Tag: patient experience
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Consumers today want more flexible and convenient access to care, preferably through the self-service experience they are accustomed to in other areas of their lives. To answer this call, providers are turning to online self-scheduling, which allows patients to book an appointment with the provider of their choice any time of day or night via the comfort of their own home and on a mobile device. Incorporating a self-scheduling solution that reaps long-term success takes a specific strategy, and with the number self-scheduling vendors growing every day, it can be hard to know what to look for in a self-scheduling solution. How can providers be sure that their solution is scheduling patients effectively? Implement patient self-scheduling the right way. Online self-scheduling that automates scheduling protocols with customized business rules drives efficiency while ensuring bookings are accurate. If calling to schedule an appointment, schedulers will walk patients through a series of questions to determine the best possible provider and appointment time for their specific care need. The right scheduling solution should be able to seamlessly facilitate that question and answer process online. It not only ensures that patients are being matched with the right provider but keeps providers’ scheduling rules in mind throughout the entire process. For example, some providers may only designate certain days and appointment slots throughout the week for new patients. With those protocols included as part of the scheduling solution, providers can maintain control of their calendars while filling existing gaps.This is particularly vital during a pandemic like COVID-19 where to avoid further exposure and spread of the virus providers may only want to see patients experiencing those symptoms at certain times of day. The benefits are three-fold: schedulers, including call center agents and patients, see only appropriate appointment availability for a provider in real-time allowing them to book on the spot, providers can experience a more predictable schedule as they know their rules are being maintained, and patients can be assured that their health and safety is a top priority for in-office visits. Integrate with your EMR/PM system. Direct integration with any EMR/PM system is a key component for any successful scheduling solution as it provides everyone (patients, providers, health plans, and call center agents) with a continually up-to-date, real-time view of appointment availability. These integrations improve workflows behind the scenes while enabling the patient-centered aspect of the technology, which is the ability to book an appointment from a computer, phone, or tablet. Additionally, being able to provide a non-integrated scheduling experience for affiliated providers and other services is a vital additional offering that needs to be available outside the integration so that systems can open scheduling to all services. Having a solution that can do both is ideal. Offer a white-labeled experience. Customers remember and go back to brands they love, and that couldn’t be truer in healthcare. That is why it is important for organizations to deliver a consistent brand experience across the board—even with a self-scheduling solution hosted by an outside vendor. Leveraging a white-labeled scheduling solution promotes a strong brand experience and builds trust while saving patients the hassle and confusion of leaving the organization’s website to schedule via another. Moreover, many scheduling vendors require logins to their system in order to schedule, this is an unnecessary barrier to patient access. While useful for current or existing patients, a log-in may actually be a detriment to acquiring new patients or those who don’t yet have a relationship with your organization. Provide real-time scheduling (not just request an appointment). Unfortunately, many organizations claim to offer online self-scheduling, but the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. So many times, patients go through the entire online scheduling process to find out that they’ve only requested an appointment, and still have to wait for the provider to confirm and book, more often than not with a phone call which is what the patient was trying to avoid all along. Real-time scheduling means patients have the ability to view and actually choose their preferred appointment day and time and book right there on the spot. This also means that patients can book an appointment any time of day or night, outside of the provider’s business hours. Allow same and next day appointment scheduling. Many providers set aside appointment slots for their patients to schedule same- and next-day appointments for more urgent needs. These slots can be made available to patients online with a scheduling solution’s ability to automate business rules. Offering same- and next-day appointments online holds a few advantages: it’s certainly a competitive advantage against the growing number of standalone urgent care offices, but it also helps mitigate gaps in care as patients are less likely to present elsewhere for care. Send calendar reminders. The act of booking an appointment isn’t always enough to make a patient show up for scheduled care. Automated calendar reminders, specifically, ones that include .ics calendar files, sent to patients immediately after the booking process increase the chances that patients will show for their scheduled appointments. It’s a feature that dramatically reduces patient no-shows, which are often detrimental to the bottom line. Complement with automated outreach. Many health systems send automated phone and text campaigns to patients about their healthcare needs, but all of them still require a patient to call in to schedule an actual appointment. Minimizing the burden on patients could close more gaps in care, improve the patient experience and reduce call center workload at the same time. Automated, targeted outreach campaigns can help you do exactly this. With a simple text message or voice message, providers can prompt patients to book their next appointment right then and there, on the spot, as part of the text message or voice call.With automation, providers can contact and schedule more patients versus leveraging a call center to contact each person individually. And, when automated patient outreach is paired with digital scheduling, patients are far more likely to show up to appointments. Make referral scheduling easy. Providers can arm referral partners with dedicated scheduling links, making it easier for them to schedule certain services. These links can include a customizable Q&A that walks the scheduler through the booking process and allows them to schedule the referral appointment effortlessly and without a phone call. Internal referrals within a provider organization can be similarly managed with a digital scheduling interface. Where patients traditionally would have left the office with a list of providers to call for a follow-up, provider staff can now locate and book follow-up appointments for patients at the point of care before leaving. This not only improves referral capture rate but offers a better, more connected experience for patients as they can more easily navigate the continuum of care and, ultimately, achieve better health outcomes. Include availability on third-party scheduling sites. As providers open the digital front door to their practice, they will want to meet patients wherever they are online, outside of just the provider’s website. A sophisticated online scheduling solution will enable providers the ability to add scheduling links on third-party websites so that patients searching online for local providers or specialists can immediately see appointment availability down to specific days and times.Also, to ensure accurate bookings, the scheduling solution must be able to ask patients questions to ensure they qualify to book, ensuring that the provider’s calendar is protected while making access easier. Leverage analytics to understand your users. Where are patients dropping off during the scheduling process? What is the conversion rate? How many patients are actually showing up for their scheduled appointments? These are all important questions for providers to ask when gauging the effectiveness of their scheduling solution. The answers to each of these questions can refine and improve the scheduling process, and a sophisticated self-scheduling solution will come with real-time analytics dashboards and data science capabilities to help determine opportunities for improvement.Analytics and reporting can also be used to track capacity and utilization rates to help providers optimize their calendars and referral pathways. Analytics can provide insight into where referrals are being sent so that bottlenecks can be quickly and easily identified, and the behavior modified to better spread referrals across the network. The rise of consumerism in the healthcare industry is no doubt influencing the creation and adoption of self-scheduling solutions, among other digital technologies that improve patient access. As these technologies are more seriously considered, providers need to be aware of what to look for in a self-scheduling solution. Smart technology that incorporates the components above will stand out from the crowd, ready to fit the unique needs of any provider organization. Download our free guide to learn more about online self-scheduling and how it fits within an omni-channel access strategy.
There is no shortage of data in the healthcare industry. Unfortunately, more data doesn’t always mean better data – especially when it comes to patient information. A unique patient identifier (UPI) is a method for standardizing patient identification. Individuals are assigned a unique code, and that code, rather than a Social Security Number, name, or address, is what is used by healthcare organizations to identify and manage patient information. A standardized code like this not only protects sensitive health information but supports the exchange of data between healthcare organizations and states as it is a number and format easily read and recognized by all. While a UPI has yet to be nationally recognized and implemented, a foundation has certainly been made and the industry is perfectly poised to move forward. How a unique patient identifier is used in healthcare The UPI helps healthcare organizations link the right records together, preventing duplicate records from being created. There are many ways duplicate accounts or variances can occur: address differences, name variations, maiden names and even user entry error. With UPIs, providers and payers can link records together and have one complete record and view of the patient or member, ultimately leading to a better experience and increased patient safety. Without reliable records, patient safety takes a hit. Misidentification can contribute to incorrect treatments and adverse medication interactions that have had life-altering or fatal consequences. The UPI’s ability to achieve accurate record match rates for every patient and member also improves efficient, patient-centered care coordination, as well as population health management strategies, prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs), social determinants of health and more. It is important to note that the UPI is not a patient-facing number and is not known to the patient or provider. It does not collect or share any clinical claims or diagnostic information; its purpose is simply to link records together giving providers and payers a complete view of someone’s identity. The patient experience within a real network A healthcare organization’s ability to manage patient data is apparent from the beginning. An inadequate system can force patients to fill out forms they’ve already filled out multiple times or undergo duplicate tests as they travel between facilities. It can also confuse patients who have similar information, such as first and last names, during the identification process. In an ecosystem built around a strong healthcare network, these discrepancies can be avoided. Patients are given a unique identifier that remains consistent across every healthcare facility they visit, from physicians’ offices to hospitals, pharmacies, specialists, long-term care facilities, and more. All providers that patients visit know exactly who they are. And it isn’t just greater comfort and convenience that patients gain from a well-connected healthcare network. Managing patients and their data is vital for reducing medical errors. One Johns Hopkins study found that medical errors account for more than 250,000 deaths annually in the United States. Healthcare efficiency within a real network The challenge of managing patient data across the entire healthcare ecosystem isn’t new — interoperability has been a hot button issue for years now. While there are several master patient indexes that organizations can use to match patients with appropriate demographic data, these still include gaps, overlaps, and outdated patient information. These indexes can’t keep up with simple things such as name and address changes or data entry errors. Therefore, providers and payers who rely on them have trouble matching their patients and members accurately. A more effective solution involves combining these data sets to create complete identities and profiles, where every piece of new data is instantly updated and verified. For example, if a provider has a patient in their EHR twice under two spellings of the patient’s name in error, a UPI would link those two profiles, creating a singular view of the patient in that provider’s system. Similarly, a UPI can help facilitate interoperability between healthcare providers. For example, if a pharmacy has a patient listed under a maiden name but the doctor has that same patient under a married name, the prescription during the ePrescribing process might not get associated with the right profile. If both organizations have the UPI on record and submit it during the transaction, the systems will match the patient using the UPI. Every authorized care team member can immediately access the updated data related to a patient or member’s identity, which offers benefits far beyond treatment. For providers, this could mean increased collections. For payers, it could look like improved medication adherence. For example, ValleyCare Health System in northern California was struggling with hundreds of bills being returned each month because of wrong patient addresses. When the health system implemented an identity verification program, it decreased the amount of returned mail by 90 percent. The network effect in a nutshell Sorting through clinical data issues takes up a great deal of time. The administrative costs of healthcare account for nearly 8 percent of U.S. healthcare expenditures. By identifying patients through unique socioeconomic factors, healthcare organizations can more efficiently and accurately manage data and put it to good use. A healthcare network tied together by streamlined data management provides an environment where duplicate or inaccurate information is detected and corrected almost immediately. Both patients and members are accurately identified, and their data retains its quality at every stage of care. When combined with other patient engagement solutions, such as patient portals, data and identity management tools create the infrastructure needed for healthcare to truly become one cohesive, patient- and member-centric network. Unique patient identifiers in the news Until recently, the use of federal funds for the adoption of a national patient identifier (NPI) was prohibited. The ban has limited the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from interacting with healthcare organizations to develop and implement an NPI strategy. In the years since the funding ban put the brakes on a universal approach, many disparate software solutions have been created which don’t talk or share information with each other. Integrating these systems in an industry of this scale will take a concerted effort. The ban was lifted in July of 2020, giving HHS the ability to evaluate a full range of patient matching solutions and enable it to work with the private sector to identify a solution that is cost-effective, scalable, secure and one that protects patient privacy. Karly Rowe, Vice President, Patient Access, Identity, and Care Management Products at Experian Health believes that “private-sector entities have already developed the technological foundation for data interoperability through the creation of UPIs that are maintained in a master person index.” These solutions are vendor neutral, meaning data can flow freely between disparate electronic health systems, regardless of size or location. With federal funding back on the table, “UPIs could be adopted with government oversight of private sector offerings and the creation of national standards to ensure quality patient matching and identification.” At the end of 2019, Experian Health announced that every person in the United States (about 328 million Americans) had successfully been assigned a unique UPI, powered by Experian Health Universal Identity Manager (UIM) and NCPDP Standards™ (the “UPI”). Combining Experian’s expansive data assets and innovative UIM technology along with the unique ability NCPDP brings to share the UPI throughout the healthcare ecosystem using the NCPDP Telecommunication Standard and its SCRIPT Standard, each individual in the U.S. that has received medical care or utilized a pharmacy has been processed through the solution and assigned a UPI. As new patients enter the healthcare ecosystem, this number will continue to grow. Learn more about unique patient identifiers Having a single, unified and accurate view of patients and members is a challenge that plagues the healthcare system. Now, there is promise of a comprehensive solution that reduces the barriers to make healthcare safer. Interested in learning more about unique patient identifiers and how Experian Health can help?
The age of consumerism has been a catalyst in the shift towards patient-centered care, driving hospitals and health systems across the board to evaluate and improve their current methods of patient access. For one multi-specialty medical group, fast and easy access to care meant providing strategic tools for patients to use beyond the four walls of the organization and outside of the traditional hours of the practice. In order to provide a more flexible and convenient method to access care, CareMount Medical, the largest independent multi-specialty group in New York State, turned to Experian Health to enable online self-scheduling. With it in place, patients now have the ability to schedule an appointment online, across any specialty, any time of day or night. Providers’ scheduling protocols are automated within the solution to accurately match patients with the right provider and appointment based on care need. Those same protocols are also used to prevent overbooking, allowing providers to maintain close and comfortable control over their calendars. Improved call center efficiencies. Automated scheduling relieves call center staff of the associated administrative work, allowing more time for nurses and other credentialed staff to answer health questions and concerns over the phone. Increased patient acquisition and retention. In addition to attracting new patients, the solution has proven valuable for patient retention. Since implementation, the organization has seen on average 30 online appointment bookings per provider per month. Higher patient satisfaction. Patients are no longer required to call to schedule an appointment during office hours. This level of convenience gives patients more control over their day and has contributed to rising patient satisfaction scores for the organization as a whole. Continued Improvements. Real-time analytics and dashboards provide direct line-of-sight into scheduling activity, helping leaders at CareMount Medical to both identify areas for improvement and fine-tune the process to further improve online bookings. \"Experian Health’s guided search and scheduling solution adds immediate benefits for our patients, supporting our commitment to provide our patients with cutting-edge technology in the convenience of their home.\" — Scott D. Hayworth, MD, FACOG, President & CEO, CareMount Medical Learn more about CareMount Medical\'s journey and how your organization can also improve patient access with patient scheduling from Experian Health.
With a vaccine for COVID-19 thought to be at least a year away, healthcare providers are steeling themselves for even more cases in the fall. The big worry is that a surge in cases will hit the health system just as flu season takes hold. In a recent interview, Dr. Robert Redfield, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), warned that “the assault of the virus on our nation next winter [may] actually be even more difficult than the one we just went through… we’re going to have the flu epidemic and the coronavirus epidemic at the same time.” Healthcare organizations are accustomed to an influx of sick patients between October and March: around 62,000 people died and more than 700,000 were hospitalized during last winter’s flu season. With 130,000 Americans losing their lives to COVID-19 in just four months, what could happen when the two respiratory diseases collide? Large numbers of patients with either virus (or potentially with both) will put renewed pressure on staff and services that are already under immense strain. Hospitals will need to prepare to manage both groups of patients as efficiently and safely as possible. Five ways to ease stress, paperwork and patient concerns ahead of a dual epidemic 1. Use data to drive your patient engagement strategy Create a flu preparedness patient engagement strategy to keep patients informed of how best to protect themselves in the context of a dual epidemic. As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, patients may be more familiar with telehealth services as a “contact-free” alternative to in-person appointments, so you’ll want to continue to promote these to minimize the spread of infection. With consumer data, you can segment patients according to risk and automate your communications, so they get the most relevant message at the most convenient time. 2. Relieve pressure on staff with automated patient scheduling Digital scheduling gives patients the option to book appointments online, at a time and place that suits them. This reduces pressure on call center staff and can give providers control over the volume and timing of in-person appointments, thus helping to reduce the spread of germs. An online patient scheduling platform can automate the entire scheduling process, integrating in real-time with your records management systems and connecting to your referral providers’ systems for a seamless patient and staff experience. 3. Screen patients proactively to discover their needs ahead of time Asking patients to fill out electronic questionnaires before their visit means their access needs can be identified and addressed before they come in. Do they need help to find transportation? Will they face any challenges in picking up a prescription? Is there something that could stand in the way of follow-up care? Screening for social determinants of health can answer these questions so you can direct patients to the most appropriate care and support. 4. Enable digital patient registration for a quick and easy intake experience Speed up the registration process by giving patients the option to complete their intake admin by phone or through their patient portal. Not only will this reduce the spread of infection in busy waiting rooms, it’ll make for a more enjoyable patient experience and free up limited staff resources for other priorities. With automated registration and consumer-facing mobile experiences, you can improve the patient experience, operational efficiencies and data accuracy all at the same time. 5. Minimize in-person interactions with contactless payments Encourage patients to clear their balances without having to hand over cash or access payment kiosks. Self-service digital payment tools allow patients to make contactless payments through their patient portal or from their mobile device. It’s in line with consumer expectations, and it could also increase patient collections: Saratoga Hospital saw point-of-service collections increase by 50% after implementing more user-friendly patient payment options. “The combined pressure from two viruses hitting health systems at once means it’s even more important for providers to leverage data for speed and accuracy. Automated workflows can help accelerate operational efficiency, as well as create a better patient experience during what’s already an extremely stressful time.”Karly Rowe, Vice President of Product Development for Experian Health Find out more about how Experian Health’s expertise in data and analytics can help your organization prepare for the coming flu season so you can offer your patients a safe, accessible and stress-free experience. We have also developed a checklist of action items for providers to consider as you prepare for both flu and COVID-19. How ready are you? Which actions is your organization instituting now?
There’s a phenomenon in online product reviews where the customer seems to love their purchase, yet gives it only one or two stars. Why do they do this? Poor customer service: the item was delivered late, questions went unanswered, or payment processing was disorganized. When the consumer experience falls below expectations, the brand suffers – no matter how good the product. The same thing happens in healthcare. The clinical care may be outstanding, but if the patient finds billing frustrating or confusing, it’s those feelings they’ll associate with the overall experience. Many healthcare providers suffer reputational damage because the patient financial experience fails to match high quality clinical care. This is especially true for patients who find themselves without coverage and in need of financial assistance, which is often an extremely stressful process. And with unemployment levels soaring as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s likely more Americans will need to explore eligibility for charitable support. Finding smarter, speedier and scalable ways to check charity care eligibility is even more important. Using automation for faster charity care checks Automation may be the answer. With a system that runs checks quickly and easily against vast databases of up-to-the-minute records, providers can discover a patient’s propensity to pay before treatment is even carried out. Clarity from the outset ensures the patient is put on the right payment pathway and lays the groundwork for a positive patient financial experience. Caye Mauney, Patient Access Director for Palo Pinto General Hospital, tells us how her organization used data-driven financial clearance checks to improve the patient financial experience and reduce bad debt: Speeding up checks for earlier eligibility decisions Prior to using automation, Palo Pinto General used a time-consuming and labor-intensive paper-based process to determine a patient’s eligibility for charity assistance. But with automated screening prior to or at the point of service, the hospital can now verify whether patients qualify for charitable assistance within three seconds, and quickly connect them to the right program. For those with a self-pay amount, a Healthcare Financial Risk Score can be calculated using historical payments information and credit history, to help determine the optimal payment plan. Mauney says: “All the information we need is now at our fingertips. The patient no longer needs to bring in check stubs or go back to a former employer to ask for information. It’s been a game changer.” Creating a personalized patient experience At Palo Pinto, staff wanted to make sure that patients were taken care of not only medically, but financially too. Just as each patient needs medical care tailored to their individual needs, so too should their financial accounts be handled on a case by case basis. With custom payment plans based on an individual’s unique financial situation, the payment process can be transformed into an experience that patients no longer dread or avoid. Automated patient clearance checks draw on multiple sources of data and run analytics to quickly determine the best option for each patient. It can also generate scripts for patient advocates to use, to help patients navigate the process more easily. Palo Pinto reports improvements in patient satisfaction and trust as a result of uncomplicating the patient experience in this way. Reducing bad debt and increasing point-of-service collections Seamlessly connecting patients to the right financial assistance program allows patients to focus on their treatment, while feeling reassured that their financial obligations will be met. For providers, swift processing means decisions are made quickly, resulting in fewer accounts receivable delays and a lower risk of uncompensated care. At Palo Pinto General, quicker charity applications means more are being approved, and therefore not written off as bad debt – ultimately helping their bottom line. Discover how automating checks for charity care eligibility with Patient Financial Clearance can help your organization increase productivity, improve collections and boost patient satisfaction.
The term “digital front door” is one of the biggest buzz words in healthcare, and thanks to COVID-19, we can expect to see it even more. Already, according to an Accenture survey, 77 percent of patients believe the ability to book, cancel, or change an appointment online is important. Now, with social distancing and stay at home orders in place, offering digital tools for engagement is more important than ever. But what exactly makes a strong “digital front door” and what does it take to create one? What precisely does a digital strategy need in order to better engage and retain patients? There are a lot of thoughts about what the digital front door looks like, from pricing transparency to ratings and reviews, reputation management, patient registration, and more. We know patients today are seeking greater transparency from their entire healthcare experience. Yet each of the qualities above reflect more of a digital billboard than an actual front door. After all, the front door needs to be a pathway to see a physician or access care; it must actually “open.” A true digital front door will do the following: Enable omni-channel access. Improving access begins with offering more channels for patients to find the care they need – a necessity today in the midst of COVID-19. Digital scheduling drives patient access, plain and simple, whether it be through call centers, automated outreach, or online self-scheduling. Omni-channel access not only opens the door for patients experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, giving them a fast and easy way to connect with a provider, but will be key for the post-COVID world when patients begin to reschedule those appointments that have been cancelled or deferred. Engage patients. Patients want convenience when it comes to accessing care. Now, more than ever, patients look online for information and expect to find what they need easily and quickly. Making service information available online, such as COVID testing, is an obvious first step. Allowing consumers to simply and efficiently book the care they need online will lead to increased engagement, as well. Improve productivity. More than half of all patients prefer to schedule outside of business hours. Digital scheduling can enable that, increasing appointments while improving provider workflow, freeing up staff to focus on other activities. This will prove critical as providers brace for an influx of patients seeking to reschedule appointments that have since been cancelled or deferred due to COVID-19. Additionally, automated reminders help improve patient show rates while data-driven practices help refine scheduling logistics. Increase revenue. Providing better, more efficient access, increases the number of patients coming into a practice – which means more revenue. And today, as a result of heroic efforts to serve communities impacted by COVID-19, providers are more strapped for revenue than ever before. With access to digital and mobile solutions, providers can attack revenue loss from two sides –attracting new patients and retaining current ones. Drive higher patient satisfaction. Faster, easier access to healthcare equals better satisfaction with the process of accessing healthcare, with the provider organization, and with the provider. And, if you really want a crowd pleaser that can also generate revenue, automated business rules and scheduling protocols are a must have.It’s the combination of convenience and effectiveness that keeps them coming back for future care needs – coming back, of course, through the digital front door. Learn more about how Patient Scheduling can help to unlock your organization’s digital front door.
For many patients, unanticipated healthcare bills are up there with car breakdowns and untimely home repairs. No one likes a surprise bill. But when your washing machine is on its last legs, you probably do a bit of shopping around to find the best price for a replacement. Are patients doing the same when it comes to their healthcare provider? This is the idea behind recent industry and legislative moves to improve price transparency in healthcare. Recognizing that surprise billing leaves patients feeling stressed out and anxious, lawmakers are working to find a solution that would end ‘balance billing’, where patients are billed the difference between what providers charge and what insurers will pay. These bills often come as a shock, firstly, because the patient didn’t expect the bill in the first place and secondly, because the complexities associated with healthcare expenses create opacity around the actual cost of care. How transparent pricing builds a better patient experience In theory, an end to balance billing in favor of more transparent pricing should improve the patient financial experience. The hope is it leads to more competition and therefore better choice and quality overall. CMS Administrator, Seema Varma, says: \"We want to empower consumers and patients to shop around for their health care and pick the provider that works best for them.\" However, some believe patients don’t yet think of healthcare providers in the same way as other consumer goods. Larry Levitt, Executive Vice President of Health Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation says: “Most patients don’t think of healthcare as something you can shop around for, and there’s not much incentive when you don’t foot most of the bill directly.” Still, many healthcare organizations are on board. Giving patients greater clarity through more accurate pricing estimates and proactive communication about who pays what should reduce sticker shock, creating a better patient experience. Patient collections are likely to be a smoother and more cost-effective process, while consumer loyalty will be reinforced. All in, transparent pricing is an increasingly useful strategy to improve revenue alongside patient satisfaction. So, how should providers be using transparent pricing to improve the patient experience? How to use transparent pricing to build a better patient experience 1. Provide proactive pricing info to patients Don’t leave your patients to be surprised. Let them know upfront what the cost of treatment is going to be, including their coverage status, so they can plan ahead with confidence instead of heading into treatment with no clue as to what their final bill will be. Digital platforms can help you make this a seamless experience. A text-to-mobile solution such as Patient Financial Advisor gives patients a personalized and simple-to-read cost estimate prior to their healthcare visit and secure links to their bills so they don’t have to chase your collections team for updates. 2. Create a personalized payment experience Transparent pricing isn’t just about providing accurate estimates pre-service. It’s about seeing each patient as an individual with different circumstances, needs and preferences. A price transparency tool can reveal valuable insights about a patient’s specific situation and propensity to pay. With that, you can tailor the information you give them, the way you communicate and any payment plans you might want to recommend. For example, let’s say a patient is due to have an MRI, which will cost $650 with their high deductible health plan. For many, that’s a lot of money. Imagine how much less stressful the experience could be if you’re able to text them in advance to let them know what they owe and give them flexible payment options to manage the cost. 3. Make it easy for patients to pay One simple way to improve collections is to make the payment process as accessible and frictionless as possible. Patients have come to expect a similar consumer experience to what they’d get with online banking, booking travel or online grocery shopping. With the data-driven technology available today, it’s entirely possible for providers to deliver this. Self-service dashboards and tools are a way for patients to see what various procedures might cost and pay their bills whenever is most convenient. These can let patients apply for charity care, update their insurance details and even schedule appointments, giving them greater financial confidence and control over the process. At St Joseph’s/Candler, Patient Financial Advisor was used to provide patients with estimates before their visit, which they could pay 24/7 from their mobile devices and choose to pay in installments. Vanessa Carter, Pre-Service Center Manager, says: “It gives the patient the opportunity to make those decisions without having to talk to somebody or feel embarrassed that they can’t pay this high dollar amount. And when they come in, they’re cleared and they’re happy. It’s a win-win for us. We’re collecting, and the patient feels empowered and in control.” Find out more about how to set up personalized and compassionate pricing estimates and payment options.
In today’s fast-evolving healthcare industry, consumer expectations are changing. Individuals are footing an increasing portion of medical bills, so they’re paying closer attention to their healthcare options. And with digital technology enabling choices for everything from where to bank to what to eat (and even who to date!), patients are now expecting a similar consumer-centric experience when it comes to their health. But what exactly are they looking for? Providers should respond to this rising consumerism with two things: convenience and engagement. Many patient tasks are time-consuming, tedious and repetitive. The use of outdated technology draws unfavorable comparisons with the intuitive apps used in other industries. And all too often there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to marketing. The opportunities to improve the patient experience are huge. As the competition for consumer business heats up, providers should look for ways to step up their patient engagement strategies to attract new consumers and inspire loyalty among existing members. Consider how to make it as easy as possible for patients to access the care they need, whether that’s through frictionless scheduling, simplified registration processes or proactive communication about free transportation options. Data-driven technology and automation can help drive improvements in both convenience and engagement. Here, we look specifically at how automation could help you meet changing consumer expectations in the world of patient access. How can automation make patient access more convenient for consumers? Patients hate administrative and financial tasks that take them away from family, friends and other priorities. When looking for an easy, streamlined patient access experience, they might ask: Can I make appointments online? Can I get an out of pocket estimate for my cost of care? And can I price-shop my services? Can I do my pre-registration work before I show up for my appointment? Can I manage my bills and all my health information online? Can I do all of this from my mobile or tablet device at a time when it’s convenient for me? Automation can help you deliver against these expectations and remove stress and hassle from many patient access tasks. By using consumer data and technology to trigger the next stage in the process, you can help patients navigate the complex healthcare system, making registration, billing and payment more convenient. For example, online self-scheduling lets patients plan appointments when it suits them. You’ll increase appointment and referral rates, improve call center efficiency, reduce no-shows and enhance the overall patient experience. Or how about offering patients a one-stop-shop for managing all their healthcare admin, through a digital patient portal? This makes it much quicker and easier for them to get price estimates, set up payment plans, update insurance information and stay on track with appointments and treatment plans. By automating the registration and billing processes, you’ll improve self-pay collections and decrease bad debt. If you can say “yes” to the above questions, you’ll be making life easier for your patient access staff too. Reliance on manual data entry processes means staff are constantly battling bottlenecks and dealing with avoidable errors and duplicate records. Not only does this waste employee time, it opens the door to major safety issues and lost revenue: patient identification errors can cost up to $2,000 per patient and are associated with a third of denied claims, costing the average hospital $1.5 million each year. How can automation support better patient engagement? This isn’t just about removing obstacles or introducing speedy tools. You can use automation to improve patient engagement at various touchpoints during the patient access process. Consumer data paired with automation can help you nudge patients by text or email to make appointments, so they don’t miss out on important checks. You can deliver personalized updates, reminders and offers, so your patients feel taken care of and know exactly what’s happening throughout their healthcare journey. Using lifestyle, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral data from the highest quality sources, you can also use automation to segment your audience into groups based on all sorts of variables, in order to communicate with them about the right services, at the right time. Now is the time to leverage technology for a better patient access experience. It’s clear that awareness of the potential ROI in automation is growing. Still, many providers have only scratched the surface when it comes to integrating automation within their revenue cycle operations. Given that 66% of patients would switch providers for more convenient access, it makes sense to consider how you can leverage technology to simplify all sorts of patient tasks, from pre-registration to payments. Learn more about how automation could help your organization create a better patient access experience for consumers.
