August 12, 2024
Empowered Patients Empower Employees Too
Asking questions, taking responsibility for lifestyle choices and participating in treatment decisions are all hallmarks of empowered patients in a clinical setting. What does patient empowerment look like on the administrative side of healthcare? Autonomy is a key attribute in both contexts, but providers also play a key role by offering:
- Transparency that prepares patients to meet financial obligations
- Clear messaging and frictionless access
- Communication and statement delivery channels that fit individual preferences
Healthcare organizations also must put strategies in place that make self-service—and ease of service—possible from the moment a patient requests a price estimate all the way through an episode of care and final payment. Not only does this please patients, it makes life easier for staff while increasing efficiency and decreasing costs for your healthcare organization.
Technology now can be leveraged to empower patients to make appointments, interact with staff and make payments all on their own terms. It begins with clear cost estimates, combined with options to make payments during pre-care, at the point-of-care and, of course, post-care. No matter if a patient prefers email, text, phone or paper communication, every patient touchpoint should empower patients to engage the way they prefer.
Payments also must fit individual patients. With help from data analytics and smart technology, it’s easy to understand how much patients can pay. Use this information to structure payments that meet patients where they are, which could mean pay-in-full, partial payments, a payment plan or even financial assistance. This flexible approach to payments empowers patients to meet their financial obligations, no matter how modest their means may be.
Ease of service matters too. Think about adding tech tools, like optical character recognition (OCR) to make completing forms as simple as taking and uploading a photo. Inviting patients to leave a card on file for future payments also enhances convenience, particularly when a payment request is sent and approved in one text exchange. For other patients, easy payments might mean interacting with your IVR service or logging into a payment portal.
Patient Empowerment Spurs Multiple Benefits
Just as technology is making it easier for patients to engage, it can help you address current challenges within your organization.
Healthcare organizations struggle today with labor shortages, high turnover and recruitment challenges—all of which are expected to worsen as the population ages and demand for healthcare services rise.
Creative and smart uses of technology can reduce staff burden as patients engage in self-service on the administrative side of healthcare. From scheduling appointments, completing forms on personal digital devices and automated check-in, to paying with cards on file and using QR codes to make payments on portals, technology is helping reduce pressure on stressed healthcare systems. It’s also delighting patients who expect the convenience, flexibility and ease of interacting online when, how and where they choose.
Consider the case of one healthcare organization we know that dramatically revamped its patient engagement. Most of its patient touchpoints had previously relied on print/mail and staff interaction. Now patients receive automated appointment reminders (email, text and IVR), OCR and digital registration forms, automated patient check-in, automated insurance verification, along with smart statements and a patient payment portal. This organization has experienced overwhelmingly positive results, including:
- More than 80% of patients agreeing to put a card on file for future payments
- 4% increase in average collection per visit ($36,000 increase per week)
- Reduced patient wait times by 76%
Technology makes it easy for patients to take actions you prefer without intensive support from staff. Connected tech solutions also reduce administrative hassles, costs and errors. Perhaps most importantly, patient satisfaction increases—along with trust, loyalty and, frequently, yield.
