Maximize Access and Engage Patients Rosemarie Nelson Healthcare Consultant
Objectives Identify the tools and applications available to engage patients Discover how better performing practices improve patient access and increase patient satisfaction Evaluate how best to evaluate and measure your patients satisfaction
3 Who s it about?
4 About the provider, or the patient?
5 Who s your audience?
Market forces driving physicians Self-service impact Reduce operational and labor costs Improve efficiency in communications Improve patient satisfaction with self-service capabilities Consumer driven healthcare Patients routinely search for information about their condition Patients are more involved and educated about their care options Health savings accounts (HSAs) modify patient behavior driving selfservice demands Third party payers support online physician-patient communication Reimbursement models
How do new patients access you? Referral Friend Social media Colleague Website
How many times have we heard the landscape is changing. It isn t changing it has changed
Website (portal home!) promotion techniques Highlight your website on voicemail and hold messages Welcome to the practice email Print the website address on appointment & business cards, letterhead, patient handouts Hang posters in the lobby and patient rooms advertising the website and highlighting the self-service convenience options for patients Distribute how to patient cheat sheets to show how to get started Have your participating insurances put a link to your site on their website Add to each statement - For added convenience, pay your bill at www.yourpractice.com. Kiosk can supplement online utilization 9 9
10 FAQs up front
11 Important news right up front
Facebook How best to use a fan page Keep the information current Make it personable Share great content and encourage your fans to share their input Post photos or videos Ask questions of your fans. This encourages interaction with them
Free patient help/education links Insert library in frame or have banner w/ link www.patienteducationcenter.org www.vivacare.com 15
Medical Forms - Many Languages www.healthinfotranslations.org
Tech for convenience Patient portal Online scheduling New patient registration Test results
Business of Medicine is Communications Deliver content Get nurses off the phones with FAQs Physician-authored, peer-reviewed content for patients Description of symptom, injury or condition Guidance on when to call doctor (right away, within 24 hours, during office hours) Advice for self-care or care at home
How do you communicate now? Pho e S ai mai Website Porta Facebook T itter
Trends in Individual Use of Health IT: 2012-2014 Almost HALF of Americans! Source: http://dashboard.healthit.gov/quickstats/pages/fig-individuals-health-it-use.php 20
Consumers demand portal services Patients want improved communication 79+% of patients have internet access % of patients wanting the following services: Ask questions where no visit is necessary 77% Fix appointments 71% Get new prescriptions for medications they take 71% Receive the results of medical tests 70% None of the above 6% Don t know 4% 55% indicated the ability to communicate with their doctors in the above manner would influence their choice of health plans. -Harris Interactive
What a Portal Delivers Are YOU delivering? Pre-registration / Health forms Appointment Requests Patient Messaging Check In Online Bill Payment Auto-draft payment plans Virtual Card Swiper Ask a Biller Prescription Renewal Secure Patient Messaging Ask a Clinician Symptom Assessment Referral Portal PHR Practice website, patient education, patient satisfaction surveys
Patient portal increases efficiency The patient self-registers saving staff data entry The patient s past medical, social, family history can be captured in the portal and accepted or imported into the PMEHR More accurate and comprehensive Saves the patient time in the practice setting Saves nursing time
The Patient Where it all Starts Is the practice web site getting traction with patients? In the July 2005 MGMA Connexion article, e-mail ease, author A.J. Melaragno cited two methods to introduce a practice portal on page 26: Evanston Northwestern Healthcare doctors tell patients about it during office visits and give them a descriptive brochure, then issue access codes to those interested in signing up. Marshfield Clinic launched a direct mail campaign in its primary service area. Patient intake tools Instant Medical History RelayHealth PatientPoint Mefusion
Who wants another email? Good: Check out v. check in Better: nurse in exam room Best: doctor/discharge
Interest using health innovative technologies 26 Source: Deloitte 2012 Survey of US Health Care Consumers; Performance of the health care system and health care reform
Apps to help educate patients DrawMD (free in Apple app store) physicians can sketch, stamp or type on detailed anatomic images and then save to EHRs and/or share images with patients NumeraNET (free in Apple app store) patients can share info such as weight, blood pressure, pedometer results with physicians, who can send the info to an EHR Survey on the Spot (free in Apple app store) Gather instant feedback on your practice with custom surveys See compiled survey results in your account Get software alerts when a patient rates service as poor
Apps for allergy patients Find me gluten free Zyrtec Allergyeats Food Allergy Detective Cook IT Allergy Free AllergyManager AroundMe Food Intolerances ieatout Gluten Free
Apps for asthma patients AsthmaMD Wellapets AsthmaBuddy Pollen SPARX AsthmaSense Assist Me With Inhalers
Apps for your patients itriage Diabetes app Blood pressure monitor Mayo Clinic Health Community Tummy Trends (tt) icalcrisk
Online scheduling Eppointments (www.eppointments.com) Online patient services: forms, email messages, confirm appts Internal patient tracking Employee scheduling www.abs-usa.com (online) $20/month - $33/month 25-50 employees www.asgardsystems.com (sw) $500 - $800 30-50 employees
All or Nothing is a Losing Proposition Accept the incremental benefits. Waiting for the next upgrade or the next release delays all benefits realizations. Transferring 30% of incoming phone calls to web communications is better than 0%.
Does your portal work with a Kiosk?
Kiosks prompt Update insurance/personal info Automatically verify insurance eligibility Co-pay collection Checking patient health history Quality metrics information collection Enrollment in the patient portal Patient satisfaction survey
Service to the patient Empowerment/Control Decrease wait times Participate in health care Know financial responsibility Information not lost Easy payment methods
Kiosk check-in cost-benefit Range of costs: free to $2,000-$5,000 per tablet/kiosk $3,000-$5,000 installation, training, setup $2,000-$10,000 integration services $250-$400 monthly fee (updates insurance info) Benefits beyond reduced paper: Reduced denials Better performers: 3% of claims denied on first submission (others 5%) $11,520 costs recovered annually 30 claims/day, 4 days/wk, 48 wks/year, $40/claim to rework
Our patients are. Older? Specialty experiences Inexperienced technology users Cell-phone simple Too sick Caregiver role
Integration PMEHR http://www.directtrust.org - directed exchange of messages and attachments Community information exchanges Hospital portals What are the patient needs?
Tele services: no more letters/cards NotifyMD PhoneTree TeleVox 43.79% of Better Performing Practices use automated telephone reminder call system to limit no-shows and last-minute appointment cancellations v. 28.33% of other practices* *Performance and Practices of Successful Medical Groups 2011 Report Based on 2010 Data.
Lab Result Interpretation Delivery Patient visits physician Patient has specimen taken Patient is given a card with: Your web site address A toll free number A date to retrieve the interpretation Physician assigns lab result to patient utilizing the phone or Internet Patient goes to retrieve the message Over the Internet Over the telephone Patient sees or hears The Physician s Interpretation of the Lab Result
Get wild and crazy Informed consent Webcast for patients v. surgeon s time Online scheduling pick date/time Flu shot clinic
YouTube
QR - - Quick Response codes Scan the QR (like bar codes) using smartphone camera to access data that links to web page Add QR code to patient statements that link to your payment page online Free QR code generation: Qrstuff.com Visualead.com Create the code, print it, and it s ready!
QR code to link smartphone to tool Patient Satisfaction Survey Tool (SAMPLE) Excellent Very Good Good Fair Poor How long you waited to get an appointment 1 2 3 4 5 Convenience of the location of the office 1 2 3 4 5 Getting through to the office by phone 1 2 3 4 5 Length of time waiting at the office 1 2 3 4 5 Time spent with the person you saw 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation of what was done for you 1 2 3 4 5 The technical skills (thoroughness, carefulness, competence)of the person you saw 1 2 3 4 5 The personal manner (courtesy, respect, sensitivity, friendliness) of the person you saw 1 2 3 4 5 This visit overall 1 2 3 4 5 Would you recommend this physician to your friends and family? Comments Definitely yes Probably yes Probably not Definitely not
Patient survey links https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/patient-satisfactionsurvey/ http://www.massmed.org/physicians/practicemanagement/patient-satisfaction-surveys-(pdf)/ http://www.pressganey.com/resources/patient-satisfactionsurvey
46 Just One Question Survey If one thing about today s visit could be improved, what would it be? Make it easier to get appointment Waiting time Friendlier physicians Friendlier nurses Friendlier staff Improved parking Telephone service Understanding my medical results Nothing
Report back! Web site results Direct response Newsletter You told us and we listened
Be Afraid Nothing fails like success. You think you re really good. You get smug. You relax. And you re no longer as good as you thought you were. Peter Gross, MD Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Hackensack University Medical Center 48
Status Quo If we keep doing what we ve always done, we ll keep getting what we ve always got.
Without a plan We re lost, but we re making good time. Yogi Berra 50
Questions? Rosemarie Nelson, MS Healthcare Consultant RosemarieNelson@alum.syracuse.edu 315-391-2695