In today's healthcare environment, automating certain patient phone communications makes more sense than ever.
Although patients increasingly want 24/7 convenience, many still prefer to interact with providers and health systems via telephone.
Becker's Hospital Review recently spoke with two experts from RevSpring about how using an interactive voice response (IVR) system designed for the healthcare environment can differentiate the patient experience, while offsetting personnel pressures and reducing costs:
- Kristen Jacobsen, vice president of marketing and OmniChannel engagement
- Jordan Kordosky, senior product manager, OmniChannel
Automating payment-related calls frees time for staff, lowers the cost to collect and improves security
Given the current war for talent, employee retention is a top priority in healthcare. Handling payment-related calls with an automated phone solution like an IVR frees staff to attend to more complex patient communications that require human interactions. "By automating inbound pay-by-phone calls, we've seen reductions of 20 to 30 percent in the call volume handled by employees," Mr. Kordosky said.
In addition to improving working conditions for employees, providers find that automating pay-by- phone calls delivers financial and compliance-related benefits. Leveraging an IVR solution reduces the cost to collect. RevSpring has found that inbound phone or self-service payment solutions cost 80 percent less per minute than a full-time employee.
Automation also drives more patient payments. "We've seen inbound success rates that exceed 70 percent," Mr. Kordosky said. "By combining an automated inbound solution with outbound payment reminders about overdue balances, and by using both phone calls and text messaging, RevSpring increases yield for customers by as much as one to two percent over their existing collection rate. That is a really large number for some organizations."
Self-service IVR solutions like RevSpring are secure and compliant with HIPAA and PCI requirements. "Technology removes calls from PCI scope for providers," Ms. Jacobsen said. "If a patient prefers to speak to an agent, however, we can make that call secure by combining the one-to-one human interaction with technology. It doesn't have to be an 'either/or' situation."
Self-service IVR solutions enhance the patient experience
Patients lead busy lives. IVR systems allow them to pay their bills by phone around the clock, providing ease of access. "Patients are all unique," Mr. Kordosky said. "Some like to pay online, while others prefer to pay by phone. The more channels and options you provide for patients, the more it improves their experience."
Prioritizing channels can also enhance the patient experience by increasing convenience. "Rather than giving patients every possible option for interacting with their healthcare provider, we can leverage analytics under the hood and identify which channel is right for each individual and prioritize that one over the others," Ms. Jacobsen said. "By really understanding patients and knowing when to use a phone call, we help drive results."
Not all automated phone solutions are created equal
Organizations that work with an IVR solution that is optimized for healthcare tend to see higher patient payment rates, as well as more streamlined back-end integration. "Many EHRs allow for third-party integrations with IVR systems," Mr. Kordosky said. "That workflow automation can happen in real time, and it really reduces the employee workload. Unfortunately, many of the general telephony companies out there don't offer those integrations. That means staff members must manually submit files and create the back-and-forth workflow."
The complexities inherent in healthcare data can often only be understood by a healthcare insider. About two years ago, RevSpring analyzed 30 clients that had migrated from a general telephony system to RevSpring's IVR solution. "Across all 30 of those organizations, we saw an average increase in conversions of 10 percent," Mr. Kordosky said. "Let's say that 100 calls came in from patients wanting to pay their bill. With the old phone system, 50 resulted in a payment. Once the organizations converted to RevSpring, 60 of those calls ended in a patient payment. That's a huge benefit for providers."
Automating payments is just the beginning
While health systems focus heavily on automation of bill payment by phone, IVR solutions can help with many other automation opportunities. "From an outbound perspective, we've seen organizations automate insurance and address updates, notifications about Medicare enrollment and even self-service surveys," Mr. Kordosky said. "Automating tasks beyond payments is one more way providers can reduce the burden on staff."
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