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Collecting payments from patients has always been tough. Confusing bills, missed reminders and affordability concerns often lead to delays. Billing teams get bogged down in follow-up calls and paperwork, leaving little time for complex cases and a big question mark over whether they're using their time efficiently. As patients shoulder a greater share of their healthcare costs, there's increased pressure to make billing more accessible, transparent and manageable. Could automation be the answer? This article looks at how automation can simplify patient collections for everyone. With faster reminders, more accurate estimates, tailored payment plans and efficient collections management, providers can improve the patient experience and increase collections simultaneously. The importance of automation in patient collections One of the biggest frustrations for billing staff is seeing patients struggle to pay their bills. Medical costs can be daunting, and as patients are confronted with rising prices at the gas pumps and grocery stores, they may feel forced to delay healthcare payments or forego care altogether. Complicated bills with unclear charges and terminology only compound the problem: Experian Health's 2024 State of Patient Access (SOPA) survey found that 69% of providers see patients postpone services when they don't understand the financial impact. Many patients are able to pay their bills, but need clearer and more flexible payment options. In their attempts to support patients, billing teams spend a lot of time managing routine tasks like sending reminders, setting up payment plans and fielding questions about bills and unresolved insurance issues. What if these tasks could be handled automatically? There are opportunities to take advantage of automation, advanced data analytics and artificial intelligence in just about every corner of the collections process. Providers integrating automation in patient collections find it easier to help patients keep up with payments and maintain a steady cash flow — without draining staff resources. The benefits of automation for patient collections Here is a run-down of a few key automation benefits for patient collections: 1. Clearer billing, which boosts better cash flow In the SOPA survey, 88% of providers recognized that upfront price estimates contribute to collections success. Automation makes it easier to calculate accurate estimates based on the provider's current prices and the patient's specific insurance benefits. With user-friendly bills, patients can quickly grasp what they owe without needing to ask their provider for clarification. Automated systems can also issue friendly reminders to patients via text or email so they don't miss payment deadlines. Including quick payment links allows patients to click and pay in an instant. 2. Personalized payment options, which create a compassionate and convenient patient experience A survey by Experian Health and PYMNTs found that patients welcome tailored payment plans that allow them to pay their bills in stages. This is backed up by SOPA findings, which show that 40% of providers have seen reduced friction in patient intake thanks to payment plans. Automation can be used to calculate customized options that fit different budgets. Aligning payment plans to the patients' ability to pay improves the consumer experience and minimizes bad debt. Today's consumers want to choose how they pay for care, yet many providers lack the online and mobile-enabled payment options to support fast and convenient payments. With automation, healthcare organizations can enable multiple secure payment methods across their services and departments, giving patients more hassle-free ways to pay. 3. Increased efficiency, which reduces the admin burden for staff With automation handling routine billing tasks, staff can spend less time on paperwork and more time on patient care, leading to a more efficient and patient-focused service. Overall, automation creates a smoother billing experience. Patients appreciate clear information, convenient payment options, and timely reminders, which makes them more satisfied with their care. Key tools and technologies for automating patient collections When building a toolkit for automated patient collections, providers can choose from a growing range of technologies. For example: 1. Analytics-based collections optimization One way to simplify patient collections is to use data analytics to screen, segment and prioritize self-pay accounts so that each one can be handled in the most efficient way. Collections Optimization Manager screens patient accounts for bankruptcy, deceased status, Medicaid, and charity so staff can focus on higher-yield accounts. After screening, accounts are given a score based on the patient's propensity to pay and then routed to the most appropriate servicing channel. Users can access real-time dashboards and expert consultancy support to monitor and improve collections strategies. This improves the experience for patients, reduces repetitive manual work for staff, and maximizes collections while reducing the overall cost to collect. See it in action: How Wooster Community Hospital collected $3.8M in patient balances with Collections Optimization Manager 2. Financial aid automation Many patients with high out-of-pocket costs and co-pays are unaware that they might be eligible for financial assistance. By using Experian’s comprehensive data, Patient Financial Clearance automatically determines which patients may qualify for financial assistance and even auto-enrolls them in relevant programs. To make this process as easy as possible for patients, the tool prompts them to complete applications whenever it is convenient, either online or through their smartphones. This releases staff from time-consuming manual work and accelerates approvals and payments. In addition, the tool creates individualized payment plans that account for what the patient is likely to be able to afford, thus helping providers collect from patients who do not qualify for charity support, too. See it in action: How Eskenazi Health boosted Medicaid approvals by 111% with financial aid automation 3. Automated upfront, accurate estimates For patients with out-of-pocket bills, getting ahead of any surprise charges with accurate pre-service estimates is essential. Patient Estimates is a web-based pricing tool that pulls together every last detail about chargemaster pricing, payer contracts, insurance benefits and financial assistance policies to generate an accurate estimate for patients. It applies any prompt-pay discounts or payment plans so the patient knows what to expect. Helping patients understand and prepare for forthcoming bills smooths out the payment process and leads to more revenue being collected, sooner. 4. Digitally enabled payment technology The patient-friendly collections experience can be rounded out by offering a choice of digital-first payment methods. PaymentSafe® allows providers to securely accept patient payments at any time, expanding the number of collection points available to patients. The tool automatically integrates data from across the payments ecosystem to pre-populate fields in the patients' accounts, allowing them to pay multiple bills at once, and automatically settles and remits payments. Making it easy for patients to pay accelerates payments, including before and at the point of service. The future of patient collections through automation Bringing together automation and patient collections will continue to simplify and make these processes more patient-friendly. Automation and digital tools will enable more self-service options, making it easy for patients to manage bills, choose payment plans, and make payments at their convenience. Moving toward greater transparency and personalization will also give patients more control. Emerging technologies such as predictive analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence will give providers greater insights into their patients' financial needs, so they can offer proactive and compassionate support to navigate the process. As these trends gather steam, patient collections will become faster, more adaptable and better aligned with the needs of today's healthcare consumers. Find out more about how simplifying patient collections with automation can improve patient experiences and increase collections. Learn more Contact us

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