smed 7759

by Krishna.Nelluri@experian.com 0 min read June 5, 2026

The Digital Healthcare Gap: Streamlining the Patient Journey

Earlier this year, Experian Health teamed up with PYMNTS to ask more than 2300 consumers about their digital healthcare habits. The results confirmed that consumers are eager to use digital channels, but still experience challenges in finding options that meet their expectations. The Digital Healthcare Gap: Streamlining the Patient Journey examines how healthcare providers currently use digital tools to allow patients to book appointments, obtain test results and make payments. It also examines how providers are closing gaps. This article summarizes the key insights that will help providers create a seamless digital experience and improve patient engagement. Download the report to get the full study, and to learn how healthcare providers are using digital channels to improve care and drive engagement. How are healthcare providers using digital channels to streamline access to care? While most patients still prefer to interact with healthcare providers in person or by phone, digital methods are increasingly popular. For example, Experian and PYMNTS data show that: 1 in 5 patients used digital channels to schedule appointments within the previous year. 1 in 3 patients used patient portals to fill out registration forms. 1 in 4 patients used digital methods to pay for healthcare. Urgent care patients were the most likely to schedule appointments online, with 17% using patient portals, 16% scheduling directly through practice websites and 5% booking by text message. Patient portals were also the most popular digital channel among patients booking appointments with family practices. These insights suggest that patients want on-demand patient access and a range of options to book, register and pay for care in a way that’s most convenient for them. When they have that choice, many opt for digital methods, though results vary by type of provider. Patient portals are emerging as the most popular channel because they allow patients to securely access and manage their healthcare information in one place, whenever and wherever they like. Missed us at the MUSE Inspire Conference? Contact us for more conversations about opening healthcare’s digital front door. How can providers better engage patients using digital healthcare solutions? Despite their enthusiasm, many patients run into challenges when using patient portals, especially when making payments. Obtaining accurate cost estimates before coming in for care was a major pain point for 15% of patients surveyed. Portals are an obvious solution, but only 24% of patients said they had access to portals that include this feature. Even among those patients with access to “estimate-enabled” portals, only 6% said they knew their out-of-pocket costs in advance, which may point to communication or usability issues. The ability to receive cost estimates in advance of treatment has a major impact on how satisfied patients feel with their overall care experience. Nearly 85% of patients said they were satisfied with their care, but those who did not receive cost estimates for their most recent appointments tended to be less satisfied. The portion of urgent care patients satisfied with their experience dropped to 74% when out-of-pocket expenses weren’t known in advance. Experian Health’s Patient Estimates can help address these gaps. This web-based pricing tool gives patients accurate cost estimates before their treatment and offers advice for financial assistance and charity options. Patient Financial Advisor complements this by delivering pre-service estimates of the patient’s responsibility straight to their mobile devices. With this solution, patients get a text message with a secure link to their cost estimates and payment options. Providers that offer a convenient and transparent financial experience through these types of digital tools are likely to see improved patient engagement and more efficient patient collections. Tom Cox, President of Experian Health, says that digitally-enabled convenience is the secret to better patient engagement. “Patients are consumers before they are patients. They may not be experts in medicine, but when it comes to convenient and efficient scheduling, registration, estimates, payments, communication, and flexible delivery of these services, the consumer becomes the de facto expert. Healthcare is quickly approaching the point where a standard of convenience and ease of use – primarily delivered via digital tools ­– will result in patient attrition for those failing to meet the standard. The ’innovation’ needed is to reach parity with the experiences consumers have in their other service interactions.” “Healthcare is quickly approaching the point where a standard of convenience and ease of use – primarily delivered via digital tools ­– will result in patient attrition for those failing to meet the standard.” – Tom Cox, President at Experian Health How can digital healthcare solutions attract and retain new patients? The research also found that opening the digital front door can supercharge efforts to attract new patients. 3 in 10 patients use digital methods to find and select providers, with 1 in 10 using online reviews as part of their search. Nearly 2 in 10 struggle to find the professionals they need. Building a consistent online presence can help increase providers’ “discoverability” and signal a commitment to digital healthcare that so many patients desire. Providers that offer easy and reliable digital tools are also going to be more likely to attract and retain new patients. With 20% of patients saying portals are complicated to use, and 13% saying they lack functionality, providers that offer streamlined digital services are going to be more attractive. Building on the existing momentum with online self-scheduling and self-service patient registration can make it easier for patients to choose and register with new providers. Cox recognizes that digital solutions are not a simple fix – but worth the effort. “As consumers, we take something like scheduling for granted. What goes on behind the scenes is pretty complicated, however. In the case of scheduling a medical visit, there are specific time slots, physician schedules, how to address cancellations and the need for referrals, among many other variables…. It can be challenging for a healthcare provider to aggregate disparate data into a digital tool that’s easy for patients to engage with. That’s why solution partners like Experian Health are critical to help deliver a better patient experience.” Find out more about how Experian Health’s tried and tested digital tools can help providers streamline the patient journey.  

May 12, 2022 by Experian Health
4 digital enhancements to improve patient access

It’s time for healthcare providers to rethink patient access with patient-friendly digital solutions. Read the blog post to learn how.

May 9, 2022 by Experian Health
How providers can achieve and improve healthcare price transparency

Patients want accurate price estimates prior to care. Learn how healthcare organizations can improve healthcare price transparency for patients.

May 5, 2022 by Experian Health

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