Tag: digital front door

According to a recent survey by PYMNTS, many patients want digital healthcare management tools. 76% of survey respondents said they were “very” or “extremely” interested in using at least one digital method to manage interactions with their healthcare providers, rising to 86% among younger patients. This finding echoes Experian Health’s research from our State of Patient Access 2.0 survey. In this survey, we found that the pandemic had cemented consumer expectations around convenient access to care. Providers that wait too long to open their digital front door risk losing consumers to competitors. The “digital front door” describes how a patient can find and access care through online and digital channels. This can include everything from booking appointments and virtual waiting rooms to contactless payments and telehealth. It’s more than just patient access: digital technology can create convenient and connected patient experiences throughout the entire patient journey. The goal is a patient experience that flows seamlessly between in-person interactions and virtual touchpoints, from finding care to post-visit follow-up. Experian Health’s clients revealed that many have embraced digital tools to deliver a patient experience that matches consumer expectations, driven in large part by the pandemic.* Some are planning to invest in their digital front door within the next year, while resource constraints are hampering others in moving forward. Healthcare providers in the early stages of digital transformation may be wondering where to start. Where should they focus limited resources for the biggest gains? The four opportunities that could offer the greatest return on investment are online scheduling, omnichannel communications, contactless payments and productivity-boosting automation. Help patients find and book appointments with easy online scheduling Last year’s State of Patient Access 2.0 survey found that nearly eight in ten consumers prefer to schedule their own appointments at any time, from any device. This trend is set to continue in 2022 and beyond. Many patients have been using online scheduling platforms to book COVID-19 vaccinations and tests, as well as to reschedule care that was delayed during the earlier months of the pandemic. Opening the digital front door with online scheduling offers patients the control, convenience and choice they desire. No-shows are less likely, which leads to higher physician productivity and satisfaction, greater efficiency, lower costs and better patient outcomes in the longer term. Communicate through patients’ preferred channels to boost engagement With the pandemic necessitating so many rules around daily activities, limits on how and when consumers communicate with their providers can feel even more restrictive. Many don’t want to be forced into phone calls at inconvenient times, especially when a simple text reminder or a quick check of their patient portal would do the job. Providers that allow consumers to customize their patient access experience and engage through their preferred channels will be rewarded with increased patient loyalty. Omnichannel solutions also help to build a consistent care experience. A digital process that looks and feels the same every time, regardless of which platform the patient uses, will make navigating the care process much easier. Additionally, patients will be more likely to schedule appointments and fill out forms in a timely manner on their own, which can alleviate staffing resource constraints. A digital front door can help with contactless payments One part of the healthcare experience that can be notoriously tricky to navigate is paying for care. PYMNTS found that 63% of patients would consider switching healthcare providers over a bad payment experience. Providers can make it easier for patients to pay by offering upfront estimates of what the patient’s portion of the bill is likely to be, running automated coverage checks to make sure no insurance is missed, and sending automated reminders with links to contactless payment methods. According to PYMNTS, less than 20% of patients pay for care before or during their visit. However, if providers made it easier to pay, this percentage would likely shoot up. By offering patients their own mobile financial advisor, they can pay bills and access appropriate payment plans right from their phones. It’s convenient for patients and could help reduce delayed payments. A digital front door can improve patient access and relieve pressure on staff A digital front door doesn’t just open up opportunities for patients; it can increase efficiency and improve staff workflows. Healthcare staffing shortages have put immense pressure on providers to find new ways to automate repetitive tasks and relieve staff burnout while maintaining high-quality patient care. For example, automated scheduling algorithms can optimize patient flow and anticipate bottlenecks, so staff can allocate resources more efficiently. Registration forms that are pre-filled with a patient’s information are less prone to errors, compared to manual processes. Automation helps link the digital front door to the front and back offices, which can speed up workflows, support better care coordination, and create a more consistent patient experience. A high-quality digital patient experience should be built on consumer choice, control and convenience. A digital front door is more than just adding a few online tools or sending some well-timed automated texts; it should be at the heart of the entire patient engagement strategy. By investing in digital solutions that leverage the technology already used by patients and staff, providers can offer a stand-out patient experience and improve collections performance. Contact Experian Health today to find out how digital health solutions can help your organization deliver the best patient experience possible. *Survey of Experian Health clients, October 2021 Are you an Experian Health client? Then we invite you to join our Innovation Studio research community. Your ongoing input is key to driving improvements to our tools and products! Sign up here!

The recent discovery of the Omicron variant has placed the world on high alert. As COVID-19 continues to transform and evolve, erupting as “new” pandemics within the existing pandemic,  it is becoming clear that digitally-enabled clinical care and access to that care are some of the world’s tools to mitigate its spread. Should infection rates rise, providers can anticipate fluctuations in patient volumes, which may trigger a return to the scheduling complexities seen earlier in the pandemic. Streamlining patient access with digital scheduling to minimize wait times, free up hospital beds, and ensure efficient intake workflows is going to be crucial. New variants could also exacerbate existing healthcare staffing shortages, which is a major concern for providers whose capacity is already at a “tipping point.” With a winter flu season “twindemic” looming on the horizon, and more people traveling over the holidays, this challenge may only get tougher. One route through this uncertainty is to continue the digital pivot seen in the early days of the pandemic. Here, we look at how flexible self-scheduling tools and other digital services can continue to help providers maintain operational efficiency as they navigate the implications of this new coronavirus strain. Uncertainty about Omicron – and future variants –  could trigger patient scheduling complexities The new variant could trigger a rise in patient numbers, as seen with the Delta variant. In parallel, some providers and states may follow New York’s lead to try to manage non-urgent care and postpone certain elective treatments. Patients, too, may decide to hold off on booking appointments if they’re worried about contracting the virus while visiting their doctor. This means that the scheduling (and rescheduling) challenges seen throughout the pandemic could resurface. Providers should be ready to offer easy and convenient self-scheduling options. Digital patient scheduling platforms allow patients to book essential care and reschedule deferred appointments from the comfort of their own home, using whatever channel suits them best. Not only will this ease pressure on busy staff and reduce the number of people sitting side-by-side in doctors’ waiting rooms, but it’s also a quicker and more reliable way for patients to plan their care. Providers can augment these operational efficiencies with digital scheduling and registration tools. Registration Accelerator can reduce the burden on patient access teams by allowing patients to create user profiles and fill out pre-treatment information from home. Double down on convenient vaccination scheduling New variant outbreaks also add a layer of urgency and complexity to the ongoing vaccination program. Boosting the country’s vaccination rates is a crucial defense against existing strains of COVID-19. Patient-friendly digital scheduling tools can make it as easy as possible for people to arrange an appointment, thus helping to bump up vaccination rates. Of course, if more people are encouraged to seek vaccinations and boosters, the scheduling process could get even more complicated. Again, digital self-scheduling tools can ease the pressure, by using real-time databases and automation to ensure that patients book appointments within the requisite vaccination window. Automation can also be used to deliver personalized patient outreach reminders, nudging patients to schedule their vaccine appointment if they haven’t made one already. Comprehensive consumer data can help identify the most appropriate messages and channels for different patients, to make it as easy as possible for them to plan and book their appointment. The federal response to new outbreaks has included provisions for vaccine outreach campaigns and education initiatives. Providers should consider how their own outreach campaigns are performing, as well as ensure that their scheduling platforms are ready to meet the increase in demand that’s likely to follow. Automation and digital scheduling tools could help alleviate staffing shortages Behind the scenes, providers are still wrangling with ongoing staffing shortages. According to an analysis of US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, hospital employment declined by nearly 100,000 between February 2020 and September 2021, amounting to a financial cost of around $24 billion. New variants could make this worse. If more staff are infected, healthcare organizations may find it more difficult to handle the increase in patient volume. Automating manual tasks can free up capacity by helping to manage the growing demand for services and reduce call volumes. These automated tools and systems are designed to be user-friendly for busy staff, and for patients looking for a stress-free patient access experience. With streamlined self-scheduling options and more efficient staff workflows, providers can feel more prepared in the face of uncertainty. Contact Experian Health to find out more about how digital scheduling tools can help your organization prepare as the Omicron situation unfolds.

The rising popularity of virtual care seems to be extending itself into other areas of patient experience, including a re-energized consumer preference for digital self-scheduling. In fact, McKinsey & Company reports that telehealth visits and utilization are 38x higher than pre-COVID-19 levels (July 2021). Meanwhile, Experian Health’s State of Patient Access 2.0 survey, released in June 2021, found that 73% of consumers now want to schedule their own doctor appointments online. Interest in self-scheduling is more than a lingering side effect of the pandemic. For providers, it’s a great way to build digital engagement with current and prospective patients – while accelerating internal efficiencies as patient volume increases. A clear preference for patient self-scheduling emerges “The preference for self-scheduling is not surprising when you look at the data,” says Sanju Pratap, Experian Health’s Vice President of Consumer Products, who sat down to talk about leveraging patient scheduling solutions to enhance digital engagement. “Patients are scheduling appointments online at all times of day – right before dinner, early in the morning or at lunchtime. During these uncertain times, self-scheduling is so much easier and safer." Expectations also changed when COVID-19 introduced consumers to self-scheduling for vaccine appointments. “At the same time, providers are cognizant of wanting to reduce patient waiting time when trying to schedule appointments or follow-ups – especially in care settings where they’re trying to minimize the time patients are in the office,” says Pratap. “Their resources are pretty slim these days. Any move toward efficiency is appreciated.” Self-scheduling creates a better digital patient experience—and a competitive advantage Now, providers are contending with a large number of consumers who moved during and after the pandemic and increased patient volume following a year or more of deferred care. Self-scheduling is often the first point of interaction. “I may Google a new provider to learn more about their practice,” says Pratap. “If I’m on their website and I see a “schedule now” button, I’m likely to try it, rather than waiting weeks or months to call the office to see whether they take my insurance or have an appointment for me.” That first point of contact can turn into a competitive advantage: “Does the orthopedic practice down the street offer online scheduling that makes it easy for other providers to refer to them—and easy for patients to schedule their own appointments? Providers that do are going to get new patient revenue and increase patient loyalty. They’re going to keep more of their existing patients if they meet consumers where they want to be.” Providers can create processes that exceed their own expectations Many providers still have their doubts about self-scheduling. “We often hear, ‘No system is going to understand the nuances of my scheduling template,’” says Pratap. These doubts aren’t totally unfounded. “Accurate appointments require a deep understanding of scheduling protocols. In the past, individually scripted schedulers had binders of questionnaires that they made notes on, relied on Post-It notes, and/or institutional knowledge. As you can imagine, this can be very inefficient, error-prone, and not the best experience for patients, providers or staff.” If humans have a hard time managing online healthcare appointment scheduling, what hope is there for automated systems? In fact, digital questionnaires and electronic medical records (EMRs) can streamline scheduling and provide a clean, seamless experience for all parties involved. The key: building a patient self-scheduling system without blind spots To make scheduling more efficient, questionnaires must be consistent, but also flexible enough to accommodate a variety of providers, locations and specialties. Patients and access coordinators should be able to look for appointments across providers within a single view. If one provider is not available within a patient’s requested timeframe, a system could suggest another qualified provider. In doing so, systems can avoid scheduling imbalances that overload some providers, while under-scheduling others. Pratap shared additional ideas for avoiding blind spots: Remove friction from the patient journey end to end. For example, if you require a sign-in to your patient portal to view appointments, you may discourage consumers who don’t want to create new sign-ins just to view availability. Create a system that works for many users. “It’s not just patient self-scheduling you have to consider, but also the call center, the patient portal and anyone that’s leveraging an API to book into a provider’s schedule,” says Pratap. “Scheduling tools should make it easy to see availability across multiple providers and locations, and allow patients to see accurate availability and easily book, no matter who you are or how you accessed the system.” Revaluate pre-visit messages sent after appointments are made. Capture all the information you need to ensure the patient’s registration process and visit goes smoothly. Build in accommodations for unique needs. While automation can help streamline scheduling, it’s important to understand every patient’s individual needs. If necessary, staff can step in and take the reins on scheduling. For example, staff can manually accommodate appointments for an older patient who suffers from chronic issues and needs more time with their doctor. Don’t rely solely on out-of-the-box solutions. Using the scheduling functions that come with different types of EMRs may be tempting. However, making the additional effort to create a process that is accurate, efficient and flexible—and encourages digital patient engagement—increases the value of a patient scheduling solution exponentially. Measure progress and mine data to continue optimizing Scheduling isn’t just your digital front door. It also has the potential to make—or lose—revenue. “Some providers worry about patients booking the wrong appointments and taking time away from other patients,” says Pratap. “Their concerns are valid; these time slots are valuable.” “One of the metrics we use to gauge how successful our scheduling systems are is by looking at the rescheduling rate,” Pratap explains. “We look at how many appointments need to be re-booked because the wrong provider or appointment type was chosen and filter out appointments that were re-booked for other reasons. By using this information, we can create systems where re-booking is rare.” Monitoring data also helps providers stay ahead of fluctuating needs and preferences.  “When you’re choosing a scheduling solution, ask what reporting and analytics are built-in,” says Pratap. “You want to be able to find out, for instance, what availability looks like across your practice—and whether it’s the reason patients aren’t scheduling with you. Analytics and insights can be layered on top of data to help you optimize the patient experience and keep your practice running efficiently.” Watch Greg Young, Senior Director Marketing, and Sanju Pratap, VP of Product Management for Consumer Products, discuss how you can enhance digital patient engagement and accelerate call center operations with patient scheduling solutions in the latest Interview with the Expert.   Contact us to see how Experian Health can help streamline patient scheduling for your organization.

This is the second in a series of blog posts that will highlight how the patient journey has evolved since the onset of COVID-19. This series will take you through the changes that impacted every step of the patient journey and provide strategic recommendations to move forward. In this post, we explore how 24/7 self-scheduling can help healthcare providers adapt to the post-pandemic digital landscape.  To read the full white paper, download it here. If there’s one digital tool that punches above its weight in the healthcare industry, it’s online self-scheduling. This simple concept – allowing patients to book their own appointments online – resolves many sticky issues throughout the entire patient journey. It drives patient satisfaction, acquisition, and retention. It boosts staff efficiency and smooths out bumps in the revenue cycle. No-shows and delayed care can be minimized, leading to reduced costs and far better health outcomes. All of that was true before the pandemic. However, when COVID-19 hit, self-scheduling was a gamechanger. When more patients wanted to manage their healthcare online, and staff were forced to work remotely, online medical scheduling was convenient and safe. Now, the return on investment is even higher. As patients struggle to overcome growing barriers to care, and providers wrangle with soaring volumes of returning patients, the digital front door must remain open. How can providers leverage the benefits of 24/7 digital self-scheduling seen over the last year or so, and create a digital patient experience that’s fit for the future? Consumers schedule appointments differently now – and they don’t want to go back Healthcare has been playing digital catch-up to other industries for much of the last decade. Consumers have long grumbled about archaic registration processes and the absence of digital tools seen frequently in other sectors. The urgent reconfiguration of the healthcare consumer experience over the last year means many of those missing digital options are now available. Instead of calling to make an appointment during office hours, patients can use 24/7 online scheduling platforms – accessible any time, from any device. Having had a taste of convenience and control, consumers expect online scheduling to continue beyond the pandemic. According to a new Experian Health study, nearly three-quarters of consumers want to continue to schedule their own appointments online. More than eight in 10 prefer an online or mobile-related registration experience. Rather than wait in a long customer service queue, patients can make, cancel, or reschedule appointments with the push of a button. Patients of all ages like having a flexible and frictionless way to manage their care, so why would they choose a provider that doesn’t offer online self-scheduling as part of the mix? 24/7 self-scheduling reduces barriers to care In addition to meeting consumer expectations, 24/7 self-scheduling also helps providers overcome many new and existing consumer challenges in the wake of the pandemic. Patients can be blocked from accessing the care they need for all sorts of reasons – financial worries, lack of transportation, lack of time to phone and book appointments, and/or cultural barriers to seeking support. As with many public health challenges, those who experience the greatest social and economic challenges have also been hardest hit by the pandemic. While many of these issues aren’t easily resolved by any one organization, self-scheduling does offer a route around several barriers to care. By simply offering a more flexible way to book and cancel appointments and interact with their provider, self-scheduling platforms allow patients to make plans in a way that fits their circumstances. Inconvenient business hours and long waits for available appointments become less of a concern. And with automated patient outreach, providers can make the process even easier, by sending text or email reminders to specific groups of patients to make sure they get the care they need. Digital self-scheduling eases call center bottlenecks Giving patients the ability to book their own appointments online also eases the burden on call center staff. Setting up staff to work remotely, while managing an influx of patients scrambling to book COVID-19 tests and vaccinations, created many pain points throughout the pandemic. First come, first serve scheduling options create bottlenecks in call volume, and when patients can’t get through to cancel appointments they can no longer attend, those slots sit unused - wasting physician time. As patients look to reschedule deferred care, 24/7 self-scheduling can minimize these bottlenecks by relieving pressure on call center staff and spread the load across multiple channels. Call center agents can reallocate their time to higher-priority inquiries. Call times can be cut because agents will have integrated access to disparate electronic health records and project management systems. Training time can also be reduced through simplified online systems. It’s no wonder that 71% of providers offer (or plan to offer) online self-scheduling options. Building a self-scheduling ecosystem that’s fit for the future Digital self-scheduling systems implemented during the pandemic should become a permanent feature in patient access. Providers that want to create an attractive patient experience should expand their digital self-scheduling offering beyond simply booking appointments. Multiple specialty services can be integrated into the scheduling system to streamline referrals. Telehealth services that gained so much ground over the last 18 months can be connected to online scheduling tools so they’re fully embedded going forward. Digital payment options and coverage functions can also be linked to scheduling platforms, for a seamless end-to-end digital patient experience. Find out how Experian Health’s 24/7 online patient scheduling software can help your organization deliver an optimal patient experience, improve call center productivity, and reduce revenue loss as the healthcare industry adapts to the new digital landscape. Download our white paper to get patient-provider perspectives on self-scheduling and other digital trends.

"93% of providers say creating a better patient experience remains a top priority, up 3% from last year." - Experian Health's State of Patient Access, June 2021 In November 2020, we surveyed patients and providers for their sentiments on how patient access changed because of the pandemic. During this time, patients welcomed the convenience and control that came with digital, contactless care. Providers knew they needed to improve their digital front door to withstand the financial impact of COVID-19, but implementation was difficult for many organizations. Six months on, and millions of immunized Americans later, the pandemic landscape shifted again. In June 2021, we revisited these questions to find out if patient and provider views have changed - in our State of Patient Access 2.0. Now, patients tell us they feel more confident about returning to facilities, though they still want the flexibility and convenience of digital scheduling, registration, and payment options. Providers feel a growing urgency to make sure online services are sufficiently agile enough to withstand any future surges in COVID-19 case numbers. The findings of the survey reveal four major opportunities to rethink how we “do” healthcare. By innovating and building on the digital advances made possible during the pandemic, providers can create better patient access experiences for the future. To start, providers should: 1. Match consumer expectations for convenient and flexible patient access Our recent survey shows that the pandemic has cemented consumer expectations around convenient access to care. Digital and remote channels for scheduling appointments, completing pre-registration, and making payments have become the new baseline in patient access. Nearly three quarters of patients told us they want to schedule their own appointments online. Providers know this: 93% say creating a better patient experience remains a top priority, up 3% from last year. Online self-scheduling can help providers continue to meet their patients’ demands for flexibility and convenient access to care. Patients can find, book and cancel appointments whenever and wherever they prefer. It’s also a win for providers, who can expect to see a drop in administration errors, no-shows, and denied claims. 2. Streamline prior authorizations as more patients return to care Interestingly, new data reveals that patients are less anxious about in-person care. In 2020, 40% of patients were uncomfortable coming into waiting rooms and seeing their doctor in person. Now, only 16% say they wouldn’t be comfortable in a waiting room. As more patients rush to reschedule deferred care, providers are faced with the challenging combination of higher patient volumes, patients jumping health plans as a result of job losses, and changing payer rules around prior authorizations and coverage checks. Automated pre-authorization and automated coverage checks can relieve the pressure, and help providers save time and resources. 3. Promote price transparency for fewer missed payments An encouraging piece of insight from our latest survey reveals that far fewer patients say they’ve been surprised by their final medical bill. In 2020, more than 50% received a final figure that differed significantly from estimates. Six months later, that figure has dropped to just 14%. Price transparency remains important, and the gap between estimated and final costs seems to be closing. More providers are offering patient billing estimates, with 9 in 10 agreeing that accurate estimates increase the chance of bills being paid on time. Many are also giving patients more options to pay bills earlier in the journey, which has helped to minimize the risk of late and missed payments. Easy and accessible digital options are featured heavily in acquisition and retention plans, and can help drive financial recovery. 4. Tighten up data strategies with better security, quality and insights While our first survey revealed that the sudden shift to digital-first patient access was a shock to the system for many providers, the second study shows that both patients and providers are settling into digital ways of working. But as these digital services become the new baseline, providers must make sure their data strategies are fit for purpose, and prioritize data security, quality and insights. Moving forward, a multi-layered approach will help providers authenticate and secure patient identities. When these identities are enriched with information about how patients are affected by the social determinants of health, providers will be better positioned to offer personalized patient access experiences and support marginalized groups. The future of healthcare is digital. Is your organization prepared? It’s clear from our recent survey that the digital trends that emerged in 2020 are set to continue throughout 2021 and beyond. Download the State of Patient Access 2.0 white paper to get the full survey results and explore how data and digitalization can power a 24/7 patient access experience in your healthcare organization.

As the country strives to ramp up the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations, providers need to take new approaches to drive registration volume. Healthcare experts are increasingly concerned about the rapid spread of the highly contagious delta variant, which now makes up over 83% of COVID-19 cases. This variant is estimated to be 60% more transmissible than previous strains, and while vaccination doesn’t eliminate the risk, it does reduce the likely severity of infection, which is better for both individuals and health services. Ramping up the vaccination program and ensuring that a large proportion of the population receives the injection just became a lot more urgent. This is also critical for vaccine management plans as the U.S. looks to offer and roll-out booster shoots later this year. The initial vaccine rollout was plagued with issues, many of which remain unresolved. An uneven rollout, confusion over where to get vaccines, and logistical obstacles with preparation, distribution and funding at the state level meant the program got off to a slow start. Consumers were deterred from registering due to inefficient scheduling systems, while others were left frustrated by basic user interface challenges. And for those less familiar with digital technology, the shift to online platforms took some getting used to. Now, with the delta variant taking hold, and vaccine hesitancy on the rise, healthcare providers need to consider how digital technology can make vaccinations more accessible, rather than becoming the obstacle. Improving the user experience through digital tools and automation can reduce barriers to care, drive up vaccine registrations, and ultimately lead to better outcomes for individual and population health.   Poor UX creates avoidable barriers to scheduling care One of the major accessibility challenges for consumers was being able to schedule vaccine appointments. In the initial rush to get vaccinated, demand outstripped supply, and online scheduling systems struggled to bear the load. Some providers tried to rely on email booking systems or third-party event schedulers – which resulted in communication errors, delays, missed appointments, and huge burdens on call center staff. For individuals who were unable to use online systems due to limited internet access, disability, or unfamiliarity with the technology (for example, as reported by some older people), the inaccessible and non-intuitive user interfaces created a digital divide. The poor user experience also contributed to some individuals feeling hesitant about seeking the vaccine, eroding their trust in the system as a whole. Efforts to increase and ramp up vaccination rates will be much more successful if the scheduling process is simplified.   Frictionless scheduling and registration can drive up vaccine rates  With the right data and digital tools, many of these patient access challenges can be resolved. Frictionless self-scheduling and streamlined registration processes can make it easier for people to book appointments and register for the vaccine. For example: Online scheduling platforms allow patients to book and reschedule vaccine appointments whenever and wherever it’s most convenient, as part of a multichannel approach. Automation enables providers to create an outreach list of patients who may be waiting for the vaccine, and send automated reminders by text or email. These can be used to disseminate accurate information to alleviate vaccine hesitancy. The messages can also be personalized to follow the patient’s individual communication preferences. Consumer data and analytics on the social determinants of health can be folded into communications, to tailor information to specific segments of the population who may have been adversely affected by barriers to care. Scheduling software can pull together real-time booking and registration data into a single, holistic view of patient access, whether patients booked via online platforms, call centers or in provider offices. This will help alleviate bottlenecks and make better use of staff resources.   Digital tools can improve the patient experience and supercharge vaccine management plans, but only if they are implemented properly. Experian Health’s Director of Product Management, Liz Serie, says, “The old way of doing patient intake involves piles of paper, clipboards and long waits in the waiting room. The new way involves automation, pushing relevant and personalized information to patient’s devices, and seamless data management to initiate the patient journey. It’s a reassuring, simple and reliable user experience, especially as many still need to be vaccinated. And as patient volumes drive back up, investing in a welcoming digital front door is critical.” The future of patient access is digital, and providers that get their systems up and running effectively now will reap the benefits in the long run. Find out more about how data and digital tools can make vaccine appointment scheduling a breeze for your patients and patient access team.

  Consumer-led care hit its stride during the pandemic. COVID-19 unlocked healthcare’s digital front door, giving patients more control over how and when they schedule and manage appointments. Unfortunately, while digital patient access has made navigating the healthcare system more convenient and flexible in many ways, consumers are discovering that one of the more frustrating aspects of the healthcare experience has failed to keep pace with scheduling, payments and other digital advances: registration.   Waiting rooms. Paperwork. Misplaced insurance cards. Confusing copays. More paperwork! A hassle before the pandemic, registration has become even more challenging for staff and patients in the context of “contactless care.” With more patients starting to come back through the door as a result of vaccination programs and rescheduled elective procedures, there’s an opportunity for providers to smooth out the kinks in the registration experience.   Vaccine “hesitancy” has exposed wider issues in patient registration Headlines suggest that large numbers of patients are fearful of being vaccinated against COVID-19. But dig a little deeper, and the issue is more complex. Many patients do want to be vaccinated, but struggle to navigate complicated registration websites, and therefore aren’t showing up for their shot. The Kaiser Family Foundation reported in January that two thirds of patients were unsure of how to access the vaccine. The high volume of patients having trouble getting the information they need is shining a light into the dark corners of the registration process, where improvements have long been needed.   Improving the patient registration process isn’t just a pandemic problem   While it’s true that COVID-19 is driving the push for online patient registration, improving the overall experience offers wider, longer-term benefits to patients and providers:   A convenient and consumer-friendly registration experience Online registration is easier, faster and simpler for patients. With 73% of consumers saying they want to manage their healthcare admin through patient portals, convenient self-service solutions are a trend that’s here to stay. (Find out more about consumer attitudes to patient access in Experian Health’s Patient Access Survey.)   More accurate patient data and fewer duplicate records When consumers are the ones responsible for entering their patient information, and when they can do it in a time and place that suits them best, that data is far more likely to be accurate. Not only does this create a better patient intake experience, it also reduces the risk of patient identity errors and duplicate records.   With a text-to-mobile registration tool, patients can begin the process with one click, and then easily verify and edit information to make sure their records are up to date and correct.   Operational efficiencies and better claims recovery Beyond the customer experience, improved registration can reduce the risk of denied claims, because the data is processed more accurately and quickly, and can be automatically verified against comprehensive datasets.   Patients can also choose to pay copay amounts upfront through online registration tools, which makes bad debt far less likely, and improves the overall revenue flow.   Safer and smoother registration during flu season COVID-19 put unprecedented pressure on registration processes. But more streamlined systems with remote, mobile-friendly registration tools will make a typical flu season more bearable for patient access staff and patients too.   Patients and staff have suffered through cumbersome registration processes for years. Perhaps one unforeseen benefit of the COVID-19 pandemic is that the days of sitting in busy waiting rooms, filling out multiple forms, will be a thing of the past? Discover how Experian Health’s patient intake solutions could help your patient access department create a registration experience that matches today’s consumer expectations.

Financial recovery after COVID-19 is likely to be a slow burn for most healthcare organizations, according to a recent survey. Nearly 90% of healthcare executives expect revenue to drop below pre-pandemic levels by the end of 2020, with one in five anticipating a hit greater than 30%. While the return of elective procedures will be a lifeline for many hospitals and health systems, the road to financial recovery remains fraught with obstacles: Five months of canceled and postponed procedures need to be rescheduledWorried patients must be reassured of hygiene measures, so they feel safe to attend appointmentsPatient intake and payment processes must be modified, in order to minimize face-to-face contactAs the rate of infection continues to grow, providers must find new ways to also grow their revenue and protect against a further dent in profits. The healthcare industry is unlikely to see the recovery curve hoped for across the wider economy, but digital technology, automation and advanced data analytics could help provider finances to bounce back more quickly. 4 ways technology can accelerate your post-pandemic financial recovery 1. Easy and convenient patient scheduling unlocks your digital front door Patients want to reschedule appointments that were postponed or canceled over the last few months. To manage the backlog and minimize pressure on staff, consider using a digital patient scheduling platform, so patients can book their appointments online. A self-scheduling system that incorporates real-time scheduling and calendar reminders will help to create a positive consumer experience, while offering analytics and behind-the-scenes integration to keep your call center operations running smoothly. 2. Secure and convenient mobile technology can enhance your telehealth services Telehealth is the top choice for many hospitals looking to boost revenue growth and counter the impact of COVID-19, with two-thirds of executives expecting to use telehealth at least five times more than before the coronavirus hit. Many new digital tools and strategies designed to improve the patient journey as a whole can support telehealth delivery, and help to meet growing consumer demand for virtual care. For those beginning their telehealth journey, our COVID-19 Resource Center, which offers free access to telehealth payer policy alerts, may be the place to start. 3. A digital patient intake experience can lessen fears of exposure Although many providers are starting to open up for routine in-person appointments again, patients may wonder if it’s safe. Proactive communication about the measures in place to protect staff and patients will be essential. Another way to minimize concern is to allow as many patient intake tasks as possible to be completed online. Automating patient access through the patient portal can give patients quicker and more convenient ways to complete pre-registration, while contactless payment methods are a safe way to settle bills without setting foot in the provider’s office. 4. Optimize collections to bolster financial recoveryAutomation can also play a huge role in helping providers tighten up their revenue cycle, find new ways to enhance accounts receivable collections and avoid bad debt. Tools such as Coverage Discovery and Patient Financial Clearance enable providers to find missing or forgotten coverage, and help the patient manage any remaining balances in a sensitive and personalized way. Palo Pinto General Hospital uses automated coverage checks to find out whether a patient is eligible for charitable assistance within three seconds, so self-pay accounts can be directed to the most appropriate payment plan before the patient even comes in for treatment. With fewer accounts being written off, Palo Pinto has seen a noticeable improvement to their bottom line. The pandemic has been a wake-up call for an industry that has been traditionally slow to adopt new technologies. Ahead of a second wave of COVID-19, providers must move now to take advantage of automation and digital strategies to speed up financial recovery. Contact us to find out how we can help your organization use technology to improve the patient experience, increase efficiencies and kickstart your revenue cycle.

The novel coronavirus pandemic crisis of 2020 has plunged the healthcare system, and frankly the whole economy, into a dark place. It will take time, and likely a lot of time, to overcome what may end up being several months of a national shut down. Eventually people will re-emerge from isolation, business will resume a new normal, and healthcare providers will turn their attention to the revenue generating services that they temporarily halted, as well as the patients who delayed care for a myriad of conditions. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published “phase one” re-opening recommendations that recognized in some areas the possibility of non-COVID-19 care is already being considered. There will be an overflow of pent-up demand and provider organizations need to position themselves now to be ready. One consideration, with many health systems now feeling the squeeze and not being able to re-deploy staff to serve in the crisis, is to use some of those resources and prepare for the next phase.  Here are few strategies to get ahead of the curve, if you will, as it flattens: Reschedule appointments – Literally hundreds of appointments– for some providers, thousands – that had been cancelled or delayed will require rescheduling. Deploying an omni-channel scheduling platform now can relieve the pressure of that future volume in several ways: Online scheduling can guide patients to the right care with rules automation, allowing patients to accurately self-book and reducing call center volume.Enable patient scheduling via automated outreach messages sent via text message or IVR. (For example, you can target all those who need to reschedule, reaching them via text campaigns and reducing call center workload).Reduce training time with a call center scheduling solution. Agents (such as temps hired to handle the influx of appointments) can be trained in a matter of hours to schedule and book appointments accurately.Harden your telehealth offering – This crisis has shown the necessity for virtual visit technology during a pandemic; however, its value won’t disappear as the crisis fades. Telehealth is destined to become a staple of healthcare delivery. Restrictions have been lifted and the technology has proven practical, convenient and efficient, paving the way for broad acceptance. But what are the digital complements that can be paired with telehealth to harden the solution and make the offering a robust tool into the future? While many providers are now able to offer this type of virtual care, scheduling across a variety of specialties has become a challenge. A  tool that guides patients and call center agents to the right provider across all services, including telehealth, is going to be critical in the months ahead to maintaining scheduling efficiency and delivering an optimal patient experience.Establish your digital front door – Patients aren’t going to want only clinical telehealth options; the whole spectrum of patient-provider interaction is shifting. Scheduling, registration, payments - all these are going to see increased demand for digital self-service. This gets patients out of the waiting room and removes the need to swipe or insert a credit card or use a POS kiosk. Patients, who are consumers, want to use their mobile devices and they will form lasting opinions of those services enabling – or restricting – their ability to do that.Collections optimization – Right now the focus is on caring for patients, as it should be; however, in order to continue operating, providers must collect for the services rendered. Putting in systems that automate collections processes and reduce the human resources necessary to bring in revenue will to be key to capitalizing on the rush of non-COVID-19 care that will soon be required. These are just a few of the ways that healthcare providers can deploy digital technology to prepare and turn this looming challenge into opportunity. The reality is that managing patient engagement and collections through this next phase is critical to the U.S. healthcare ecosystem’s recovery. Organizations that emerge stronger will be those that prepare now and are ready when the time comes. Find out more about patient engagement solutions that can help you respond now and prepare for the future.