It has been a few months since that whole world is facing the COVID-19 crisis. Kudos to health care providers, they are the one who battling the pandemic at the forefront. The outbreak of COVID-19 has triggered an extraordinary healthcare crisis, occupied with tragic deaths, and heavy workload on the medical workforce. However, the experienced primary care physicians are viewing the transformation in the patient experience, which will reformulate healthcare in the years to come. The COVID-19 conducted a tough financial exam to physician practices, driving them to restructure the methodologies for offering care. Whether it is a lockdown or cancellation of the elective process, the pandemic has taught us multiple life lessons.
According to the recent study by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), most of the practices, which are about 97% have experienced negative financial impact directly or indirectly owing to COVID-19. Moreover, since the starting of the COVID-19 crisis 55% decline in the revenue and 60% reduction in patient volume, practices reported. The addition of telehealth considered a remarkable development in the portfolio of healthcare technology that permits physicians to take care of their patients without transmitting the virus.
Let us jump on to the different transformed care aspects that changed the patient experience:
Virtual Consultation
With negligible face-to-face visits, strict social-distancing norms, and unavailability of the COVID-19 vaccine, providers are taking advantage of the digital tool named as ‘Telehealth’. The introduction of this digital tool permitted providers to continue to connect and see patients via virtual consultation. Researchers anticipated telehealth to increase around 65% during this year. Patients also welcomed the virtual care experience. Some of the digital patient engagement tools like telehealth and others are experiencing the growth in virtual medical appointments for the coronavirus as well as non-coronavirus issues.
Such kinds of care offering shifts coupled with ease in rules and regulations for telehealth utilization and increased compensation policies have transformed the patient experience. Moreover, this expected to witness growth in virtual medical appointments as well as the financial performance of providers in the upcoming years. This also, expanding patient access to virtual consultation and offering a proper solution for preventive and chronic care management in order to enhance patient performance.
The pandemic is educating us about patient experience
Acceptance of telehealth for COVID-19 has altogether changed the patients’ experience as well as expectations. According to the latest data by Beryl Institute, though, patients’ access to primary health care is less because of COVID-19; patients’ satisfaction with the quality of care is high. Both physicians and their patients are adapting to the new normal, the number of practices is questioning whether it is attainable to mitigate the pain of COVID-19 crisis.
Here are some of the lessons that COVID-19 is educating us about the patient experience that can endure a long time beyond this pandemic:
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Simplify the process
A digital tool like telehealth is necessary, however, it should be easy to use and implement. Patient portals are accessible for most of the patients but very few utilize them. The long installation process and slow running of application do not match consumers’ expectations of seamless and instant communication.
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Amalgamating with changing environment
There should be some sort of similarity between traditional and virtual workflow without the stress of duplicated forms and long waits. As far as telehealth workflow is concerned, it is in line with conventional clinical workflows, from the visit of a doctor to the waiting room to intake to payment. Moreover, one of the major advantages of telehealth, it offers a more comfortable and natural experience that patients expect at the same time allowing clinical staff and physicians to work effectively and efficiently.
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Keep it crisps
Post lockdown, practices expected to provide traditional as well as virtual appointments. Digital check-in platforms, with their capability to grab upstream data can remove the stress of waiting rooms with their extra waiting times and restricted appointment schedule. Removing wait times enhances patient satisfaction as well as trust in your organization, in addition to the advantage of growing practice productivity.
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Keeping your patients at the forefront
Digital tools including telehealth, wearable devices, digital check-in, online scheduling, text messaging, and others help stay patients associated and engaged with your organization. Furthermore, coordination between patients and your offered services should create a seamless experience for patients.
We are here to help you to create the best patient experience. Apart from this, we have the expertise to handle your medical billing and coding responsibilities. Feel free to reach us to get a holistic approach to our wide array of medical billing services.
