If it feels like your healthcare practice is having to do more with less, you’re not alone. Office staff are overwhelmed and struggling to provide compassionate, patient-centered care.
Throughout the healthcare industry, practices are finding that technology is the answer to their staff shortages. Well-designed and well-placed automation technology solutions can eliminate manual processes and free up valuable time each day. Solutions that can help make every day easier include:
- Customized messages for more convenient patient communications
- Digital patient registration for more efficient onboarding
- Touch-free payment options for more streamlined payment workflows
Digital patient payments have other benefits as well. They allow healthcare practices to:
- Eliminate financial stress for patients by offering affordable and convenient ways to pay
- Provide patients the care they need, when they need it
- Receive payments faster and reduce bad debt through frictionless payment technology
These additional benefits can ease the stress of staffing shortages and allow the practice to work effectively under difficult circumstances.
Avoiding Technology Transition Issues
Transitioning to new technology can be scary and with good reason. A failed transition is not only a waste of money but can also be a blow to staff morale and patient satisfaction. Choosing the right technology is essential. Your transition starts with an experienced customer support team.
Customer support helps you realize the human side of technology. The team’s job is to:
- Help you choose solutions that match your operations and patient population
- Ensure the transition to new technology is streamlined and successful
- Stand by for any questions and problems after implementation
Here are six qualities to look for in your technology company’s customer support team that will help ensure success as you adopt healthcare software solutions.
#1. Customer support managers know the costs of maintaining the status quo
Your customer support manager should help you understand the risk of not implementing new technology. For example, on average, a patient’s statement cost is $9 per paper statement. When patients don’t pay their bills, your practice’s cash flow decreases.
Customer support managers help clients leverage solutions that eliminate time-consuming manual processes and reduce patient debt. These solutions include:
- Text-to-Pay which allows staff to send a bill with the touch of a button and patients to pay directly from their phone
- Card on File technology that stores credit card information securely for use on any outstanding balances
- Care Now, Pay LaterSM (CNPL®) financing that offers peace of mind to patients who can access care when they need it with no risk to the provider
#2. Customer support managers understand the patient journey
One problem facing all healthcare practices is collecting patient payments. In a report published in 2021, researchers estimated that medical debt in the U.S. totaled over $140 billion and nearly 20% of people had medical debt in collections.
This translates to 1 in 5 people who need help paying their healthcare bills at the practice level. Practices must give patients options and meet them where they are, financially.
Your customer support representatives should help analyze your patient payment challenges across the patient journey and identify and prioritize appropriate solutions.
#3. Customer support managers know what patients want
At one time, healthcare practices could survive with manual patient payment processes. But the COVID-19 pandemic changed that. Today, patients want the same frictionless experience they get with other online transactions.
Younger patients are especially tech-savvy. Not only do they consider paper bills antiquated, but they’re also unlikely to enter their credit card information on a statement and send it back. Some patients may even look around for another practice to give them the technology they expect. A survey by PYMNTS and Rectangle Health revealed that 35% of respondents under age 50 are willing to switch providers for access to digital healthcare management options.
Customer success managers must work with clients to ensure they are implementing the right technology that meets the needs of the patient demographic they serve daily.
#4. Customer support managers listen to practices’ most pressing concerns
Customer support managers are skilled at solving business problems. The top concerns for healthcare practice managers range from staffing and revenue to safety and patient satisfaction. Your customer support manager should listen to your concerns and help you leverage technology in new and innovative ways.
For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, safety was top of mind for healthcare practices. Many practices implemented touchless processes to add a layer of safety to their business operations. These solutions also increase payment collections, save staff time, and improve patient satisfaction.
#5. Customer support managers know how to overcome resistance to change
Resistance to change is a powerful force that prevents many practices from implementing technology that could help them thrive. But implementation shouldn’t be painful. Your customer support manager should:
- Create a seamless transition plan that minimizes stress and downtime
- Interface with the product team, so you have one main point of contact
With these two simple solutions, your practice can smoothly transition into using more technology with little to no resistance.
#6. Customer support managers listen to what clients want, informing future product development
You know your practice best and you have an idea for a technological solution that could help make your workflows more efficient.
A forward-looking technology company knows that input from clients helps enhance software solutions. Indeed, when companies partner with clients and embrace feedback, the speed of technology integration increases.
Case study: Implementing Text-to-Pay
In a recent episode of DentalCast Productions’ “Live with John” podcast series, Rectangle Health’s Senior Director of Customer Success, Sam Anderson, describes how his team helped a client implement a text-to-pay solution to increase post-adjudicated patient collections.
According to Anderson, 98% of all text messages that are received by patients are opened and seen within roughly 90 seconds.
“They initially started by saying if a patient owes for a post-adjudicated patient balance, we’re going to send them a message,” Anderson says. “And slowly but surely, they saw the number of payments for post-adjudicated balances start to swing upwards. This solution helped the client meet their patients’ needs and get paid more efficiently.”
With the help and guidance of their customer support manager, the client also implemented text technology in the pre-care stage. They rolled out text-to-pay so patients could remit payment from a mobile phone for copays and unpaid balances before their visit.
Implement Technology the Right Way with Rectangle Health
Rectangle Health is a leader in patient payment solutions. Our state-of-the-art platform, Practice Management Bridge®, brings modernization and simplification to your patient communication and payment operations.
With contactless payments, Text-to-Pay, online payments, and Card on File, your patients have the payment options they want while eliminating the need for checks and paper statements. Other features, such as digital registration forms, custom text messages, and automated payment posting, streamline workflows and create an effortless user experience for both staff and patients. Our software is equipped with the most advanced security to ensure compliance with today’s complex health and financial rules.
At Rectangle Health, we understand the human element of technology and that your needs extend beyond software. Our customer success team has helped thousands of customers adopt innovative technology solutions and is committed to ensuring you have a best-in-class experience.
Resources
- PYMNTS, Rectangle Health. (2021, January). The Healthcare Payment Experience Report. PYMNTS, Rectangle Health. Retrieved July 18, 2021, from https://www.pymnts.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/PYMNTS-The-Healthcare-Payment-Experience-Report-January-2021.pdf.
- DentalCast Productions. “Live with John” Episode 4 – Focusing on more compassion in care. DentalCast Productions. Retrieved July 18, 2021, from https://soundcloud.com/rectangle-health/dentalcast-productions-live-with-john-episode-4-focusing-on-more-compassion-in-care-1.
