Are self-service patient billing solutions the answer to maximizing revenue? Self-service vendors advertise that they are, but the reality is much different. Meduit's case study An Examination of Self-service Patient Billing Solutions takes a look at a 600+ bed health center with 26 locations across 25 counties in the Southwest to find out.
Switching to Digital Self-service Solutions
The health center contracted with Meduit for extended business office services, including early-out and self-pay accounts. Health center leadership made the decision to move to a digital approach for accounts at 1 – 90 days and contracted with a digital-only vendor, retaining Meduit to make outbound patient calls for accounts at 90 – 120 days. Leadership initially thought digital services would be more convenient for their patients and reduce costs.
The Numbers
While 45% of patients appreciate the convenience of self-service online payment technologies, 55% of patients want and need a live person to help them understand the details of their bill and how to pay that bill. The reality is that self-service-only patient payment solutions have no impact on increasing collections.
In the case study, less than a year after implementing dedicated digital communications, the health system ended their contract with the digital-only vendor. Meduit continued to deploy full-service solutions that supported human contact with patients to help them understand and pay their bills.
Learn more about best practices for maximizing patient financial satisfaction and patient payments in the case study, which you can download here:
