HIMSSCast: How providers can improve the patient experience

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Every two years, RevSpring, a company focused on billing and engagement, takes the pulse of the patient in its Voice of the Patient Survey to find out what's changed and what's remained the same in the care experience.

Unchanged over the years is the likelihood that patients will leave their provider if they have a poor billing experience or a poor pre-care experience, which includes billing estimates, appointment reminders and the check-in process, according to Kristen Jacobsen, RevSpring VP of Omnichannel Engagement and Marketing, who has spent her career in consumer engagement.

Technology and AI communications have upped the communication stakes, as 81% of patients in the company's most recent survey said they would either likely or most likely have a good feeling about the healthcare organization if it honored their communication preferences.

Sometimes finding out that preference requires more than asking. To find out more, listen to Jacobsen's conversation with Susan Morse, executive editor of Healthcare Finance News.

Talking Points:

• 63% of patients would leave a provider over a poor billing experience.
• 67% would consider leaving if they had a poor pre-care experience.
• Patient preferences for how they receive information sometimes has to be discerned from their behavior.
• In taking a digital-first approach, 50% of patients won't need a printed statement, which accounts for cost savings in the revenue cycle. 
• Digital first also helps increase the amount of money providers collect.
• The intake process, in which a patient is handed a clipboard to answer questions that are often repeated, has long been a big dissatisfier for patients.

More About this Episode: 

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How behavioral healthcare can benefit from patient portals

Leveraging the power of digital transformation to enhance patient care and healthcare providers' performance

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Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org