Three Ways EngageCare® Improves Volume, Loyalty and Revenue
More than 30% of patients leave a medical facility without paying their bill. But here’s the good news. If given the option, 95% of patients would pay it online. The question is, are you standing in their way?
To stay competitive and maintain margin needed to deliver the best patient care, hospitals must prioritize digital patient experience. Consumers are accustomed to using their smartphones to interact and do business with retailers, hospitality, banking and expect nothing less from their provider.
Patient Experience Determines Loyalty
Healthcare competition is fierce and patient loyalty is harder to achieve nowadays, especially if you’re operating with outdated options for access to healthcare. Studies show 4 in 5 Americans want the ability to use technology to manage their healthcare experience and 7 in 10 would consider switching to a provider that offered a better digital experience.
So, if you’re greeting patients with a clipboard, a series of repetitive forms and uncertainty around their financial responsibility, you’re striking out.
AccuReg EngageCare®, an integrated patient access, intake and engagement platform, helps you deliver a seamless digital experience that cuts administrative friction, digitally connects patients with staff throughout the care journey and simplifies financial clearance and payment processes, creating a win for patients and providers.
Here are three ways EngageCare can help you improve volume, loyalty and revenue:
1. No App, No Hassle, No Additional Costs
It seems every digital interaction today requires an app download. With more than 5.7 million apps in the market, consumers have become “app fatigued”.
EngageCare is web-based and mobile first, not an app, eliminating expense and IT resources required to update and maintain. While some patients may be loyal users of your patient portal, some will inevitably opt out. EngageCare complements your EHR by providing an alternative way for patients to access healthcare. And, using bi-directional communications within EngageCare, you can deploy messages to market the patient portal.
2. Access to Healthcare When, Where and How Patients Want It
From pre-registration to discharge, a scheduled patient can utilize the device of their choice, to complete information, confirm appointments and communicate with staff from a virtual waiting room. Entering information is easy with features such as image capture and OCR technology.
Patients then complete any forms necessary for the visit using eSignatures and can easily retrieve accurate estimates for their service and make payments. Appointment reminders and alerts help keep patient visits top of mind while helping you avoid lost revenue. The capability to deliver important messages to large groups, such as reminders to reschedule missed appointments, policy change notifications, or any event or issue that might impact their scheduled visit, such as a machine down, location change or major weather event is key.
Giving patients the option to use their phones, laptops or lobby kiosks to prepare for their appointment accelerates check-ins, reduces wait times and allows staff more time for the one-on-one customer service that keeps patients coming back.
3. Payments Captured at Each Touch Point
A hospital’s financial experience plays a crucial role in determining satisfaction and whether a patient will return. Consumers now account for 35% of provider revenue, up from 5% in 2000. Hospitals can’t afford to lose patients to competitors who get it right.
Patients want to know how much they’ll owe prior to service and have access to flexible, convenient payment options. EngageCare generates accurate cost estimates using the hospital’s negotiated contract rates and chargemaster, and by analyzing real-time eligibility transaction data to validate service-level benefit coverage, including relevant copays, coinsurance and deductible balances.
Staff are provided with scripting to help them communicate options available to that patient, including payment plans or charity care. This level of service eases patient financial anxiety, while ensuring you secure maximum reimbursement for the visit.
EngageCare captures payment at each touch point, improving the financial experience for the patient and helping you collect more up front, when it costs the least.
Experience EngageCare from the Driver’s Seat
Want to learn how you can give patients a first-rate experience that keeps them coming back? Watch this short video to learn how EngageCare enables a self-service, mobile-first experience that streamlines the patient journey with digital interactions from check-in to discharge.