How do you leverage technology to improve patient access?

1 What is patient access performance?

Patient access performance is the quality and efficiency of the services that facilitate patient access to care. These services include scheduling, registration, verification, authorization, collections, and referrals. Patient access performance affects patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and revenue generation. Poor patient access performance can lead to delays, denials, errors, and lost revenue.

2 Why is patient access performance important for RCM?

Patient access performance is important for RCM because it impacts the entire revenue cycle. It determines the accuracy and completeness of the patient information that is used for billing and reimbursement. It also influences the patient's willingness and ability to pay for their care. By improving patient access performance, you can reduce the risk of claim rejections, denials, and bad debt. You can also increase patient loyalty, retention, and referrals.

3 How to measure patient access performance?

In order to measure patient access performance, organizations should use key performance indicators (KPIs) that are tailored to their goals and objectives. Common KPIs for patient access performance include appointment availability (the percentage of appointments that are available within a certain time frame), appointment utilization (the percentage of appointments that are booked and attended), pre-registration rate (the percentage of patients who are pre-registered before their visit), verification rate (the percentage of patients who have their insurance and eligibility verified before their visit), authorization rate (the percentage of patients who have their services authorized before their visit), point-of-service collections (the amount of money collected from patients at the time of service), and referral conversion (the percentage of referrals that result in scheduled appointments).

4 How to improve patient access performance?

In order to enhance patient access performance, you should implement strategies that target the root causes of inefficiencies and errors. Streamlining workflows and processes, automating tasks and reminders, training and empowering staff, engaging and educating patients, and monitoring and evaluating results are all common strategies. Simplifying and standardizing steps and tasks involved in patient access, using technology to automate repetitive and manual tasks, providing staff with the skills, tools, and incentives to perform their roles effectively and efficiently, communicating with patients about their expectations, responsibilities, and options, and providing them with resources and support are all important aspects of these strategies. Additionally, tracking and analyzing the data and feedback from your KPIs, staff, and patients is essential for making adjustments as needed.

5 How to leverage technology to improve patient access?

Technology can be a key factor in improving patient access performance, by increasing the quality, speed, and convenience of services. For example, online scheduling permits patients to book, modify, and cancel appointments at any time and from any device. Patient portals provide secure access to health records, test results, prescriptions, and bills online. Additionally, telehealth enables patients to access care remotely via video, phone, or chat; this reduces travel time and costs. Artificial intelligence uses algorithms and data to optimize scheduling, predict demand, and personalize care. Blockchain creates a secure network of data that can improve the accuracy and transparency of patient information and transactions.