Written by Aubrey Straub on Nov 14, 2014
The Evolution in Patient Experience - Why Patient Responsibility and Digital Are Changing Everything
We are pleased to introduce new Director of Business Development at Salucro, Aubrey Straub. Aubrey joins Salucro with seven years of experience in Healthcare and Revenue Cycle and will manage and grow relationships in the Western region, (California, Oregon and Washington). Aubrey is the Social Media Chair for the Northern California HFMA Chapter and is fluent in Sales, Operations and all forms of Social.
New insurance plans and economic factors have created an increase in patient responsibility payments. Co-pay, deductibles, co-insurance payments are all on the rise, and with more skin in the game, patients are becoming more selective when it comes to their healthcare provider choices. Like consumers in other industries, they are doing more preliminary research when it comes to how they will spend their (healthcare) dollars.
Patient Satisfaction, Revenue, and Regulations
With the new ACA regulations and reimbursement being tied to Patient Satisfaction, hospitals must face a new challenge of maintaining their business while keeping patients happy. Except, is it really so unique a challenge?
Across all industries, businesses must maintain their operations while creating an experience that encourages their customers to return. Healthcare providers need to hunker down and listen to what their patients want, what their customers want.
The Patient Experience is Shaping Everything
New positions are being created within hospitals to ensure that the patient experience is a positive one; Patient Experience Officers are professionals from the hospitality industry. Programs are being designed to hone communication skills for doctors and nurses to aid in their bedside manner. Wait times are being reduced and hospital hallways are being quieted; all in the interest of a patient centric experience.
Healthcare Providers and Social
In addition to these methods, communication with the community is happening via modern channels. Hospitals are now sharing health news and advice via Twitter. Medical groups are creating fan pages on Facebook.
The community responds – they are leaving reviews of doctors and hospital experiences on Yelp, on Facebook, on Twitter. They are sharing with their friends and family, and the public at large, how their healthcare experience fared.
So if consumers/patients are now researching their purchase options for their health, much like how they research the purchase of an appliance or expensive electronic, shouldn’t Healthcare Providers also shift slightly in how they offer transactional options to those customers/patients? Like other industries, isn’t it possible for Healthcare Providers to maintain their customer centric experience while still recovering the funds they need to operate?
The Way We Think About Payments is Changing
Patrons can now walk into their favorite corner coffee shop and pay for their latte by using an app on their phone. They can walk into a certain electronics store and not once visit a cash register, but simply swipe their card on the tablet the Store Associate is holding. These modern processes are a win-win, both parties are satisfied. Not only is the business receiving funds for services provided, but the consumer’s experience is fast and easy.
If healthcare providers are taking a cue from their customers and other industries in how they communicate, perhaps they should go a step further to protect their operations as well. Like any business, healthcare providers must recoup funds for services provided. It seems logical that in broadening the avenues by which they receive those funds, and communicating in modern ways about those options to their customers, healthcare providers would see an increase in payments received.
Providing more options for patients to resolve their increased financial responsibility is a benefit both to healthcare providers and to patients. Less burdened by the technicalities of a transactional process (on top of whatever physical duress they are already enduring,) patients experience more ease, more satisfaction. In providing additional payment options, Healthcare Providers increase the means by which they can receive money while still providing a satisfactory experience to the patient.
Public need and regulatory requirements are pushing healthcare providers to evolve, but evolving is good business sense anyway. Evolving means listening to the market and implementing changes that best meet both customer needs and business needs.