Tag: patient payment
The future for patient engagement becomes more clear every time we go out and do focus groups with providers and their patients. And what we are hearing from our clients and providers is that 40% of all their patients are on charity and 40% are on payment plans. So you are looking at about 80% of their patients needing charity or payment plans. And a lot of that is manual processes inside of the provider. And we also heard from a lot of consumers and patients that there is confusion about how they can afford their care. Clearly the thing that is on the top of our minds given this rising out of pocket expenses, is how can we anticipate what a patient needs when they leave the hospital using the Experian credit data? And then how can we proactively reach out to that patient with something that could be an activation offer for their charity care or their payment plan immediately after their service? We feel is this is a much more compassionate approach than what happens today. Leveraging the Experian credit data to be more proactive and predictive is a much more compassionate approach that will shift the patient’s behavior instead of the scenario where that patient takes their statement for $500 and put it under the stack of their bills. That one size fits all approach is not going to work anymore. We are moving to a very personalized patient engagement strategy that is more aligned with the patients’ needs and then give the patient all the digital automation tools so they can go and automate it and be done with it very quickly and they can focus on their health. Listen to the complete podcast Learn about our Patient Engagement solutions
Experian Health is pleased to announce that we went live with Patient Estimates at St. Clair Hospital located in Pittsburgh, PA on February 22, 2016. A true representation of vendor and hospital collaboration and commitment, the Patient Estimates cost transparency tool gives St. Clair a competitive edge as the first hospital in its region to offer patients cost estimates in advance. Patient Estimates is not a list of charges, but an interactive and user-friendly tool that provides information that is highly specific to the individual. Estimates are designed to determine, in advance, each patient’s out-of-pocket costs (deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance) for services at St. Clair based upon his/her insurance coverage. The estimates also incorporate St. Clair’s discounts for payment on the date of service and for those without insurance. The estimates remain in the system and can be recalled for future reference. Patient Estimates is simple to use and is conveniently available 24/7 at www.stclair.org. On the home page, patients will select the “Financial Tools” option, then click on Patient Estimates. They will then enter their health insurance information before choosing one of the 100 listed clinical services (e.g., a procedure, treatment or diagnostic test) from the drop-down menu. The tool then provides a customized estimate of their out-of-pocket expenses. Patient Estimates is designed to help insured and uninsured patients get clear, real-time, easy-to-understand cost estimates for St. Clair’s services so patients can make informed decisions about their care. Below are some of the press mentions of St. Clair Hospital\'s implementation of Patient Estimates: Pittsburgh TRIBLIVE http://bit.ly/1oxlKna Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: http://bit.ly/219dqfd Pittsburgh Business Times: http://bit.ly/1QWfqNa
Meet Joe—a patient who is walking into a healthcare office, terrified of the news he might hear. He is confused and overwhelmed, not sure of where to turn for help. Joe isn’t entering a doctor’s exam room – he is actually walking into a hospital’s patient registration area, waiting to receive information about how much his procedure is going to cost. Although anxious about the procedure, Joe is even more concerned about its impact on the family budget, unsure of his insurance co-payment or what will be covered. He’s worried that he can’t afford to pay a large bill in one payment. His interactions with the registration staff over the next few minutes will set the stage for the remainder of his experience with the hospital. Now, let’s say the hospital realizes the value of having caring and compassionate financial conversations with patients at the start of the patient visit. Patient access staff quickly become the patient’s advocate while also improving the organization’s ability to collect from the patient and payer. In this instance, leveraging a data-driven approach allows staff to verify Joe’s identity and insurance coverage as well as provide an accurate estimate of his payment responsibility. The staff even can review data to assess his ability to pay and evaluate various payment plan and/or financial assistance options. Even after Joe is discharged, the hospital continues to employ a patient-centered approach to collections, using patient financial data to segment accounts that share demographic and financial profiles, rather than simply looking at balance amounts and number of days open. Joe’s financial data places his in the “most likely to pay” segment, indicating that he would not receive a payment follow up call until (for example) day 75 instead of the traditional call on day 45. This not only saves staff time and increases successful collections, it also preserves Joe’s satisfaction by eliminating unnecessary phone calls when he is likely to pay. Joe expected the hospital’s clinical staff to be responsive to his medical needs. When he found that the revenue cycle team was equally attentive to his financial needs, his satisfaction with the entire experience grew exponentially. It was fueled by a positive encounter that eased his mind about payment and allowed his to focus on his health. Using this proactive, personalized approach, the revenue cycle team had a major impact on both Joe’s experience and the bottom line. What is your healthcare organization doing to enhance the patient experience? Comment below to share some of your best practices.
