Patient Portal Applications to Enhance Profitability Paul C. Seel MD, M.B.A [email protected] Vice...
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Transcript of Patient Portal Applications to Enhance Profitability Paul C. Seel MD, M.B.A [email protected] Vice...
Patient Portal Patient Portal Applications to Enhance Applications to Enhance
ProfitabilityProfitability
Paul C. Seel MD, M.B.APaul C. Seel MD, [email protected]@sophrona.com
Vice President and Medical DirectorVice President and Medical DirectorSophrona Solutions www.sophrona.comSophrona Solutions www.sophrona.com
April 3-7 2009April 3-7 2009San FranciscoSan Francisco
The author has a financial interest in Sophrona SolutionsThe author has a financial interest in Sophrona Solutions
PatientAcquisition
Pat
ient
Reg
istr
atio
n
A Patient Portal Can Impact All Stages A Patient Portal Can Impact All Stages of the Patient Business Cycleof the Patient Business Cycle
The patient accesses the patient portal from the practices web site.
Patients Want the Convenience of Electronic Patients Want the Convenience of Electronic Access to Their Physician’s Offices……Access to Their Physician’s Offices……
Practices Can Improve Profitability Practices Can Improve Profitability
Patients bank, trade stocks, book Patients bank, trade stocks, book complex travel arrangements and complex travel arrangements and even order pizza on-line 24/7/365 even order pizza on-line 24/7/365
1 1 74% of patients desire the 74% of patients desire the ability to communicate with their ability to communicate with their physicians via some sort of e-mailphysicians via some sort of e-mail
11 Only 8% of patients report Only 8% of patients report such accesssuch access
1http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters/wsjhealthnews/
WSJOnline_HI_Health-CarePoll2006vol5_iss16.pdf
Internet
Practice
Management
EMR
Systems
Office Reports
Link the Patient to the Front and Back Office Functions Enable Patient Self-Service and Data Entry
·Registration
·Appointments
·Bill pay
·Patient surveys
·Secure messaging
·Contact lens orderPatient
OfficeStaff
Improve the Value Proposition for the PM and EMR
Cost Efficient, Two-way Practice-Patient Cost Efficient, Two-way Practice-Patient Communication Conducted Over the Communication Conducted Over the
InternetInternet
Enables patient self service, reducing transaction and data entry costs Reduces practice phone calls Gathers valuable patient data e.g. interest in refractory surgery Secure, asynchronous communicationHIPAA secure
Patient Acquisition—Appointment Patient Acquisition—Appointment SchedulingScheduling
Allow patients to book appointments when it is Allow patients to book appointments when it is convenient for themconvenient for them
Reduce patient acquisition costsReduce patient acquisition costs• Low cost web marketingLow cost web marketing• Systematically survey patients for refractive surgery Systematically survey patients for refractive surgery
interest prior to appointments interest prior to appointments • Increased word of mouth traffic from satisfied patientsIncreased word of mouth traffic from satisfied patients
Increase web site “stickiness”: link practice web Increase web site “stickiness”: link practice web site to front office functionalitysite to front office functionality• Start a meaningful interaction with the initialStart a meaningful interaction with the initial click for on-click for on-
line appointment schedulingline appointment scheduling
Patient RegistrationPatient Registration New Patients can complete registration on-line New Patients can complete registration on-line
Patients enter all their demographic, insurance and past Patients enter all their demographic, insurance and past medical historymedical history
Collect patient desires and preferences prior to the Collect patient desires and preferences prior to the appointments to direct future marketing effortsappointments to direct future marketing efforts
Avoid missed refractive surgery leadsAvoid missed refractive surgery leads Act on this information prior to the visit—increase Act on this information prior to the visit—increase
conversionconversion Less errors with patient entered data—avoid rebilling Less errors with patient entered data—avoid rebilling
delaysdelays Improved patient flow, less time wasted, more Improved patient flow, less time wasted, more
thoughtful responsesthoughtful responses Decrease no-shows with skin in the gameDecrease no-shows with skin in the game
Patient Care: Lower Costs and Increased Patient Care: Lower Costs and Increased Access With Secure MessagingAccess With Secure Messaging
Secure messagingSecure messaging Substitute for a face-to-face visit and get Substitute for a face-to-face visit and get
reimbursed for simple problems as an eVisitreimbursed for simple problems as an eVisit Asynchronous communication more efficient Asynchronous communication more efficient
than telephonicthan telephonic Efficient communication for routine issuesEfficient communication for routine issues
Med clarifications, Med clarifications, Side effectsSide effects RefillsRefills
Billing office questions answered without Billing office questions answered without phone tagphone tag
On-Line Bill PaymentOn-Line Bill Payment
Verify patient’s insurance prior to Verify patient’s insurance prior to their appointments, increase their appointments, increase collections for high deductible plans collections for high deductible plans at point of serviceat point of service
Speed collections, reduce A/R with Speed collections, reduce A/R with credit card paymentscredit card payments
Offer convenience to patients Offer convenience to patients
Contact Lens OrderingContact Lens Ordering
Offer patients convenience to order Offer patients convenience to order contact lenses on-linecontact lenses on-line
Reduce defections to 1-800 Reduce defections to 1-800 contacts.com with a convenient contacts.com with a convenient alternativealternative
Link ordering to suppliers to reduce Link ordering to suppliers to reduce inventory costsinventory costs
Decrease staff telephone timeDecrease staff telephone time
Gather Patients’ Information Prior Gather Patients’ Information Prior to Their Appointmentsto Their Appointments
Gather information in the pre-registration Gather information in the pre-registration survey on patient desires and preferencessurvey on patient desires and preferences Interest in refractive surgeryInterest in refractive surgery Candidates for premium IOL’sCandidates for premium IOL’s Optical needsOptical needs
Develop visit plans with targeted interest Develop visit plans with targeted interest specific informationspecific information
Customize the visit of a patient with an Customize the visit of a patient with an interest in refractive surgeryinterest in refractive surgery
Increase Conversion
Summary Summary Patient portals decrease transaction costs Patient portals decrease transaction costs
and/or increase revenue for each phase of and/or increase revenue for each phase of the cycle.the cycle.
Data entry is the Achilles Heel of electronic Data entry is the Achilles Heel of electronic health data systems—off load a significant health data systems—off load a significant portion of data entry to the patients. They portion of data entry to the patients. They do a better job than your staff and do a better job than your staff and appreciate the convenience appreciate the convenience
Generate actionable data—systematically Generate actionable data—systematically gather patient preferences for premium gather patient preferences for premium goods and services for future marketing goods and services for future marketing activitiesactivities
Maximize word of mouth referrals—Maximize word of mouth referrals—satisfied patients are a great resourcesatisfied patients are a great resource