Collections Optimization

Healthcare isn’t known for its consumer-friendly payment processes and trails behind other service sectors when it comes to matching consumer preferences for convenience, choice and control. Is healthcare about to change and adjust to patient-centered payments? Healthcare still gets the most votes as the industry that makes payments the hardest, but it’s certainly evolving. In large part, this is a result of the pandemic. Providers were forced to modernize processes and embrace contactless technology that consumers are familiar with, from their purchasing experiences in retail, hospitality and banking. Consumer expectations for better payment tools were already there – the pandemic demanded the experience met the expectations. However, patient-centered payments is more than simply catering to consumer preferences. The quality of the healthcare payment experience can affect how and when patients receive care. If patients are worried about managing medical bills alongside their other household financial responsibilities, they may be tempted to delay or forego care. If making payments is time-consuming, they may put off dealing with bills. If their provider doesn’t offer convenient tools to help with financing, payment plans and mobile payments, patients may jump ship to a provider that does. Providers will need to overhaul their existing payment system and give consumers what they need or risk losing revenue and patient loyalty. So, where are the opportunities for providers to deliver a more patient-friendly payment experience? Experian Health’s State of Patient Access 2.0 survey showed that patients are looking for clear, transparent healthcare pricing, payment plans and support, as well as faster ways to pay. Simplifying the patient payment journey is key. Here are six ways providers can make healthcare payments easier and faster in 2022. Think like a consumer It’s likely consumerization of healthcare payments will take place in 2022. Providers must put themselves in the patients’ shoes and imagine the ideal payment experience – fast, flexible and secure. Jason Considine, Senior VP at Experian Health, says providers are already seeing the benefits of a digital-first approach that gives patients a variety of payment options. He notes, “In one of our surveys last year, 93% of providers said improving the patient experience is a top priority for them. We’re aware of the need to change and modernize payments.”Experian Health’s Patient Payment Solutions help providers simplify the patient's financial journey with self-service, mobile-optimized payment options. This allows consumers to manage their healthcare payments as easily as they pay for groceries. Give patients more mobile payment options As more health services are delivered in retail health clinics, such as CVS and Walgreens, providers must offer the same convenient digital payment options to remain competitive. More than half of consumers say the pandemic affected how they pay for healthcare. Contactless payments, mobile wallets and online portals have become popular choices. Peer-to-peer payments such as PayPal, Venmo and Google Pay also saw increases in usage in 2021. Forward-thinking providers are offering mobile payment solutions with tools such as Patient Financial Advisor, which allows patients to see estimated cost breakdowns and take advantage of payment plans. Provide a compassionate patient experience with automated reminders and prompts Navigating healthcare payments can be stressful for patients. As a result, they’re more likely to choose a provider that offers a compassionate experience. An integrated payment solution can act as a “financial concierge” for patients, guiding them through the payment experience with appropriate prompts and reminders, through their preferred communication channels. Patient Outreach solutions help patients stay organized with timely bill reminders, self-pay options and automated text and voice messages. Consumer data supports these tools by giving providers insights about a patient’s ability to pay, so they can engage in supportive financial conversations to help the patient decide on their next step. Offer transparent pricing and upfront estimates Experian Health’s State of Patient Access 2.0 survey showed that price transparency had improved considerably between 2020 and 2021, and remains important to consumers. Demand for healthcare price transparency will continue to grow, so providers must keep pace with developments. Giving patients an accurate cost breakdown straight to their mobile device means they can pay faster and more efficiently. Patient Payment Estimates and Patient Financial Advisor work together to help patients understand their financial responsibility. This can help them plan for upcoming bills and pay immediately if they choose. Patients get a pre-service, personalized pricing estimate based on real-time insurance status, payer contracted rates and provider pricing. Use data to prescribe the right financial pathway Not all patients are able to clear their entire bill in one payment. Personalized payment plans are an ideal way to help patients manage their balances and apply for charity assistance if necessary. PatientSimple is a consumer-friendly self-service portal that allows patients to generate pricing estimates, figure out pricing plans, and store cards securely on file, all in one place. Not only does this eliminate much of the confusion and frustration that causes negative healthcare experiences, but it also helps increase patient payments and reduce providers’ time and cost to collect. Run repeated coverage checks to give patients financial certainty Jason Considine notes that “patient populations shifted dramatically during the pandemic, with many individuals losing jobs, finding new jobs, and moving around the country. Their ability to pay has also shifted, so providers are going to need to adopt tools and technologies that help them validate and understand each patient’s insurance coverage.” Solutions like Coverage Discovery can help providers run checks throughout the entire patient journey to find missing or forgotten coverage. This gives patients certainty that their bills are covered and helps providers collect faster. Other tools, such as Collections Optimization Manager, can help providers adopt a targeted collections strategy and segment patient accounts based on propensity to pay. Ultimately, getting paid faster comes down to creating the best possible patient payment experience. The more compassionate, convenient and flexible this experience, the easier it will be for patients to pay and the more likely it will be that bills are settled in full. Find out more about how Experian Health’s patient-centered payments solutions can help providers increase patient collections in 2022.

“The patient can have a wonderful clinical experience but face a financial experience that falls short of expectations. We wanted a dedicated consultant who would recommend best practices and provide valuable industry insights. We wanted a system with proven results in back-end automation, operational improvement and analytical performance. We were looking to propel our patient experience to the next level and that’s why we partnered with Experian Health.” – Director of Patient Finance at Novant Health Delivering remarkable patient experiences is at the heart of Novant Health’s organizational vision. With a growing consumer base – the North Carolina health system logged over 5.8 million medical encounters in 2020 –  they turned to automated patient collections to ensure a better financial journey for their growing patient population. They also looked to automated workflows as a way to ease pressure on staff, who were managing 21 different collections agencies. The objective was to find a partner that could help to elevate agency performance while driving operational efficiency. With new facilities coming online, it was important to find a system that would integrate with Epic® and provide real-time reporting. Novant Health partnered with Experian Health to implement Collections Optimization Manager, which produces robust accounts receivable insights to determine each patient’s propensity to pay and scrub uncollectable accounts. The product also provides real-time reporting and agency scorecard, so providers like Novant Health can optimize their processes and forecast future performance. Predictive patient segmentation allows Novant Health to quickly identify the patients with the highest propensity to pay and prioritize accounts accordingly. Patients in need of financial assistance or charitable support can be directed to the right resources. Collections are faster, more efficient and more compassionate. With support from a designated Experian Health Collections Consultant, Novant Health can also monitor agency performance and keep agency costs in check. Improved patient segmentation, better allocation of staff resources and more efficient agency management has led to the following results: 8% increase in unit yield year-over-year 5% recovery rate a rolling average return on investment of 8.5:1. Discover how Collections Optimization Manager can help your organization improve collections recovery rates and deliver an improved patient financial experience.

US hospitals have provided more than $702 billion in uncompensated care over the last two decades. To protect profits, healthcare organizations must be vigilant about finding any available insurance coverage for their patient’s care. But for many, recent regulatory changes and pandemic-related disruption have made navigating an already complex reimbursement landscape even more challenging. Checking for missing insurance coverage and chasing payments consumes staff time that could be better spent elsewhere. However, with the right revenue cycle management tools, healthcare organizations can reduce profit-eating write-offs and denied claims. Experian Health’s new white paper sets out an end-to-end strategy to help healthcare providers find missing and forgotten coverage. With a comprehensive game plan for minimizing lost revenue at every touchpoint in the patient journey, providers can optimize the patient experience, reduce revenue leaks, and ease the burden on staff. Here, we explore some of the trends that are challenging reimbursements, identify opportunities to find missing coverage quickly, and present best practices to eliminate the risk of bad debt at every stage of the patient journey. Trends that make revenue recovery tougher Healthcare providers must keep abreast of regulatory changes that affect the reimbursement process, which often challenges profitability. For example, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 made some key changes to the Affordable Care Act. This included expanding Medicaid provision, decreasing Medicare premiums, and accelerating the COVID-19 vaccination program. For providers, this means an influx of patients who are newly entitled to government assistance, requiring new processes to avoid delayed claims and payments and recover Medicare debt. Many of these measures are a response to the pandemic. COVID-19 has squeezed household finances, leaving some patients without jobs and access to health insurance. Although employment rates are showing signs of recovery, tracking coverage as patients start new jobs remains highly resource-intensive for collections teams. Chasing self-pay revenue can often be more expensive than writing off the initial bill. The growing focus on price transparency may mitigate some of these challenges. Proactive patient engagement can help patients understand and plan for their bills while improving the overall patient experience. The No Surprises Act, effective January 1, 2022, aims to protect patients from unexpected bills for out-of-network care in emergency and non-emergency settings. The regulation protects patients but creates significant work for providers to modify existing processes and systems in order to meet compliance standards. Dustin Whittier, Senior Director of Product Management at Experian Health, explains that automating early coverage checks can be an efficient way to help consumers manage their changing healthcare obligations. He says, “With the increase in high deductible plans, the urgency surrounding COVID-19, regulations such as the No Surprise Act and Notice of Care, and a strategic focus on patient satisfaction and transparency, the impetus to automate knowing the full scope of insurance coverage – as  close to the point of care as possible – has never been greater.” In 2021, Coverage Discovery tracked down previously unknown billable insurance coverage in more than 27.5% of self-pay accounts. The Experian Health team can help healthcare organizations keep on top of changing regulatory requirements and implement solutions that ensure compliance, improve the patient experience, and protect against uncompensated care. Optimizing for revenue recovery at every step of the patient journey Successful revenue recovery starts with a patient engagement strategy that simplifies the steps to reimbursement at every patient touchpoint. A three-pronged approach can increase the likelihood of payment by identifying the opportunities to check for coverage before the patient comes in for care, at the time of service, as well as aftercare. 1. Pre-service insurance coverage checks Verifying and tracking the patient’s insurance status before they come in for care means their financial obligations will be clear from the start. Advance knowledge makes it much easier for patients to plan – and pay ­– their medical bills. An automated coverage identification solution such as Coverage Discovery can scan patient information as soon as they schedule an appointment to find any previously unknown coverage, using multiple proprietary databases and historical information. 2. Identifying coverage at the point of care When the patient receives their treatment, Coverage Discovery can check for any billable commercial and government coverage that may have been missed during pre-service. Providers should also give patients opportunities to pay for care at this point too, to avoid the need to chase for payments later. A simple and quick payment experience can reduce the risk of additional A/R days and collections agency fees. 3. Post-service checks for unidentified coverage Finally, for any accounts that haven’t been settled at the point of care, providers should run further coverage checks before determining whether to send statements and payment reminders to the patient, to write the amount off as bad debt, or to engage a collections agency. Coverage Discovery can detect any discrepancies that could lead to denied claims. It also offers weighted confidence scores so that accounts are reclassified and rebilled appropriately. Automated scrubbing can eliminate manual processes so staff can use their time more efficiently. These steps will help plug revenue leaks at every stage of the patient journey. Not only will that improve cash flow and reduce the risk of bad debt, but it also helps create a more satisfying patient experience. Learn more about how Coverage Discovery helps recover revenue throughout the patient journey and gives patients peace of mind.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a more responsive, flexible and resilient approach to revenue cycle management, underscored by provider staffing shortages across the country. Automation is gaining momentum as a way to address the staffing issue while improving efficiency and collections optimization to levels better than those prior to the pandemic. Furthermore, with the No Surprises Act effective as of January 1. 2022, automation and digital tools can help providers deliver transparent pricing with real-time cost estimates. With automated healthcare collections, providers can help patients plan for their healthcare costs. This is especially important, given that half of Americans currently have unpaid medical bills. In North Carolina, Novant Health is already seeing an impressive return on their investment in automated patient collections technology. The provider logged over 5.8 million medical encounters in 2020. Novant Health’s patient finance team wanted to address growth while continuing to deliver an improved patient financial experience. They wanted to automate workflows and processes to reduce the need for staff intervention, using a wide-ranging platform that would easily integrate with Epic and provide robust reporting and insights. Compiling agency performance reports for 21 agencies each month was another cumbersome task, so the team also wanted a partner who would help elevate and monitor agency performance. Watch our webinar with Novant Health to see how they used Collections Optimization Manager to increase patient collections and create better patient financial experiences. Delivering a “human experience” with the right patient collections partner Wendi Bennett, Director of Patient Finance at Novant Health, said it was important for them to find a strategic and collaborative partner who would understand their commitment to providing a remarkable patient experience: “The patient can have a wonderful clinical experience but face a financial experience that falls short of expectations," said Bennett. "We wanted a dedicated consultant who would recommend best practices and provide valuable industry insights, and a system with proven results in back-end automation, operational improvement and analytical performance. We were looking to propel our patient experience to the next level and that’s why we partnered with Experian Health.” Automated healthcare collections insights for a better patient experience and fewer unpaid medical bills Cari Cesaro, Senior Director of Enterprise Healthcare Consulting at Experian Health, is the Collections Consultant who has been working with Wendi’s team to implement the Collections Optimization Manager. Cari explains how the Collections Optimization bundle delivers the data insights and execution support that Wendi and her team were looking for: “We’re able to extract data from the facility’s accounts receivable file and produce robust analytics and insights. That allows us to screen or scrub out those accounts that we should not be scoring or segmenting. Then, we shift to the customized segmentation which provides the client the ability to better narrow down those accounts that represent the highest potential for payment and match these to their calling capacity in-house.  Customized segmentation also gives the client the ability to keep the best, most collectible accounts in-house longer and give the lower yield accounts to their early out agency sooner. We drive revenue back in the door by focusing on these accounts. Finally, we monitor for new insights into patients’ propensity to pay. And with Collections Optimization Manager, our clients receive consultant support as part of the bundle, who provide best practices, insights and analysis throughout the relationship.” Highly predictive patient segmentation means that Novant Health knows which patients are most able to pay, those eligible for charitable support, and who should be directed to different payment plans. This supports more compassionate financial conversations and communications with patients. It also creates opportunities for personalized recommendations, such as reminding new parents to ensure their child is included on their healthcare insurance. The more transparency, simplicity and compassion that can be built-in, the easier the process will be for patients. For providers like Novant Health, that means fewer bills being written off. Efficient allocation of patient collections staff resources Collections Optimization Manager also allows providers like Novant Health to focus their efforts on the right accounts. It doesn’t make sense for staff to spend valuable time following up with patients who have a low co-pay amount and a high likelihood to pay. Simple automated reminders address that situation. The Novant Health team used automated dialer campaigns to reduce manual outbound calls and allocated limited staff resources to more complex accounts. A split-screen shows staff all the information they need during the call, eliminating the need to log into multiple systems at once. Call recordings stop automatically before the patient shares their credit card information, ensuring PCI compliance without extra steps. Keeping track of collections agency performance – and costs With Collections Optimization Manager, Novant Health can prioritize high propensity-to-pay accounts in-house, which helps to manage agency costs. A customized scorecard and dashboard keep track of agency benchmarks, giving the executive leadership team a real-time snapshot of performance, informing decisions about vendor management. The Compliance Manager function helps Novant Health ensure agency collections have compliance at top of mind and are not solely focused on the highest yield accounts. This function, combined with better segmentation and a higher call connection rate, results in higher recovery rates. With Collections Optimization Manager, Novant Health has seen a 5.8% increase in unit yield year-over-year, and an overall recovery rate of 6.5%. Overall increased revenue and cost savings amount to an impressive rolling average return on investment – 8.5:1. Watch the webinar to find out more about how Novant Health boosted its patient collections recovery rates with an automated healthcare collections platform. Find out more about how Collections Optimization Manager can help your organization use automation and digital tools to create a more efficient patient collections process and a more streamlined patient financial experience.

Experian Health works with many of the largest, most sophisticated collections teams in healthcare that consistently strive for high-performance by innovating and adopting best practices. Our consultants are often asked to define “high-performance”. What separates high-performing collections teams from the rest and how do they impact the bottom line? Being a leader in data and analytics, we used our expertise to conduct an in-depth analysis to answer these questions, quantify the impact of high-performance, and identify best practices common to high-performing collections teams. Here is what we learned: 1. Spend time collecting on the right accounts Many health systems have developed collections workflows by segmenting self-pay accounts into varying buckets depending on the propensity to pay. However, not all segmentation models are created equal and ultimately a model is only as good as the data driving the decisions. Segmentation models are supposed to identify high and low propensity-to-pay accounts so that resources can be focused on collecting from accounts likely to yield revenue, building out custom workflows when possible. In fact, in a head-to-head comparison, a health system using a segmentation model based solely on patient payment history significantly underperformed a health system using a comprehensive, multifaceted segmentation model built using our Collections Optimization Manager. Here are the results: $60,000 in additional revenue generated from accounts in low payment likelihood segments 25% higher recovery rate in highest payment likelihood segments 100 more accounts worked in low payment likelihood segments Multi-faceted segmentation models increase recovery rate an average of 76% for the highest payment likelihood segments Using patient payment history within a single health system forces a decision to be made based on limited information. This leads to more time being spent on accounts that yield little to no revenue. Patient financial situations change rapidly and being able to see additional factors such as credit payment history, household income, and financial stress signals improves the ability to assess propensity-to-pay. This is particularly important for both new patients and those that visit infrequently. Utilizing a comprehensive segmentation model enables collections from the accounts and increases recovery rates for segments with a high propensity-to-pay. 2. Use automated dialing Imagine a world in which every collections call reaches the intended recipient. When comprehensive segmentation models are used in tandem with automated dialing technology, like Experian Health’s PatientDial product, the hypothetical can turn into reality. High-performing teams take output from their comprehensive segmentation models and use it to focus call center activity. The logic is simple; more contact attempts are made to reach accounts likely to pay and fewer attempts are made for low yield segments. For example, if a health system with 100,000 new monthly accounts uses a data-driven call strategy, call volume can be reduced by up to 20,000 calls per month. The highest-performing teams go a step further by pre-loading call lists into agent software and only allowing agents to join calls that successfully connect. This is where the real magic happens – valuable time is saved, and agents actually connect with more patients, ultimately increasing collections success. 3. Monitor agency performance It is no secret that some agencies perform better than others. In fact, even a trusted agency’s performance can vary over time as portfolios are rotated between different collection teams. So, what do high-performing collections teams do to influence consistent agency results? They use robust reporting to monitor and track agency performance over time. This helps direct account allocation decisions in a way that impacts the bottom line. It is Monitoring agency performance gives revenue cycle leaders the information needed to make better portfolio allocation decisions. Another benefit of monitoring agency performance is that agencies perform better just knowing they are being monitored, per an Experian Health analysis of agency performance across similar portfolios. Here are the key metrics: Monitoring agency performance enables better account allocation decisions, pushes agency partners to perform at a higher level, and significantly increases collections. 4. Reduce bad debt through presumptive charity Best-in-class providers automate the financial assistance process for low-income self-pay individuals. This has a significant impact on both patient and provider. Patients no longer receive statements or calls for an outstanding debt that they are unable to pay, and providers are able to save on variable expenses, such as statement and call costs, in addition to staff time spent manually inputting and verifying financial assistance applications. Automating the charity award process enables health systems to reduce bad debt expense, regardless of when awards are granted. In a comparison between health systems using an automated financial assistance process and a similar portfolio of health systems without automated financial assistance, we discovered that automation could reduce bad debt expense by as much as 10-12% on a similar demographic mix of consumers. [1] 5. Identify accounts that require special handling One of the most common mistakes that collections teams make is dedicating time and resources to accounts that are unlikely to yield revenue. Deceased or bankrupt accounts make up anywhere between 1 percent to 2 percent of self-pay portfolios. This means that for a monthly portfolio of 100,000 accounts, collections teams are unnecessarily calling or mailing statements for up to 2,000 accounts that require special handling and might produce no results at all. High-performing collections teams have automated processes in place to identify these accounts and either remove them from the AR file completely or place them with a specialty vendor as soon as possible. High-performing teams also focus on identifying and resolving incorrect patient addresses. Although mailing patient statements is a key part of nearly every collections workflow, undeliverable mail often remains unworked. Since accounts are less likely to yield revenue over time, it is imperative to identify and resolve address discrepancies quickly. Returned mail typically impacts 1 percent to 4 percent of a self-pay portfolio. This means in a situation with 100,000 new accounts each month, an additional $30,000 can be recovered using an automated process to identify and update undeliverable addresses. Interested in learning more? For more information on our healthcare collections products, click here.    [1] Data Study Methodology: In June of 2021, Experian Health performed an analysis on a nationwide sample of health systems to define industry best practices and quantify their impact.

Being able to settle bills anytime, anywhere, is one of the reasons why 110 million Americans switched to “digital-first” payment methods last year. Today’s consumers can pay household bills with their mobile devices while cooking dinner or waiting in the school pick-up line. They can pay for their morning coffee by tapping their phone at the point of sale. Imagine their frustration when paying for healthcare still involves paper bills, multiple phone calls, and limited payment options. But the healthcare industry can make the same “anytime, anywhere” payment promise. Berenice Navarrete, Director of Product Management for Patient Payments at Experian Health, says: “We’ve seen healthcare make great strides in using automation and digital tools for scheduling, registration, and telehealth, fueled in no small part by the pandemic. As consumer payments are constantly evolving, there are huge opportunities for improvements in the patient payment experience too.” “We’ve seen healthcare make great strides in using automation and digital tools for scheduling, registration, and telehealth, fueled in no small part by the pandemic. As consumer payments are constantly evolving, there are huge opportunities for improvements in the patient payment experience too.” -Berenice Navarrete, Director of Product Management for Patient Payments Experian Health’s recent Payments Predictions white paper identifies seven emerging healthcare payment predictions and trends heading into 2022. This blog offers a preview of the top three insights that will be of interest to providers intending to leverage – or considering – digital tools that simplify payments and speed up healthcare collections. Prediction: Patients want fast, secure and smooth payments to match their experience in other industries. According to Experian Health’s State of Patient Access 2.0 survey, providers are feeling more confident about collecting payments from patients now, compared to a year ago. However, the collections landscape is always changing; providers should continue to find ways to match consumer expectations with tailored communications, flexible payment options and automated payment methods. Listen in as Matt Baltzer, Senior Director of Product Management at Experian Health, explains why providers feel more confident about patient collections. He also discusses how automated healthcare solutions can help providers shore up these gains and optimize healthcare collections – especially as consumer behavior returns to pre-pandemic patterns. As cash usage declines, patients are looking for a wider variety of payment options – a trend that’s likely to gather steam as digital payment platforms like Apple Pay and Google Pay continue to gain traction. Providers must keep pace with these advances in consumer payment technology. Utilizing Patient Financial Advisor is one way to give patients the flexible experience they want. This solution sends personalized text messages with links to convenient and contactless ways to pay.  Patients may have different preferences about payment methods, but they all want to feel confident that their payment is secure. With PaymentSafe, healthcare providers can collect any form of payment securely and quickly, regardless of the payment option a patient chooses. Prediction: Patient loyalty will be tied to a convenient and compassionate payment experience. A poor payment experience will leave a bad taste in the patient’s mouth, regardless of how good the rest of their healthcare journey has been. With 70% of consumers saying healthcare is the industry that makes it hardest to pay, any provider that offers a smooth, supportive and transparent payment experience is going to stand out from the competition and foster greater patient loyalty. Comprehensive consumer data can give providers early and accurate insights into a patient’s specific financial situation. This information can help providers direct the patient to the most appropriate financing options. Automation can then be leveraged to send timely reminders of open balances, improve patient engagement and minimize the risk of missed payments. Tools such as Patient Financial Advisor and Patient Payment Estimates can help providers give patients transparency, control and reassurance from the very start of their financial journey, so bills are settled quickly and easily. Prediction: Automation will be used for an increasing number of payment-related tasks. Artificial intelligence and automation aren’t just for cars and the metaverse. Technological advancements are opening up a wide range of benefits to healthcare providers, from faster patient payments to fraud prevention. Automation also enables operational efficiencies in reporting and reconciliation, while protecting and processing unprecedented amounts of patient data. For example, Collections Optimization Manager uses extensive datasets and advanced analytics to segment patient accounts according to each individual’s specific financial situation. Patient satisfaction will improve because patients receive the right support at the right time. Additionally, providers will be able to use monitoring and benchmarking data to spot previously unseen opportunities and further improve collections. Keeping that “anytime, anywhere” promise COVID-19 was a catalyst for the evolution of healthcare payments. Digital payment solutions that give patients easy, convenient, and safe ways to pay not only help meet changing consumer expectations but will also allow providers to boost loyalty and revenue for years to come. Download the white paper to discover a full list of healthcare payment predictions and find out how to create a modern payment experience that meets patient expectations.

A little over a year ago, Experian Health surveyed healthcare providers for a snapshot of their views on the digitalization of patient access, and the importance of healthcare collections. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, patient collections emerged as a top priority, the result of rising unemployment and competing consumer demands that impeded patients’ ability to pay. By June 2021, provider attitudes had changed. Our follow-up State of Patient Access 2.0 survey revealed that patient collections were no longer the number one concern for healthcare providers. Patient perceptions of the billing process have improved too. In our latest Interview with the Expert, Matt Baltzer, Senior Director of Product Management at Experian Health, explains why providers feel more confident about patient collections. He also discusses how automated healthcare solutions can help providers shore up these gains and optimize healthcare collections – especially as consumer behavior returns to pre-pandemic patterns. Watch the interview below:   Why are healthcare collections no longer the number one concern for providers? In the six months between the two surveys, the number of providers saying they were “concerned or very concerned” about collecting payments from patients dropped from 50% to 41%. Baltzer explains that during this time, collection rates were relatively steady (when adjusted for volume), and providers received fewer calls about patient balances. Currently, the bigger concern for both providers and patients is to determine patients’ coverage status quickly and accurately. There are three main reasons for this shift. Firstly, multiple rounds of stimulus payments issued by the government helped consumers pay down their debts, including medical bills. Secondly, the pandemic caused a drop in consumer spending on travel, entertainment and dining out, which meant credit card usage was lower than pre-pandemic levels. Consumers had more cash available to pay healthcare bills. And thirdly, employment rates have started to recover. Around the time of the first survey, providers were faced with a surge in patients who had suddenly lost employer-based coverage, but as unemployment levels improve again, this is less of an issue. Those still affected by job losses have been able to access expanded government support, such as Medicaid. How should providers prepare as consumer spending returns to pre-pandemic levels? As Americans start to return to previous consumer habits and routines, household spending is likely to increase, which could squeeze medical bills again. Baltzer explains that “as we see stimulus programs winding down, and discretionary spending options increase, we can expect to see an increase in the utilization of revolving credit lines. For most consumers, that will mean it’s more difficult to meet unplanned out-of-pocket obligations.” Prior to the pandemic, a survey by the U.S. Federal Reserve found that 40% of Americans struggle to find $400 to pay for an unexpected bill. This means providers may not be able to rely on the steady collection rates seen in recent months. While efforts to improve transparency will help patients prepare for possible financial obligations, many providers are going further, implementing the right data, tools, and strategies to understand and address each consumer’s unique situation, making it as easy as possible for patients to pay. Baltzer says: “Data can help drive attention to the accounts with a higher likelihood to pay. This means you can identify those who just need a little more time to pay, and then help those truly in need of charity support. Things can change quickly, and having fresh, accurate data will be essential. Now is not the time to take our eyes off the ball, as the game may shift quickly.” With access to reliable and comprehensive consumer data and automated patient collections solutions, providers can tailor the patient experience according to individual needs and preferences. They can create a more empathetic financial experience, with upfront pricing estimates, personalized payment plans and flexible payment options. Not only will this be more desirable for patients, but it will also optimize healthcare collections, improve operational efficiency and increase the chances of more bills being settled in full. How can optimizing patient collections offset recent staffing challenges? Staffing shortages remain a growing challenge for healthcare providers. According to Baltzer, technology and automation can help ease the pressure on collections teams. He says, “Automation is key. Providers are being challenged to make the most of limited staff resources, especially for patient collections. It’s important to focus staff attention on the accounts most likely to pay. That means filtering out accounts that might be bankrupt or deceased and using automation for manual tasks – such as checking for charity eligibility or cleaning up patient records. Best-in-class providers are increasingly leveraging automated dialing and texting solutions to communicate with patients and help short-staffed teams focus on the tasks that matter.” Collections Optimization Manager can help organizations deploy a targeted approach to patient collections, using data and analytics to segment, screen and monitor accounts. By optimizing on the back end with user-friendly interfaces and efficient workflows, staff can focus their efforts on the accounts that need the most attention. On the front end, Patient Outreach solutions can help patients take control of their own financial journey with timely bill reminders and self-pay options, and requires minimal staff intervention. Automated text and IVR messages that connect directly to billing software ensure that more accounts are settled without adding to the organization’s headcount. Watch the full conversation, and download the State of Patient Access Survey 2.0, to find out more about how Experian Health can help your organization spot new opportunities to optimize healthcare collections.

COVID-19 transformed the patient journey, and it's clear when we evaluate every step. Data and technology gave patients the convenience, flexibility, and control to get care on their terms, and these changes will be here to stay. From marketing to scheduling to payments and more - providers and payers have ample opportunities to respond to these changes and will need to adapt their future strategies accordingly. Self-scheduling, mobile registrations, and automated authorizations are a few examples of tools and technologies that are more than likely to remain prominent in healthcare. What other changes are here to stay? In this new infographic, we take a dive into each of the 7 steps to see how data and technology has impacted the patient journey, and provide strategic recommendations on how providers and payers can adjust post-pandemic: The use of data and digital tools opened up new doors for greater patient access, engagement, transparency, and control. The post-COVID-19 patient journey is going to continue to evolve - payers and providers will need to adapt to keep up with the changes, to ensure that patients experience the best outcomes. To get a deep dive into all of the changes to the patient journey, download our white paper.

COVID-19 changed every aspect of the patient journey – placing unprecedented demands on the healthcare system and accelerating the need for digital transformation industry-wide. Telehealth, touchless engagement, and self-service scheduling became the new normal; however, this created new stress on operations, administration, and finance. While this new normal comes with many challenges, data and digital tools have created greater accessibility, engagement, transparency, and control for patients and providers. In this blog, we examine COVID-19’s impact on the patient journey and explore the digital tools and data that are helping the healthcare industry recover and thrive. To get more insights, read the full whitepaper here. COVID-19 strained the healthcare system more than ever before. To say that COVID-19 challenged the healthcare system is a massive understatement. Seven in 10 patients deferred or canceled treatments during the pandemic, causing disruptions to both revenue and patient engagement. Even behind the scenes, novel diagnostic codes and new sources of information—together with rising inpatient volume and government intervention—affected costs, billing and reimbursements at scale. Patient-provider relationships became much more complex. Many people moved, changed jobs and changed insurance during the pandemic. In fact, an estimated 40 million Americans lost work during the pandemic and just over half of all workers in North America plan to look for new work in 2021.  As a result, relationships between physicians and patients became disrupted. While re-engagement is critical for providing care, simply finding patients remains a challenge. The digital experience raised patient expectations. As consumers turned to technology to cope with changes, digital engagement increased in healthcare services and elevated consumer expectations. This trend began before the pandemic: A pre-COVID-19 AARP survey of older adults (50+) found that a majority would prefer to have their healthcare needs managed by a mix of medical professionals and technology. During the pandemic, patients used telehealth to access care from home, mobile registrations to avoid filling out paperwork in the waiting room and digital payment options that made paying bills simple and seamless. Now that patients have experienced telemedicine, self-service scheduling and easy digital payments, there is no going back. Expectations have changed permanently, and providers that don’t offer an updated patient experience may suffer by comparison. Opportunities for better outcomes: transforming the patient journey with digital transformation We looked at key parts of the patient journey where technology is helping healthcare providers engage and care for their patients successfully across the marketing, scheduling, registration, authorization, treatment, claims and payment. Here are a few strategic opportunities for providers to consider post-COVID: 1. Use smart data for better outcomes Third-party data is helping providers find and re-engage patients, deliver more holistic care and facilitate better financial outcomes. For example, integrating data on social determinants of health (SDOH), can provide physicians with a more holistic picture of non-medical factors that may influence medical outcomes, such as a patient’s socioeconomic status. SDOH data can also shine a light on a patient’s ability to pay, which in turn may inspire a wider range of payment options so that more patients can afford care, and more providers can avoid write-offs. 2. Continue using technology and automation for the recovery to come Using digital self-service applications for registration does more than just provide the patient-friendly option of completing paperwork at home (instead of the waiting room). It also eliminates the need for staff hours spent inputting information, reduces the potential for error, and improves efficiency. Advances in automation make it possible for providers to reduce the effort of manual tasks - like sorting through patient records from disparate sources to create a single, comprehensive patient file, or gathering the information necessary to revisit claims authorization for deferred care. Across the board, digitalization provides greater transparency, flexibility, and seamless experiences for patients and providers alike. 3. Clear the path for payments Going digital can help patients and providers better navigate the patient journey, especially when it comes to payments. As many as half of nonretired adults expect long-term financial effects as a result of the pandemic. This makes it more imperative than ever to improve and accelerate authorization, claims, and payment processes so that both patients and providers have a clearer understanding of how care will be paid for. Accurate patient estimates, coverage discovery, automated authorizations, and payments all play a role in creating a better financial experience going forward. Digital transformation gains traction as we look to the future Although the digital transformation was already underway before COVID-19, the pandemic has accelerated the need for data, automation, and self-service tools. Find out how Experian Health can help your organization meet the data challenges of the post-COVID-19 patient journey by downloading our white paper.