Bridging the Digital Divide: Patient-Focused Technology for Better Care Outcomes

Transcription

1 Bridging the Digital Divide: Patient-Focused Technology for Better Care Outcomes Jim Higgins Chief Executive Officer, Solutionreach Lehi, Utah Donna Scowden, Practice administrator. Peachtree Park Pediatrics Atlanta Jim Higgins and Donna Scowden do not have any financial conflicts to report at this time. 1

2 Learning Objectives Critique online tools to determine if they allow for seamless user experience Assemble specific tools that can engage patients and caregivers Evaluate your technology options for their ability to keep your patient s information safe Changing Patient-Provider Dynamic Patients Patients are looking for better ways to connect and collaborate with their providers with more convenience and access. They want to get their money s worth. Providers Providers are looking for ways to get and keep patients compliant, engaged in their wellness, and informed about their conditions. And they want to get paid for the care they provide (which is getting harder)

3 Value-Based Reimbursement Industry driving towards value Chronic Care Management (CCM) Transitional Care Management (TCM) Value-based modified (now cost portion of MACRA) ACOs HCAHPS/CAHPS United, Humana, BC/BS have all invested in value-based initiatives in 8 patients left a practice in past year 3

4 37% of those patients who left had a bad experience and were dissatisfied with practice logistics and service, mainly 1. Dissatisfaction with office staff 2. Feeling more like a number than a person 4

5 3. Inconvenient hours or difficulty with scheduling 4. Poor office communication 53% of patients say they want the same customer service experience in healthcare that they get in retail

6 Patient Lifecycle Patient Lifecycle

7 The data says Finding a Provider - Challenges Patients have a lot more choices today (minute clinics, etc) Majority of patients search for providers online Some patients even say they d pay more out of pocket for provider with better reviews What we hear from practices Managing online reputation takes too much time They are worried about impact of and dealing with negative reviews % of patients use online reviews as their first step in finding a new doctor 7

8 Finding a Provider - Best Practices Practices must be engaged online. Update and manage online listings (including payer directories) SEO-optimized website Responsive design Social media presence (Facebook) Patient reviews Text for Reviews How it works: An app allows all staff to access the calendar of patients Anyone can select a patient and text a review request Patient gets text and in a couple clicks leaves a review

9 Scheduling Appointments - Challenges The data says The average time it takes to schedule an appointment on the phone is 8 minutes Patients will hang up after about 1 minute on hold What we hear from practices Staff do spend too much time on the phone Practices worried about how much control they have with online scheduling % of patients are not willing to wait on hold for more than 1 minute 9

10 70% of patients want online scheduling Best Practices - Online Scheduling Choose a solution that: Integrates with practice management system Is customizable (appt. types, times, etc.) Has flexible fields for patient information Provides an option to scan insurance cards Is easy for patients to use Can be linked to from anywhere (website, social media, s) 10

11 Reminders - Challenges The data says 90% of patients say they don t answer their phone 20% of people don t check voic either What we hear from practices They worry about compliance issues with and text But they know phone and postcards don t really work and are expensive Reminders can reduce no shows by as much as 50% 11

12 73% of patients want text reminders Reminders - Best Practices Use patient s preferred communication method (phone, text, ) Send at two weeks, two days, two hours before (unless patient has different preference) Include links to confirm, reschedule, etc. Customize with dynamic messages (i.e., remember to fast for 24 hours before) Set up automated recare messages to bring patients back in

13 The data says Check-In - Challenges Demographic mistakes are the #1 cause of billing problems Patients top frustrations are wait times and billing problems What we hear from practices Provides sometimes run late Patients come unprepared Staff struggle to manage phone calls and patients checking in of patients say the factor that has most negative impact on satisfaction is long wait time 13

14 Check-In - Best Practices Use a tablet or kiosk for check in that: Integrates with practice management system Allows you to gather accurate patient demographics Provides education Markets new providers and services Why Post-Visit Follow Up? The data says Providers only have about 15 minutes with each patient Patients forget 40-80% of what providers say What we hear from practices It s just one more thing we don t have time for Patients don t want to get more stuff from us

15 People prefer electronic surveys 30 times more than paper ones Surveys - Best Practices Keep it short: It shouldn t take more than 5 minutes to complete Focus on a single topic: Don t try to cover too much in one survey Go virtual: Use electronic surveys Be timely: Send surveys in a timely manner within hours Get hard data: Avoid open-ended questions so its easy to answer and analyze the data Update regularly: Change the survey when things change at your practice Automate and personalize: Make it easy on the practice and get more clicks

16 69% of patients say it s important for their physician to follow up after an appointment Newsletters Keep patients engaged through newsletters Wellness information Educational content Tips (i.e., understanding your bill) Based on age, diagnosis, etc

17 Offer Communication Options Text (automated & real-time, two-way) Phone Interest in Text Text Communications Total Millennial Gen X Boomers Patients want to send texts to the office 73% 87% 79% 58% Patients want to receive texts from the office 79% 95% 84% 63% 17

18 Best Practices for Real-Time Text Messaging Look for a solution that allows you to: Text enable your landline (no short codes!) Initiate texts and let patients initiate texts Prioritize and flag messages for responses See a the full message history (for context) Stay HIPAA compliant Benefits of Digital Solutions Address poor experience with staff and patients feeling more like a number : Personalize communications with patients Free staff to be responsive to patients in the practice Stay connected with patients across the entire lifecycle Monitor satisfaction Add value with targeted education

19 Benefits of Digital Solutions Address poor communication and difficulty scheduling : Offer communication options Offer scheduling options Use reminders to make sure patients come in and come back Provide real-time texting (like what people do with family and friends) Benefits of Digital Solutions Improve practice workflow and revenue: Reduce phone calls Create processes to make it easier for staff to respond without interrupting patients in the practice Reduce no-shows and increase revenue ($39k/year on average) Increase recare appointments and revenue (as much as $95k/year) Appeal to and get found by new patients (as much as 20% of new patients a year) Boost online ratings and revenue (up to 9% a year for a one star increase)

20 Overcoming Barriers Be open to change. Workflow and processes can t stay the same. Be willing to challenge some of your own assumptions too (like texting and baby boomers). Make sure solutions integrate with PM & EHR Look for solutions that are HIPAA compliant and provide tools to support data security Take advantage of training and support (there is data that the more training the higher your satisfaction) Look for all-inclusive solution for end-to-end patient engagement (close the loop) Thank You. Jim Higgins jimh@solutionreach.com Solutionreach 2600 Ashton Blvd Lehi, UT

21 Case Study: Bridging the Digital Divide: Patient-Focused Technology for Better Care Outcomes About Peachtree Park Pediatrics Patient Centered Before it was Cool! Opened in the 1950s Original building focused on innovation 6 providers (no extenders) Averaging 28 Patients/MD/Day 1 location

22 About Peachtree Park Pediatrics Patient Centered Before it was Cool! Paperless Practice Enabled to Serve Client Base Went paperless in 2008 Use Allscripts for Practice Management (PM) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) Didn t do Meaningful Use Don t do MACRA

23 We re Trendsetters & Early Adopters It Started with Immunization Registries Used Immunization Upload to the Registry from PM in late 90 s Make the Process Electronic to Reduce the Workload Automate to Improve Workflow and Patient Experience Reduced Forms Needed Reduced Duplicate Work/Increased Efficiency Why? Improve Patient Experience Parents are Busy Help Stay on Track with their Kid s Health Our Demographics Crave Technology Building Loyalty to Our Practice

24 We ve Tried Many Things Continuum of Solutions Started with the Allscripts Patient Portals Medfusion (online bill pay) Follow My Health (chart access, bill pay) Digital Registration/Check-In/Pre-Visit with Phreesia Waitlist Serve with Queuedr Solutionreach for Reminders/Recalls/Other Communications Future: Online Scheduling Digital Solutions Offer Benefits How We Improved Better Utilization of Cancellations Better Communication Faster and Easier Forms to and From Parents Timely Patient Feedback: Surveys and Reviews

25 Also Some Challenges Too Many Systems? Implemented Many Solutions Integration Learning Curve Time Money No Tool Offers Everything My Recommendations Do It All Over Again One or Two solutions Good Integration With Your PM and EHR

26 2018 MGMA. All rights reserved. Continuing Education ACMPE credit for medical practice executives *AAPC Core B, CPPM credit 1.5 ACHE credit for medical practice executives CME AMA PRA Category 1 Credits CNE credit for continuing nurse education *CPE credit for certified public accountants (CPAs) CEU credit for generic continuing education *AAPC CODE: L C O *CPE CODE: D Let the speakers know what you thought! Evaluations will be ed to you daily Thank You. Donna Scowden dscowden@peachtreeparkpeds.com Peachtree Park Pediatrics 3193 Howell Mill Rd Ste 250 Atlanta, GA