A visit to the doctor can be stressful for a patient. Whether that stress stems from fear of a serious diagnosis or “white coat syndrome,” the patient experience can be negatively impacted simply because a visit is necessary. Adding to that stress is the fact that for some people, health issues could also cause financial stress.
One step to help ease this stress is to give your patients a seamless and simple online experience, which will help with the overall patient experience. At Zotec Partners, we give providers the tools and action steps to enhance the online patient experience through their own websites and patient portals.
By incorporating online tools into patient engagement programs, healthcare providers can improve patient understanding and satisfaction while reducing overall costs. This is good both for patients and for providers.
In turn, by designing patient experiences that are interactive, engaging, and informative, healthcare providers can create an atmosphere of trust and rapport that will encourage patients to take an active role in their own care. When that atmosphere is also conveyed through an online portal that is both convenient and transparent, your patients’ overall experience will be positive, resulting in higher satisfaction.
Patient engagement improves the quality-of-care patients receive and contributes to lower overall costs. Research, including a study by experts at the University of Pennsylvania and a report from Brookings, has shown that when patients are more engaged in their care, the cost of care decreases. In fact, one study found that improving patient engagement results in financial and non-financial benefits for healthcare organizations.
Online patient engagement can be improved by making the process more seamless. By integrating different online services, patients can have a more intuitive experience. This can make it easier for them to answer their questions and access the necessary information. Patients with a good online experience are more likely to follow through with treatment and seek further care if needed. Thus, improving patient engagement through online integration can lead to better patient and provider outcomes.
Beyond the care itself, providers should make sure they incorporate billing transparency and convenience. Too often, patients don’t follow through with care because of concerns about how much a procedure will cost. Or they may be concerned that there will be surprise charges after the fact. It’s imperative that financial concerns are addressed and that patients have access to all of their financial information.
At its core, the health care system exchanges information and services among individuals and institutions. Improved online integration can also help improve patient engagement through other means, such as mobile app development or embedding digital health tools within existing websites. By equipping patients with convenient access not only to their health data but also to financial information from any device or location, providers can help improve the overall patient experience. Online Patient Bill Care™ improves the overall patient experience because it puts your patients at the center of their healthcare financial experience, offering live customer service, mobile convenience, scheduling, up-front cost estimations, billing information, easy payment options, and more.
At Zotec Partners, your patients are our priority. That’s why we’ve developed materials for you to share with your patients before, during, and after a procedure or office visit. Intended to put patients at ease, these tools will prepare them for what to expect after a medical interaction. Payment methods, common billing questions, and Zotec contact information will be provided so patients can feel empowered during their experience.
As health care providers, you are responsible for ensuring that you give the best possible service to your patients. One way to do this is by integrating a streamlined online presence with quality patient engagement efforts. Then you can provide a more holistic experience for your patients and help them feel like they are part of their care. With better online integration, you can create a stronger relationship with your patients and improve their overall satisfaction with their clinical experience, and we can do the same with the financial experience.
