Consumers should and expect a pleasant, predictable sign-up experience. As hospital leaders, we must meet or exceed these expectations to maintain a competitive advantage.
A few years ago, we found that we needed to make some adjustments in this area. At the time, our facility was providing quality patient care. But lack of communication leads to unnecessary and frustrating wait times and uncertainty for our patients.
We address this by piloting automated in-house data sharing and communication solutions that we have deployed into many of our large facilities.
Outdated processes limit success
Prior to implementation, to track average wait times, we used a manual and outdated process that relied on Excel spreadsheets with complex formulas. Limitations of our old process included manual entry of patient check-in and check-out times and goal tracking. This results in frequent errors and data that we can’t trust, inefficient patient handoffs that lead to patient frustration and the inability to track POS collections.
From Pilot to Standard Practice
Once we identified what we needed to change and what was needed to improve the patient experience, our team quickly adopted a patient tracking system. Automation solutions provide:
- Patient follow-up
- Provides real-time patient status alerts for patients and approved caregivers at registration, related service areas and beyond
- Coordinate patient tracking across departments
- Patient status integrated with waiting room monitor
- Seamless coordination and communication between every patient contact
- Employees are alerted via text or email when wait time thresholds are exceeded
Within 60 days, we rectified everything, tracking who was in the lobby and how long they waited, so we could quickly get them to their appointments or explain any delays before getting frustrated. With real-time tracking, we create a personal and rewarding experience for our patients and increase overall satisfaction. Because the software also provides historical reporting, it is valuable for evaluating the performance of patient access teams and helping determine ideal staffing levels.
Consumers don’t see how real-time patient tracking can help departments communicate better, but it has a huge impact on their experience.
Patient and User Loyalty
The service line chooses whether to use the platform or not, which is a real confirmation of its usefulness. Doctors love it, and it’s a big win, and our consumers have noticed. Long-term patients who previously felt internally disconnected now receive detailed information on their care process, including wait times from check-in to discharge. Increased consumer loyalty is a vital long-term benefit because when patients need care, we want them to think of us first.
Equally important, POS collections have improved significantly, as payments are often influenced by the patient experience. We found that patients with a good experience were more likely to make an upfront payment than patients with a poor experience. We get impressive internal efficiency. Patient flow and tracking tools help predict patient numbers, so we can schedule everything from breaks to required staff levels for certain times of the day or week.
Our gains in efficiency and patient experience more than offset the cost of adopting the technology during the initial 60-day implementation window, which is one of the reasons we scaled it system-wide so quickly. If you’re not automating patient processes and tracking, it’s time to start.
Photo: designer491, Getty Images
