In the health care environment, protecting personal health information (PHI) is crucial. Although the integration of electronic health records can help with PHI collection, obtaining and recording patient information can still be cumbersome and time-consuming. As a result, there are a number of issues that usually occur.
Common Issues to Onboard New Patients
Onboarding new patients can be a lengthy process. Patients may forget their health documents or there may be a lag in patient insurance verification. Also, longer office visits and higher administrative costs can be a sore for your practice. We detail each of these issues and offer a solution to improve your operational speed.
Patients forgetting documents
Patients often forget hard-copy documents that are needed when they need to see their doctor. If their health documents cannot be retrieved, this may result in the patient having to be rescheduled. This result is a wasted business opportunity for your practice.
Lag in administrative management
When the administrative team cannot verify patient insurance coverage or does not have the correct documents available, the registration process takes a lot longer for the patient. The result is a backlog for the dentist, which means less patients that can be treated. Delays in patient registration are the first indication that there is a problem in the current infrastructure of a medical practice.
Lengthy office visits
When it is difficult to verify patient information or find documentation, the patient is forced to wait longer than anticipated. This long wait causes frustration on the behalf of the patient, causes the physician to have a longer patient roster, and skews the timetables already established for seeing patients.
Higher patient and administrative costs
According to a study done by Health Affairs¹, medical providers spend nearly 12 percent of every dollar collected in patient revenue on "excessive administrative complexity."
How can this problem be alleviated?
Using software that alleviates liability while performing the tasks you need can save time and money. Practice Sense electronic patient forms increase productivity and provide instant eligibility verification while keeping PHI secure during the transition to an electronic medical record. Additional benefits of Practice Sense include:
Practice Sense is connected to more than 200 insurance companies for instant checks of benefit coverage and eligibility. With the click of a button, you can check on patients' coverage any time they visit the office.
A welcome email increases professionalism while adding a personal touch. Once an appointment is set, the patient receives a letter with a link to any forms that must be completed prior to the visit.
All patients who receive forms are then tracked to make sure they have completed their documentation. Reminders are sent out, as are notifications when everything has been completed.
Every template you use can be customized to meet your needs. Any document can be tailored with fonts and styles that mirror the preferences of your office for continuity.
All patients have the option of using E-sign prior to their visit. Every transaction is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
The form submission confirmation page is tailored to offer a customized image and video that helps each patient become familiar with the office. This is good for a virtual tour.
We have found that there are more a few more helpful tips to streamline your patient registration. In addition, we have found that productivity in your medical office can be improved through better time management.
These are just a few reasons why using Practice Sense elevates the standard of excellence in any health care setting. Our electronic health records make patient registration easier, saving time and energy for your practice. For more information on how this can be implemented into any medical office setting or facility, call us at 1-800-619-2955 or request a demo.
¹http://corp.bankofamerica.com/documents/10157/67594/WP-07-13-0838-Smart-Strategies-to-Check-Patients-Insurance-Eligibility.pdf
