisory initiative, including patient and family advisors, to hear opinions and learn valuable information directly from consumers. According to Sharlene Seidman, Executive Director Corporate Business Services, with Yale New Haven Health: “We needed a consumer-focused price transparency strategy that would bring us on par with other industries, like retail. Our goal was that when patients discuss their overall YNHH experience, it is not just reflective of their clinical care, but their financial care as well.” Since going live with Eligibility and the Epic integration in May 2016, YNHH has made major strides toward meeting its pre-service excellence goals in four key areas 1) the right technology, 2) best practices, 3) patient interaction/engagement, and 4) employee culture and education. Read the full case study here
Consumers have come to expect the ability to check things off their to do list while online, like booking travel, shopping, etc., so it only makes sense for healthcare organizations to empower patients to schedule their medical appointments online, too. Not only is it easy and convenient for them, but it also saves your staff time. With today’s focus on value-based care, providers must ensure patients follow through with orders for care. Typically, over one-third of patients receive an order, but 20% never schedule a visit, putting their health—and your organization’s reimbursement levels—at risk. Using an online scheduling platform enables patients to schedule appointments online—improving patient access by fostering the integration and communication to make sure both patients and providers have a better care experience. Experian Health’s Patient Schedule is an online, data-driven scheduling platform that enables patients to schedule their appointments online. Patient Schedule helps you ensure patients are being scheduled for follow-up into your network, automates scheduling workflows with business rules to enable you to define appointment criteria, and even integrates in real-time with your practice management system and electronic medical records. If you’re ready to upgrade the patient experience, improve completion rates, optimize capacity, outcomes and practice performance, acquire new patients and keep them engaged, save time by enabling call-center agents to schedule directly into referral providers’ systems and improve staff efficiency and optimize provider calendars, find out more about Patient Schedule. Read our press release: Experian Health and MyHealthDirect team up to improve practice workflow with cloud-based patient scheduling across healthcare networks On Demand NAHAM-hosted Webinar: \"You Can Book Flights Online – Why Not Medical Appointments?
During HIMSS17, Experian Health\'s Nicole Rogas, Senior Vice President of Sales, sat down with IntrepidNOW to discuss the healthcare industry, challenges providers are facing and women in health IT. Excerpt below. \"...it’s an industry that changes consistently, and Experian Health has the data and the history to be able to arm both our clients, which our providers, and the consumer, which is the patient, with information to help them make better healthcare decisions. We are hearing more about it in IT and as well as other areas of healthcare really nationally. Women do play a very important role in the future of healthcare, and I think the focus on it now brings to light some of the sort of special issues and challenges we face as women that are very different than what man may face as they grow their career. ...a lot of the challenges for our providers is to understand how to function as a business, and I know that that might sound crazy, but healthcare is always been a service, and most of our economies today, most of our people today believe that it’s really their right to (have) healthcare, and I think what’s happening is our healthcare providers are having to function more like a business organization to ensure that they are providing care at really great quality care, but in an efficient way. They are able to build and get reimbursed for that care, and then that they are able to arm their patients with the right information pre and post care to help keep them engaged in both their financial and their clinical journey. So I just think it’s a big time in our industry.\" Listen to the full podcast
