Q. What drew you to your current role at Meduit?
A. During my interview process, I got excited about the prospect of working with people who I felt could really take this company to the next level. In previous positions, my role focused a lot on fixing things that were off or broken. Here, I got the sense they were almost looking to break things so they could make them better. There was a definite spirit of innovation. And that’s how it’s been in my four-plus years here; people are always looking for a better way. I throw an idea out there and get six in return.
Q. And how does that innovative spirit influence Meduit’s Early Out program?
A. Boiled down, we are trying to communicate with customers as quickly and consistently as possible. With multiple call center locations, both domestic and international, and over 500 employees, we are constantly adapting to develop and implement best practices. So, we’re always examining how to best utilize our voice analytics platform, for example, or enhance our electronic communications around texting, email, and voice engagements. We’re getting new accounts all the time, and it’s always about protecting the brands that are putting their trust in our people and technology.
Q. What is your definition of “brand protection?”
A. We are the hospitals and practices we serve. We’re protecting their brand on every call we take and every interaction with a patient. We are interchangeable with our clients, and we need to represent them as well or even better than their own employees in order to follow through on delivering a tier-one level of service.
Q. That would seem to put a lot on the shoulders of Meduit’s own employees.
A. Absolutely. Our Early Out employees are well-trained and compensated. And I think we find the right people, which is key. The employees I work with are excited about coming in day in and day out to do their jobs and help people. The truth is, if you’re not excited about it, you do something else. I’ve been in call centers for 30 years, and helping people on the customer service side is still where I get the most gratification. I think that’s something all our employees share.
Q. How do you balance the need to collect with maintaining a positive patient experience?
A. That’s a legitimate challenge. I think initially we were a little too focused on the customer service side—we were so concerned with resolving patient calls that we didn’t emphasize the collections piece enough. But we’ve found a good center. Now, we guide the process more, and with the right technology and people in place, we don’t lose anything from the service side, and we can still collect effectively.
Q. When it comes to technology, there is a growing emphasis on offering multiple communication channels to match patient preferences. How does Meduit address this?
A. We work every day to find the best communication platform to reach a consumer, whether that’s an email, a text, a call, or a chat. We know if we connect with customers in the ways they prefer, they’ll communicate with us more freely. In terms of who gets what type of communication, we rely on several resources to determine that, including automated survey questions, data analytics, and sometimes we just ask during the course of a call. We record and analyze every call, so if a patient mentions a preference, we need to be able to pull that data and pivot quickly so we can provide them with that kind of service moving forward.
Q. What does the future hold for Early Out at Meduit?
A. I think AI and analytics will be guiding us. Because we have so much data and can analyze it so quickly, I think we will be at the forefront of the industry in terms of being nimble and changing directions to meet patient needs and capture revenue. I believe we’ll be able to spread our insights around and keep all our clients informed of what’s happening with Early Out almost as it happens.
Jason Bauerschmidt is a seasoned customer service and call-center professional with nearly 30 years of experience. He enjoys the challenge of making a complex industry easier for his employees and community. In his free time, Jason is an avid golfer, a burgeoning traveler with his wife, and a dedicated advocate for senior dog rescue.