Collecting in Healthcare Source: The Academy of Healthcare Revenue
Using Technology to Encourage Better Staff-Patient Communication
Many hospitals are incorporating new
technological methods of communication
with patients in billing and collections
departments to increase patient and staff
convenience and billing accuracy. Collections
staff must be current regarding
these methods and must understand how
to use them most effectively when dealing
with patients.
Minneapolis-based HealthPartners conducted
a blind survey of local citizens about
what online services, if any, they would
want. Booking appointments online,
instead of calling and potentially being
placed on hold for long periods of time,
was number one. HealthPartners now
logs roughly 50,000 appointments annually.
Shortly after this study, other technological
applications were instituted
for patients, including the retrieval of
test results online, requesting refills, and
looking up benefit information.1 This
study reveals that patients want to be
able to use technology in their interactions
with hospitals, and these findings may
impact billing and collecting staff members’
processes and communications with
patients.
The amount of technological advances
can quite possibly appear overwhelming
for any hospital attempting to better
serve its patients. In an era of technology
and web-based functions, it is important
that hospitals and staff members use
all means available to establish more efficient
and communicative relationships
with patients. Listed below are some vital
technological tools, which can be useful
for PFS departments in developing better
communication with patients:
E-Mail. Although the most widely
used function of e-mail in healthcare
is for scheduling, it may prove a good
option for PFS staff as well. E-mail
is a basic technological function that
can serve patients well when they
are trying to obtain important billing
and collections information, such
as requests for billing statements,
mailing addresses for sending hospital
balance payments, or deadlines for
certain applications or payment plans.
E-mailing such inquiries and requests
to PFS staff not only saves patients’
time, but also cuts down the amount
of time staff spend on the phone
with patients answering basic billing
concerns.
Online Chats. Most often when people
hear the term “online chat” they do not immediately think of a tool for
hospital-patient communication;
however, hospital online chats are an
informal means of quickly providing
information to inquiring patients
concerning a variety of health-related
issues. Patients may even inquire
about concerns centered on the PFS
department, such as live billing and
collecting assistance. PFS departments
may host live online chats, and
participating patients can ask their
billing and payment questions.
Online Bill Payment and Balance
Inquiry. Many patients want to be
able to have unlimited access to their
personal medical records and account
information, and one efficient means
of doing so is through online bill
payment. Paying bills via the Internet
is gradually gaining popularity, and
more hospitals are offering their
patients access to their records
through web-based systems. Although
convenient, online bill payment raises
the important issue of patient safety
and privacy. In response to this issue,
regulations (e.g., HIPAA and online
security protocol) must be enforced to
ensure patient security. Incorporating
the use of online bill pay enables
patients to access their hospital
account at their leisure and moreover,
can lessen the amount of time spent
by PFS staff providing patients with
account information.
Using technological methods can
encourage more effective and efficient
communication between PFS staff members
and patients, while building a foundation
for future patient visits and account
resolutions. Billing and collections staff
must understand the best ways to utilize
such technology, while management must
realize the importance of keeping staff
informed concerning any new patient-centered
technological implementations
or processes.
1 Gary Baldwin, “ The Connected Patient,”
HealthLeaders Media, 1 September 2006.
The Academy of Healthcare Revenue
The Academy of Healthcare Revenue is a membership-based community that provides healthcare leaders with objective research focused specifically on the healthcare revenue cycle. Members receive an unlimited supply of all research--including benchmarking and best practice reports, implementation tools, monthly journals, attendance to virtual conferences, and more--designed to enable them to improve their revenue cycle processes and financial health from within. Furthermore, The Academy's membership offering is tailored to team members throughout the revenue cycle, from executive leadership to patient access, coding, billing and collections, and clinical staff, helping to drive process improvement efforts revenue cycle-wide. Collecting in Healthcare is one of four journals written by The Academy of Healthcare Revenue monthly.
To learn more about the benefits of membership with The Academy of Healthcare Revenue, contact us today.
Media Contact Andrea Morrill
Research Director
262-782-7919
Email:
