The benefits of online scheduling during a “twindemic”

by Experian Health 4 min read October 13, 2020

In previous winters, anyone struck by a sore throat or fever might assume they had flu, and head to bed with a hot drink and some painkillers. This year, the looming specter of COVID-19 could prompt those with flu-like symptoms to seek medical care instead. Combined with a likely second wave of COVID-19 cases as lockdown requirements relax, healthcare organizations anticipate a surge in patients seeking tests and treatment this winter.

To protect against a possible “twindemic”, where COVID-19 and winter flu season collide, providers will want to ensure the patient intake and access process is as easy and efficient as possible—and not just for regular appointments with a primary care physician or specialist, but for pandemic- and flu-related services like COVID tests, flu shots, and more.

Online scheduling has been a game-changer during the pandemic: could it be the key to surviving a twindemic? With the right digital tools in place, providers can screen patients for their COVID-19 or flu risk before attending an in-person appointment, helping separate healthy patients from those suspected of having either illness. Providers can also leverage those same digital tools to streamline activity like flu shots, or even drive-through testing for COVID-19.

Four ways to leverage digital scheduling for a twindemic

These four steps could be key to protecting patients, streamlining workflows and reducing pressures on call centers during flu season as it collides with COVID-19:

1. Create screening questionnaires during patient scheduling

As soon as the patient logs on to book an appointment, they are asked to answer a few short questions about their symptoms. A screening questionnaire can triage people wanting to get tested, while the answers inform providers of the likelihood of a patient having COVID-19 and if that individual needs to quarantine. After being screened, the system can direct patients through the correct channel of care based on the information provided.

A similar questionnaire could be adapted during flu season for providers to assess and compare symptoms and risks ahead of time. Providers can even designate day and time slots available to patients for flu vaccinations, making it easy for patients to schedule on their own time and further minimizing the risk of unnecessary contact with other patients in office.

2. Direct patients to drive-through testing to minimize in-person tests

Depending on the answers given during screening, patients may be directed to virtual and disease-specific care, such as drive-through COVID-testing. An online scheduling platform can easily be used to book appointments for tests, presenting patients with any available time slots, either same-day or a few days out. The platform can also record information about the patient’s vehicle to quickly identify patients and avoid bottlenecks in the drive-through.

With so many patients hesitant to show for in-person visits today, a similar system for flu shots could serve providers well.

3. Use guided search to direct patients to the right virtual services

Virtual care has proven both necessary and valuable during the current pandemic. Not only has it kept patients in close contact with providers and specialists, but it has helped providers capture revenue lost from the cancellation or delay of in-person appointments.

Virtual care will be increasingly critical during a dual COVID-19/flu season. By asking the right questions during online scheduling, patients can be connected to the correct provider, whether virtual or in-person, for their needs and book an appointment quickly and easily.

4. Eliminate walk-through traffic at urgent care centers

Urgent care centers are already known to be the ‘doctor of choice’ for many patients, but this could pose a few challenges for both patients and providers during a dual pandemic. Rather than be a gathering spot for patients with both illnesses, urgent care centers may want to consider switching to an appointment-only system, where appointments must be scheduled online or by phone. This can help reduce the number of in-person visits and walk-in traffic, which will not only help keep everyone safe and healthy but contribute to a far better patient experience as patients wouldn’t have to sit and wait to be seen by a provider.

Interested in hearing more about how online scheduling could help your organization manage flu season as it collies with COVID-19?

Related Posts

Andy’s New WP Workflow Test Article Using Quick Edit

Key takeaways: Revenue cycle teams can use automation to reduce repetitive work and apply AI where data-driven prediction, matching or prioritization can improve a workflow. Experian Health’s 2025 State of Claims survey found that 41% of providers now face denial rates of 10% or higher, while 68% say submitting clean claims is more challenging than a year ago. Patient Access Curator™ (PAC) uses AI to support front-end data validation and insurance discovery, while AI Advantage™ helps teams predict denial risk and prioritize denial follow-up. Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation can support administrative work in healthcare. In the revenue cycle, teams depend on accurate information, timely decisions and efficient follow-up to keep claims moving. In revenue cycle management, AI and automation can help organizations reduce manual checks, find data gaps, predict denial risk and prioritize work queues. These tools are most useful when they support staff judgment, payer expertise and compliance oversight. They can handle repetitive, data-heavy tasks so staff can focus on exceptions and decisions that need human review. In 2023, McKinsey & Company reported that research suggests effectively deploying automation and analytics could eliminate $200 billion to $360 billion of spending in U.S. healthcare. For revenue cycle leaders, the practical question is where to apply those capabilities first. The case for applying AI and automation in healthcare Revenue cycle teams juggle many daily tasks. Staff collect and verify patient information, confirm eligibility, identify the right payer, submit clean claims, monitor status, work denials and manage collections. Small data gaps at the beginning of the process can create downstream rework and delays. Rework also consumes staff time, adding to these operational pressures. As costs rise and revenue cycles tighten, there is increasing pressure to do more with less. Experian Health’s 2025 State of Claims survey found that 54% of providers say claim errors are increasing and 90% of claim denials are reworked with at least some human review before resubmission. Providers are also managing broader financial and administrative pressures. The American Hospital Association has reported that prior authorization requirements, claim audits, denials and other payer policies add administrative burden and cost for hospitals and health systems. These requirements also consume staff time to appeal denials and manage payer processes. AI and automation are different but complementary. Automation follows defined rules to complete repeatable work. AI models can identify patterns in data, predict risk and help teams decide where to focus attention. When used together, they can support more consistent revenue cycle workflows. How AI and automation can support revenue cycle workflows Revenue cycle management automation and AI are most useful when tied to a specific workflow and a measurable operational problem. The goal is to help teams act earlier, reduce avoidable rework and focus staff time where judgment is needed most. For example, automation can complete rule-based eligibility checks. AI can help identify claims with a higher likelihood of denial. In insurance discovery workflows, AI can also help identify coverage that wasn’t captured at registration. When these tools fit into existing workflows, they can support more consistent decisions and reduce manual work. Three practical applications include: 1. Improving front-end data quality with Patient Access Curator Patient and coverage information collected early in the revenue cycle can affect downstream claim outcomes. Incomplete or outdated demographic details, eligibility responses, coordination of benefits or Medicare Beneficiary Identifier information can create problems that lead to claim delays or denials later in the cycle. Experian Health’s Patient Access Curator helps prevent claim denials by validating demographics, eligibility, insurance discovery, coordination of benefits and Medicare Beneficiary Identifier data in seconds. PAC’s AI and machine learning capabilities help improve match accuracy, coverage sequencing and data confidence by writing the validated data back into the host system and sequencing payers before the claim is created. This automates work that would otherwise require manual coverage checks. 2. Using insurance discovery to find coverage not captured at registration When active coverage isn’t identified during registration, claims may be delayed or submitted with incomplete insurance information. Insurance discovery looks for coverage that may not have been captured during registration. Patient Access Curator includes insurance discovery as part of its front-end validation workflow. It can help identify and correct missing or incorrect insurance information so claims can be submitted with more complete coverage data. 3. Using AI to prevent and prioritize denials Even with strong front-end processes, some claims still require additional attention. AI can help claims teams decide which claims to review before submission and which denials to work first after payer response. Experian Health’s AI Advantage supports two denial management use cases:1. AI Advantage – Predictive Denials uses a client’s historical claims data and Experian’s knowledge of payer rules to identify claims with a high likelihood of denial before submission so teams can take corrective action.2. AI Advantage – Denial Triage uses AI to segment denials and identify those with the highest potential for reimbursement. This approach can help teams prioritize with more confidence. Rather than treating every claim or denial the same way, teams can use predictive models to focus on the work that needs the most attention. Potential benefits of AI and automation in the revenue cycle A high-performing revenue cycle depends on timely, accurate and consistent work. AI and automation can help providers modernize that work without losing the expertise of the people who manage complex payer and patient situations every day. When applied to the right workflows, these tools can help organizations: Reduce manual data searches that take staff away from higher-value work Improve front-end data quality before claims are created Identify missing or incorrect coverage information earlier Spot claims that may be at higher risk of denial Prioritize denied claims by potential reimbursement Reduce rework caused by inaccurate or incomplete information Give staff more consistent information for follow-up decisions A focused AI strategy starts with the workflow problem, uses data that is relevant to that problem and keeps staff in control of judgment-based decisions. A more proactive approach to revenue cycle management Revenue cycle teams can move from reactive work toward a more proactive approach: catch errors earlier, validate coverage before claims are created and prioritize the claims and denials that need the most attention. Experian Health offers revenue cycle solutions that use AI and automation in targeted ways to support front-end data quality, reduce rework and manage denials. Patient Access Curator supports registration and coverage validation, while AI Advantage supports denial prediction and triage. Learn more about Experian Health’s Patient Access Curator and AI Advantage.

October 2, 2026 by Andy.Monte@experian.com
Experian Health ranked #1 in Best in KLAS for 2025

Experian Health is very pleased to announce that we've ranked #1 in the 2025 Best in KLAS: Software & Services report, for our Contract Manager and Contract Analysis product, for the third consecutive year. Contract Manager, when paired with Contract Analysis, empowers healthcare providers by ensuring payers comply with contract terms, identifying and recovering underpayments, and arming them with real claims data to negotiate contracts. This enables providers to negotiate more favorable terms and maintain financial stability.  Clarissa Riggins, Chief Product Officer at Experian Health, says, “In the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, our Contract Manager solution has once again been recognized as the #1 Revenue Cycle Management tool by KLAS for the third consecutive year. This prestigious ranking underscores the significant value our solution delivers to our clients by identifying underpayments and facilitating revenue recovery. We are honored to continue supporting our clients with innovative solutions that drive financial success and operational efficiency.”  Learn more about how Contract Manager and Contract Analysis can help your healthcare organization validate reimbursement accuracy, recover underpayments and boost revenue.   Learn more Contact us

February 5, 2025 by kelly.nguyen
How to increase patient engagement

Learn how providers can increase patient engagement, why it matters and key strategies that deliver improved end-to-end patient experiences.

January 30, 2025 by Experian Health

Spotlight test

Spotlight Description

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Sticky Subscribe Title

Sticky Subscribe Description
Sticky Subscribe

Testing Spotlight Paragraph block

Testing the spotlight block header

Archive Testing

Categories