Patients are more likely to be satisfied with their care experience and more involved in their health when professionals are empathetic, said Casey Williams, vice president of patient engagement for RevSpring, a revenue cycle management company.
"Within hospitals and healthcare systems, RCM teams can make a big impact when they provide compassionate patient care — from an appointment reminder to a billing communication. These touch points are critical to engaging patients in their healthcare and can even lead to cost savings for healthcare systems as patients take a more active role in preventive healthcare," he said.
"Exposing the team to specific patient experiences can help them understand the patient perspective as well as their role in the patient experience. Show your staff how they can add more empathy and compassion into their patient conversations for the best results," Mr. Williams added.
Mr. Williams also said healthcare organizations can use integrated payment communication platforms to make discussions about payment with patients easier.
If you would like to share your RCM best practices, please email Kelly Gooch at kgooch@beckershealthcare.com to be featured in the "RCM tip of the day" series.
More articles on healthcare finance:
Children’s Hospital Colorado Health System posts $91.4M profit in first three months of year
RCM tip of the day: Combine clinical, outcomes data with financial data
HHS exceeded authority in cutting hospitals' drug payments, court rules