Most clinicians report administrative tasks, such as patient billing and collections, affect the amount of time they can spend with patients, according to a new study.
The study, conducted by HIMSS in partnership with digital health and technology startup company Ooda Health, is based on responses from provider and payer surveys. The provider survey featured 39 respondents from U.S. hospitals and health systems, working in health information management, revenue cycle, reimbursement, managed care or finance functions. The payer survey featured 27 respondents from health insurers, payers and health plan administrators.
Five survey findings:
1. Most payers (63 percent) said the No. 1 consumer insight they want is how the complexity of a health plan influences patient comprehension and subsequent use.
2. The survey showed payers' assumptions on how much patients cost share varied. Thirty-seven percent of payers said they assume patients pay 0 percent of total cost sharing, while 30 percent said they assume patients pay 100 percent.
3. Eighty-five percent of payers said member satisfaction plays a "significant" or "moderate" role in the benefit design process.
4. Sixty-seven percent of providers said they use patient collections to justify rate increases in payer negotiations.
5. Sixty-five percent of clinicians said they are distracted "frequently" or "occasionally" by clerical/financial tasks, such as patient billing and collections, that limit time with or take time away from patients.
Read more about the study here.
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