A consumer-centric patient financial experience is critical to the success of any healthcare organization. While other industries have mastered the art of customer engagement, hospitals and healthcare systems lag in terms of meeting patients where they’re at.
A 2022 KLAS study of more than 8,000 patients found that patients’ most desired technology to register or check in for an appointment from their healthcare provider. However, 83% of hospitals are still using front-desk encounters as their most common check-in method.
Since patients make up an increasingly larger share of overall revenue for health systems, it’s important that their preferences are prioritized by providers. The industry needs to fundamentally rethink the way it interacts and engages with its patients – who have grown accustomed to convenient, on-demand service at their fingertips from industries.
When patients feel engaged, they’re more likely to pay. Digital check-in is key to patient engagement, and it helps jumpstart a frictionless patient financial experience. Here’s how:
Improved loyalty and customer satisfaction scores
The demand for a seamless digital experience is here. And 90% of patients say that loyalty to their provider relies on their financial experience. That’s why it’s important to give patients what they’re asking for—that on-demand experience they’re accustomed to elsewhere.
A quality digital check-in solution makes patient onboarding easy, reduces appointment wait times and enables self-scheduling, appointment reminders and digital billing. It also offers a place where costs and coverage are transparent and easy to understand—a place where your patients feel empowered to manage their healthcare experience.
Taking pressure off your short-staffed team
With industry analysts projecting that hospitals won’t see a return to normal staffing levels for several years, it’s no surprise that managing staffing shortages are a top-four priority for healthcare finance leaders.
RELATED: The Healthcare Finance Leader’s Guide to Managing Staffing Shortages
In fact, a recent HFMA survey found all respondents had at least one open revenue cycle role, and nearly 20% had more than 30 vacancies. These staffing shortages can impact bottom lines, with 49% of finance leaders reporting more billing errors.
Investing in an automated self-service check-in solution not only streamlines the patient intake process, but it relieves the burden of in-office paperwork for your team. This affords more personal touchpoints, where registrars can focus on making genuine connections and engaging patients.
Accelerated financial clearance
Denial rates are increasing, including the cost of those denials, which rose 67% in 2022. A digital check-in process allows patients to enter information electronically, early in the process, affording more registrars more time to financially clear them.
RELATED: How to Reverse the Trend on Rising Denials and Underpayments at Your Organization
Patients can enter their demographic and insurance information at home, giving them more time to focus, rather than scrambling to fill out a form in an office before being seen. Getting accurate information from the patient before care is rendered helps accelerate financial clearance and decrease denials.
Digitizing your patient intake affords higher yield and more efficient staff—and it’s what your patients want. Create a more personalized financial experience that engages today’s healthcare consumer and ensures your patients keep coming back.
