First Pst after migration to Cloud in Health care Blog

Medical excellence is a given when it comes to improving the patient experience, but what about the non-clinical side of care? Long waits, confusing processes and financial uncertainty can overshadow even the best medical treatment. As many as one in four patients delay care because of hidden administrative obstacles. As providers look to improve the patient experience in 2025, tackling these frustrations is top of mind. How easy is it for the patient to schedule their appointment? How quickly can they complete registration? Do they understand their insurance coverage, and do they have the right support to manage and pay their bills? Clear and straightforward patient access processes give patients support, convenience and control, and allow providers to focus on delivering care. This article looks at the challenges and opportunities that may affect patient access over the next year and highlights three ways to use digital tools to improve the patient experience. The patient experience in 2025: a rollercoaster of risks and opportunities Over the next year, patients' shifting needs and attitudes will change how they access care. Informed, tech-savvy patients armed with wearables and health-tracking apps want streamlined access and contact with their providers, and expect efficiency and personalization when they do seek care. At the same time, an aging population and increasing numbers of people with multiple chronic conditions drive demand for more complex and ongoing support. On the provider side, challenges like staffing shortages and remote work demands will continue to strain patient access teams. Payers' rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to widen the denials gap. Rising costs will persist. Amidst this uncertainty, the forthcoming change of government may bring additional regulatory and legislative changes, so providers must be ready to adapt. Opening the digital front door is a way to elevate the patient experience to meet changing consumer expectations, while simplifying and streamlining processes so they can respond to whatever's in store. How can digital tools help improve the patient experience? Digital tools take the patient journey from a series of disjointed encounters to a coordinated and personalized experience. Building on innovations that gained momentum during COVID-19, like telehealth and virtual care, these tools keep patients and providers connected throughout the care process. By tailoring experiences to individual needs in real time, digital tools integrate into daily life and meet the rising demand for convenient, tech-driven options. Three ways to improve the patient experience Experian Health's latest State of Patient Access survey offers some pointers as to what providers should prioritize: 1. Expedite scheduling so patients can see their practitioner quickly Patients measure the patient experience by how quickly they can see their doctor. In the State of Patient Access survey, both those who think patient access has improved and those who think it has worsened give this as their reason. As patients' top priority, efficient scheduling is an obvious focus for providers who want to improve the patient experience. Online scheduling, mobile registration and self-service portals can simplify how patients book and check in for appointments. Patient Schedule lets patients book appointments anytime they like without needing to call. It only offers specific types of appointments with the right provider and makes it easy to cancel and reschedule, so no-shows are less likely. This also increases providers' capacity, giving patients more options so they can see their doctor sooner. Mobile registration complements digital scheduling by allowing patients to complete registration forms anytime, anywhere. Automated registration prefills information held on file to minimize paperwork, which is good news for the 85% of patients who do not want to fill out paperwork if they've already provided the information. Reducing manual errors also reduces delays so that patients can get on with their visit. 2. Help patients understand their insurance coverage and bills Patients and providers both cite financial challenges among their top priorities for improving patient access. More than eight in ten patients say pre-service price estimates help them prepare for the cost of care, while more than half say they need their provider's help to understand what their insurance covers. Providers should consider digital tools that support transparent pricing and billing to improve patients' financial experiences. Experian Health's Patient Payment Estimates generates accurate, upfront estimates of what a patient will owe, incorporating real-time pricing information, benefits and discounts. Estimates and secure payment links can be sent to patients via text or through the web-based app for a convenient and user-friendly payment experience. Additional tools can help patients find missing coverage and identify suitable payment plans, empowering patients and accelerating collections for providers. 3. Explore how automation and AI can support a better patient experience The growing use of AI will continue to reshape all aspects of care. By processing vast amounts of information at an unprecedented rate, AI presents exciting opportunities in patient access: keeping patients informed, generating performance insights and reducing the errors, delays and bottlenecks that come with manual processes. One of the highest-ranking challenges for providers in the State of Patient Access survey was the difficulty of managing multiple solutions to run patient eligibility and coverage checks. Patient Access Curator uses AI to address this with a single-click solution that captures all patient data at registration. It checks and verifies eligibility, Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers, coordination of benefits and demographics, delivering results in just 30 seconds. This prevents denials on the front end and takes the pain out of registration and scheduling for patients. Read the blog: How Patient Access Curator uses real-time, automated discovery to prevent denials and improve patient access Put patients in the driver's seat in 2025 As competition intensifies with new providers and disruptive technologies entering the market, patient satisfaction will no longer be optional — it will define success in 2025. Investing in digital patient access tools gives patients the autonomy, choice and convenience they crave as modern digital consumers. Simplifying and streamlining access will not only help meet and exceed patient expectations, but will help providers future-proof their operations and build a sustainable revenue cycle for the years ahead. Find out more about how Experian Health's patient engagement solutions will help providers improve the patient experience in 2025. Patient Engagement solutions Contact us

The growing shift from inpatient to outpatient care continues. The U.S. ambulatory services market was estimated at USD 289.5 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.38% from 2024 to 2030. A Deloitte study notes that the gap between inpatient and outpatient revenue has been closing for two decades. But what's driving this boom? Clinical advances, patient demand for lower-risk and lower-cost options and payer pressure all play a role. New technologies, like advances in orthopedics, allow more procedures to be performed at outpatient service centers instead of costly hospital settings. Free-standing ambulatory surgery sites are expected to see a 14% volume boost over the next decade as more service lines, like cardiovascular and neurosciences, begin to shift procedures from inpatient to outpatient facilities. The ongoing growth in outpatient services presents a unique opportunity for revenue cycle leaders to use technology to improve outpatient revenue—and the overall patient experience. Grow outpatient revenue with more digital care Patients want a better experience at every step of the patient journey. They want to see their doctor faster, manage appointments online and understand how much it costs—with as little red tape as possible. A lack of streamlined patient access and transparency often results in no-shows, a rise in claims denials, wasted staff time and patient complaints. However, by opening the digital front door, providers can give patients the self-service tools they crave, improve the care experience, keep outpatient schedules full and increase revenue. Additionally, providers can use technology like artificial intelligence (AI) to lower claim denial rates. Here are five strategies to increase outpatient revenue in 2025. 1. Make patient access simple Patients want to see their doctor faster. In Experian Health's latest State of Patient Access survey, eight in ten patients who reported being unhappy with their provider experience cited waiting for an appointment as a top complaint. When trying to schedule, patients are also frustrated by the friction that comes with complex processes, clunky technology systems and sparse provider communication. Outdated manual workflows, staffing shortages and lack of staff training often result in challenges for both patients and providers. Improved patient access is at the heart of patient-centered healthcare. Technology designed to put the patient in control, like online patient scheduling and digital patient intake tools, offer continuous patient engagement, optimized scheduling, and streamlined administrative processes. By leveraging modern patient access solutions, providers can improve patient experiences and alleviate the impact of staffing shortages. 2. Reduce appointment no-shows Missed appointments cause headaches for patients, providers, and revenue cycle managers. Online scheduling and mobile registration are also top of mind for patients. In Experian Health's State of Patient Access 2024 survey, 89% of patients said they wanted self-service scheduling and 85% reported a dislike for filling out repetitive intake paperwork. Online patient scheduling software puts patients in the driver's seat, providing convenient and secure 24/7 access to book, reschedule, and cancel appointments on their own time. Solutions like Patient Schedule sync seamlessly to an organization's scheduling rules, and patients receive automated appointment reminders by text or IVR. On average, providers that use Experian Health's scheduling solution experience an 89% show rate, a 50% reduction in scheduling time, and a 32% increase in patients per month. Patient intake tools like Registration Accelerator simplify mobile registration with a streamlined text-to-mobile experience. Once registration is complete, automated returns of forms, patient-check-ins and demographic information ease the burden on staff. 3. Help patients prepare for outpatient costs Patients need a clear breakdown of their financial responsibility before receiving care. Without it, they may be unable to prepare for care costs appropriately. While hospitals are now required to share detailed pricing for at least 300 common procedures, confusion around a patient's actual financial responsibility still persists. More than half of patients report turning to their provider for help understanding what insurance covers. Digital solutions that provide accurate, upfront estimates empower patients. More than eight in ten patients say pre-service estimates help them prepare for the cost of care. Patient Payment Estimates provide upfront, real-time estimates of what a patient will owe. Providers can offer convenient and secure payment links, and allow patients to pay their bills online or see customized payment plans. Outpatient providers can further maximize the chance of reimbursement by running health insurance coverage checks across the entire revenue cycle. This can help find billable coverage that may have been forgotten and give patients greater certainty about what they'll owe. 4. Automate healthcare collections Collections are often a major challenge in the outpatient revenue cycle. Outpatient procedures can be costly, even with insurance, leaving patients responsible for potentially large bills. Automating healthcare collections allows for faster, more efficient, and more compassionate collections. Tools like Collections Optimization Manager helped Novant Health achieve an overall recovery rate of 6.5% and increase revenue and cost savings to a rolling average return on investment of 8.5:1. With automated tools like Patient Financial Clearance, providers can assess patients' ability to pay and assign them to an appropriate financial pathway. This allows patients to quickly get the assistance they need while freeing up valuable staff time. 5. Streamline claims to increase outpatient revenue Denied claims continue to be problematic for providers. In Experian Health's State of Claims 2024 report, which surveyed 210 healthcare revenue cycle leaders, nearly three-quarters of providers feel claims denials are increasing, while 67% feel getting paid is taking longer. Claims management software can help end the cycle of denials. However, around half of providers still use a manual claims review process, and only 28% feel confident in their understanding of automation, machine learning and AI. Adopting automated and integrated healthcare claims management solutions can reduce errors, prevent undercharges, and ensure a higher first-pass payment rate. Tools like Experian Health's ClaimsSource® simplify the entire claims process, while Claim Scrubber helps providers submit more accurate claims. Digital solutions can also automate claim status monitoring and eliminate manual denial processes. Implementing AI tools to interpret past claims data and recommend next steps can improve outpatient claim denial statistics. Tools like AI AdvantageTM look at past payer behavior and historical claims data to predict and prevent denials. AI Advantage's two components, Predict Denials and Denial Triage, help providers respond to growing denial challenges by identifying claims with a high likelihood of denial before submission, and focus on remits that have the most impact. See how: Find out more about how Experian Health's revenue cycle management solutions can help healthcare organizations increase outpatient revenue, keep pace with growing patient volumes, improve patient satisfaction and boost their bottom lines. Learn more Contact us

Lines at the desk, phones ringing off the hook and a stack of insurance questions waiting to be resolved — this is the daily reality for many patient access teams. Today's patients find these "front door" bottlenecks in healthcare particularly frustrating, especially since they can envision how much smoother the process could be with the digital apps and tools they rely on in other areas of their lives. Despite improvements in patient access, Experian Health's latest State of Patient Access survey suggests that the digital front door in healthcare is still only partially open. Drawing on these survey findings, this article examines how opening the digital front door in healthcare can address common pain points in patient access, improve operational efficiency and better meet the needs of modern healthcare consumers. What is the digital front door in healthcare? Scheduling a doctor's appointment should be as easy as using a food delivery or ride-sharing app. That's the idea behind the digital front door in healthcare. Giving patients secure digital options to book, register and pay for care puts control in their hands so they can manage their care anywhere, anytime. It's part of a larger digital transformation in healthcare, making it easier for patients to connect with services quickly and conveniently. At the same time, it improves efficiency and profitability for providers. From websites and portals to mobile apps, this approach creates a friendly, accessible entry point that focuses on what patients need: simplicity, convenience, and transparency in their healthcare journey. Top pain points in the healthcare digital experience While previous State of Patient Access reports exposed frustrations with patient access, the 2024 survey shows a glimmer of hope. Self-scheduling options are on the rise and telehealth is reducing friction. Patients and providers agree that access is getting better and credit digital tools for many of the improvements. That said, challenges remain. Top 3 pain points for patients Seeing their doctor quickly (27%) Understanding how much their care will cost (17%) Trying to schedule appointments (14%) Top 3 pain points for providers Maintaining staffing levels (45% vs. 55% in 2022) Efficient and timely management of prior authorizations (39%) Improving speed and accuracy of resolving patient information prior to claims submission (31%) When it comes to future priorities, patients and providers agree that accurate pre-service price estimates and clarity around insurance coverage are the top two. Providers believe they're getting better at providing accurate estimates, and while 74% of patients say they did receive accurate estimates, this is down from 78% the previous year. It's a good reminder that the digital front door isn't just about online scheduling: using digital tools to help patients understand and prepare for their bills is a key component. Patients and doctors want more — not fewer digital services The 2024 report reaffirms previous findings that patients want more digital options for managing their healthcare: six in ten say this is important. And among providers, it's clear that digital front door technology is seen as a critical driver of improvement in patient access. Here are just a few ways providers say they're using digital tools to reduce friction: Expanding telehealth services Introducing digital/mobile patient communications Launching patient portal services Enabling online and mobile payment tools Implementing digital self-service registration and online/mobile self-scheduling Mitigating staffing shortages is a major benefit. Staffing issues have lessened since the peak of the pandemic, but remain an obstacle to effective scheduling and registration for 72% of providers. Automation and self-service patient access tools help alleviate these pressures. How digital solutions improve patient access and satisfaction “These digital tools make healthcare more accessible by eliminating barriers and simplifying patient-provider interactions,” says Alex Harwitz, VP, Digital Front Door, at Experian Health. “Automation can take care of repetitive tasks that take up staff time, so staff can focus on helping patients directly. Real-time scheduling, accurate cost estimates and streamlined mobile options meet patients where they are and give them the control and flexibility they want.” Bottlenecks, wait times and costly errors go down, while patient satisfaction is higher. 3 solutions to improve the digital front door Harwitz suggests three ways to use the digital front door to eliminate friction in the patient journey: 1. Simplify patient scheduling Patients' litmus test for patient access is how quickly they can see their doctor. To help patients quickly find and book the earliest available appointment, healthcare organizations turn to Experian Health's Patient Schedule software. This 24/7 digital scheduling platform guides patients to the right appointment and provider in line with scheduling and business rules. Patients can easily cancel and reschedule if necessary, and no log-in is required, so new patients can get started instantly. Automation optimizes scheduling capacity, so no appointment slots are wasted, improving call center efficiency. There's also the option to incorporate automated text, interactive voice response and email reminders so patients don't forget their appointments, which will increase completion rates and reduce gaps in care. 2. Speed up registration times Patients don't want to sit in waiting rooms and fill out manual paperwork, and healthcare staff have limited bandwidth to handle high patient volumes. Tools like Registration Accelerator can streamline the registration process, by reducing manual efforts and paperwork for patients and staff. This patient intake solution sends an automated link that allows patients to register anywhere, and at any time. Patient Access Curator uses AI-powered data capture technology to collect and verify patient information at registration, reducing the need for manual input. In a single click, the tool runs simultaneous inquiries to capture: Eligibility verification Coordination of benefits Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers Coverage discovery and patient financial status Patient demographics Not only does this accelerate the registration process for patients, but it also gathers clean, accurate data for downstream claim submissions. This technology has prevented over $1 billion in denials since 2020. Watch the webinar: How Patient Access Curator is transforming claims management from the front end of the revenue cycle. 3. Provide more accurate estimates With 96% of patients looking to their provider to help them understand their insurance coverage, the demand for better financial communications is clear. More than 80% of patients say accurate upfront estimates help them plan for costs. If they feel they can't afford to pay, 43% say they would consider postponing or canceling care. Lack of clarity is a health risk as much as a financial one. Experian Health created Patient Financial Advisor and Patient Estimates to help providers improve price transparency. Healthcare providers can use these tools to generate precise cost estimates based on real-time pricing information and offer convenient online payment options to expedite collections. Patients can get a personal estimate, customized payment plan and submit a payment in a few clicks. This addresses patient concerns about affordability and transparency, while ensuring providers remain compliant. See it in action: the digital front door in the real world How IU Health used guided scheduling to boost patient satisfaction and improve operational efficiency even as patient volumes increased. How Banner Medical Group uses Patient Estimates to boost patient satisfaction and meet compliance requirements. How West Tennessee Healthcare modernized patient intake with automation. The evolving digital front door in healthcare The digital front door in healthcare isn't just a single entry point — it's a constantly evolving way to connect with patients, bridging digital and real-life interactions. By tackling common challenges like outdated booking systems, unclear financial statements, lengthy waits and limited payment options, healthcare organizations can create a smooth, patient-friendly experience that boosts satisfaction, builds trust and improves results for everyone involved. Learn more about how Experian Health's digital front door solutions tackle the most common pain points in patient access and deliver convenience, clarity and control. Learn more Contact us