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A visit to the doctor's office can be a lot.

Whether it's the quest to find medical records, harmonizing family schedules, securing that elusive time slot, or negotiating with a cranky toddler—the temptation to delay or reschedule an appointment can be pretty compelling.

While life's unpredictability can sometimes leave patients feeling overwhelmed, it shouldn't extend to their healthcare management. Resolving communication obstacles and offering patients easy access to their medical information is instrumental in helping them maintain healthy care routines.

Embracing the Digital Era

Part of the problem is that many aspects of healthcare are stuck in brick-and-mortar amid a digital-first consumer revolution.

A recent PwC report titled "The Empowered Consumer" highlights how healthcare consumers are leveraging their newfound access to data to become more informed and active participants in their healthcare decisions.

To meet these evolving patient demands, healthcare providers must find ways to remove barriers to access and adopt emerging technologies.

YourCare Community: Connecting Patients and Providers

To better equip both patients and providers, MEDHOST offers the YourCare Community (YCC), a patient and provider portal. YCC provides a user-friendly platform, accessible 24/7 from desktop and mobile devices, facilitating seamless communication between caregivers and those in need of care.

Beyond granting users greater visibility into critical medical information through an intuitive interface, YourCare Community enables patients to communicate directly with their care team, even if that team spans multiple clinics.

Vendor-Agnostic Connectivity

Another advantage of YourCare Community is its vendor-agnostic approach, enabling various healthcare facilities and hospitals to communicate seamlessly with one another, despite operating on different systems.

For patients, this simplifies doctor referrals and ensures efficient care transitions. Providers benefit from this all-in-one solution as it encourages patients to engage more actively in their care, ultimately leading to higher satisfaction, improved care outcomes, and better retention rates.

Streamlining Healthcare Data Management

YourCare Community also allows patients to connect over 200 personal devices and apps to their dashboard, consolidating their medical and wellness data in one accessible location. Patients can also authorize trusted individuals, such as spouses, parents, or friends, to securely view, download, and transmit their personal health information.

YourCare Community not only empowers patients to manage their healthcare conveniently on their smartphones or computers but also streamlines the day-to-day operations of healthcare providers and administrators.

Join the Healthcare Transformation

To discover more about how YourCare Community can enhance patient engagement within your healthcare organization or hospital, please reach out to us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278.

People tend to get attached to initial impressions and often find it difficult to change their minds, even when presented with incentives or evidence to the contrary.

Consequently, it's important for healthcare providers to be aware of how they come across to patients during an initial meeting and how it can impact patient service revenue.

These instances are an opportunity to deploy patient access services and solutions—reviewing and modifying any irritating parts of the front-end experience and accentuating strengths—to ensure that people leave the hospital with a favorable opinion they'll share with others.

Every part of front-end processes, from scheduling to benefits verification, can be adjusted to generate a better patient encounter, improve patient satisfaction scores, and drum up more business.

How Patient Access Fits into the Revenue Cycle Process

Many people think revenue cycle management (RCM) primarily occurs during hospital back-end operations, but early-stage patient engagement can make or break an organization financially. This is where patients book and register, form their first impression, and witness how others are received and treated by staff.

Training front-end personnel in appropriate data processing and giving them the proper tools to improve the patient experience is essential to creating a positive first impression at your facility.

Beyond the importance of a good experience for patients, the errors occurring on the front end of RCM can easily pop up later when collecting from insurers and patients. From the first interaction, front desk staff should think of how they can best set the hospital and patient up for billing success.

The financial portion of the patient experience begins well before discharge and includes the following:

Patient pre-registration

Favorable impressions rarely start with long stretches in a waiting room.

Patient pre-registration—collecting data such as names and medical histories—can become tedious when manual, on-site processes are the only option. Software that allows for pre-enrolment helps streamline throughput, cut down on clipboard time, and ensures a better user experience.

Having patients fill out paper forms isn't just unpopular and time-consuming, it's a significant driver of denials. According to research by 3M, nearly a quarter of all claims denials are caused by registration errors.

When you consider that over half of denied claims are never revisited, this oversight adds up to a significant amount of lost revenue happening before a patient ever sees the exam room.

Scheduling

Many hospitals still use manual administrative and clinical functions to handle scheduling. This can include paper calendars, whiteboards, or excel spreadsheets. These methods are prone to errors, which can add up on a hospital's balance sheet over time.

For instance, when practice management software that includes alerts and automated reminders isn't part of a facility's scheduling process, it's more likely that patients will miss appointments. While this may seem like a minor issue, one study found that for each no-show or missed appointment, a hospital loses, on average, over $200.

A scheduling platform gives registrars intuitive electronic systems to use, it is easier to train current and future staff on, leadership can set standards, and software providers can receive feedback that drives continuous improvement. Ditching manual processes is also a good way to reduce healthcare worker burnout.

Eligibility and benefits verification

Eligibility and benefits verification is another critical component of revenue cycle management. When this process is standardized and efficient, revenue cycle management staff can quickly verify income, policy coverage, and benefits, helping to prevent fraud, denied claims, and protect vulnerable community members from incurring unnecessary debt.

For instance, registration staff might miss that a patient's insurance doesn't cover experimental procedures or understand that worker's compensation will be used. Without proper authorization from the insurance company, it is likely the hospital will not be reimbursed in these instances

Price Transparency

If the most recent price transparency rules are confusing for medical business offices, imagine how confusing it can be for healthcare consumers.

Accurate price transparency can help circumnavigate many pre-payment issues. This is also another opportunity to let the patient know that prepayment is an important part of the care process, not just a transaction. MEDHOST Price Transparency helps you not only meet regulatory requirements but also helps increase patient satisfaction by helping to eradicate stress and confusion around anticipated costs.

Choosing the Right Revenue Cycle Management Partner

By preventing errors on the front end of the revenue cycle, hospitals are often less likely to encounter issues on the back end.

MEDHOST works alongside providers, enabling them to promote a positive front-end experience through EHR-based software and services that allow providers to meet the technological expectations of patients and move closer to a value-based service model.

By implementing revenue cycle management leading practices and solutions, we can help add accuracy and efficiency to patient intake, billing workflows, and payments while increasing customer satisfaction.

If you would like to improve your revenue cycle today, get in touch with us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278 to learn more.

The rise of the digital patient, and the consumerization of healthcare technology, has ushered in an unprecedented era of new challenges and opportunities for providers.

While the future of the digital patient experience continues to evolve, one thing remains certain: adopting consumer-centric interoperability solutions will be crucial for health systems to maintain operational and financial success in the future.

Implementing a full-featured EHR is the first step in meeting digital-first patient expectations. With the right data in hand, health and wellness consumer engagement software can be used to connect hospitals with patients and communities in multiple ways.

Here's three areas providers can focus on:

Brand Recognition

You may have seen billboards along the interstate emblazoned with giant LED displays of the exact ER wait time at a local hospital. As healthcare markets continue to tighten, data has become more and more important to generating advertising campaigns that can help practices stand out.

The insights provided by an EHR can facilitate the deployment of targeted marketing, which drives business growth while reducing the costs associated with consumer engagement. Paired with suitable applications, this information can also help hospitals get to know their patients better through in-depth reporting.

YourCare Marketing

YourCare Marketing is an out-of-the-box digital marketing solution from MEDHOST that enhances and supports the entire healthcare marketing spectrum. By combining market and business intelligence with the compelling content and tools of the YourCare Everywhere® consumer engagement solution, we deliver both standard and customized campaigns that help support the work you do at the bedside.

Mobile Applications

In the exam room, or on the go, mobile applications let providers optimize workflows and maximize their time. Anywhere-access to patient histories, ePrescriptions, secure messaging, charts, notes and orders puts a global view of rounding workflows in the palm of their hand, creating the freedom to roam.

For patients, mobile applications place relevant content front and center, while wearable technology, such as smart watches, allows them to continuously share health information with their providers and keep track of condition management routines.

In the back office, user-friendly online billing, targeted messaging, and more accurate reporting help speed up the revenue cycle, increase business operations transparency, and create a more value-focused customer experience.

MEDHOST Mobile Solutions

The more mobile our world becomes, the more healthcare tools need to keep pace. MEDHOST provides a suite of mobile apps and online services designed to give physicians back their mobility and provide patients with the convenience they’ve come to expect.

Condition Management

Constant patient involvement is the key to educating populations on important health issues, facilitating ongoing treatment routine compliance, and enhancing the overall patient experience.

Mobility issues and limited access to healthcare professionals have, in the past, made treating chronic disorders cumbersome and ineffective. A digital support community helps to overcome these obstacles by pairing individuals with groups that correspond to their condition and a network of clinical professionals available to guide their care.

YourCare Management

The MEDHOST YourCare Management App’s real-time communication between patients and their clinical team helps to deliver sustained, personalized care for those struggling with chronic conditions. Key features include customizable reminders, access to support groups, continuing education, real-time monitoring, trending charts, and compliance alerts.

Get Connected

MEDHOST has been committed for years to offering healthcare technology solutions that support the clinical, financial, and operational success of healthcare facilities of all shapes and sizes.

Ready to learn more about how MEDHOST supports the digital patient experience?

Contact us at inquiries@medhost.com or dial 1.800.383.6278.

Today, patients are digitally engaged before they ever step foot in a doctor’s office.  

They expect a healthcare experience that provides the same level of convenience as they would get from any other modern, technology-driven industry. 

These growing expectations include access to upfront price estimates, appointment reminders, and pre-registration. After a diagnosis, they want to go online to read about the experiences of others with the same condition or learn about treatment options from a clinical professional. Once care is complete, they look for mobile condition monitoring, eStatements, and the ability to pay online. 

However, the ability to remotely connect with healthcare providers and share experiences is particularly important to our rural and community hospital partners, whose patients often have limited access to a physician. Depending on schedules, health, and transportation, some of these patients could end up waiting a month or more between visits to manage chronic conditions or see a specialist. 

MEDHOST helps navigate these barriers to care through our YourCare Management patient engagement and condition management mobile applications, YourCare Everywhere and Mobility Support Group. Participants in the latter can share goals, struggles, and encouragement, while keeping up with chronic condition routines.   

This article explores how digital support groups can improve self-management in an online environment.  

Community 

Digital condition management, especially through anywhere-access support groups, creates a community that extends beyond the exam room and motivates patients to take an active role in achieving desired health outcomes. 

Within MEDHOST digital support groups, patients have an opportunity to forge an intimate relationship with not just the clinical professional guiding their care, but also with others who share the same condition.  

Chronic Disease Management 

Coordinating the management of chronic diseases has been notoriously difficult for providers and patients.  

For those dealing with chronic conditions, the day-to-day maintenance of a health strategy can become a thankless and repetitive task without access to ongoing support. Recipes, fitness challenges, and social interaction are just a few examples of how mobile condition management tools create a bond that keeps patients engaged.  

Privacy and Security 

While message boards and social media are a great way to connect and share, they’re often open to anyone, exposing those seeking answers to uninformed advice or even ridicule.  

Within our digital support community, MEDHOST pairs individuals with the group that corresponds to their condition and a network of clinical professionals available to answer questions day or night. 

Support groups are invite-only and fully secure to ensure patient privacy.  

To learn more about how MEDHOST digital support groups empower patients to take control of their healthcare journey, please reach out to your Customer Success Executive or email inquiries@medhost.com.   

Chronic conditions are notoriously difficult for providers and patients to manage.

The National Council on Aging reports that 85 percent of older adults have at least one chronic disease and chronic disease management attributes to 95 percent of healthcare costs for older Americans. According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report published by the CDC in 2020, diabetes continues to be a leading cause of death in the United States. And, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) estimates that the total cost of diagnosed diabetes hit $327 billion in 2017. That number is up 26 percent from the last time ADA reported on the cost.

The core challenge for healthcare providers is engaging chronically ill patients in their day-to-day health management to improve care efficiency and contribute to better outcomes.

Why a Mobile Solution Works

As the elderly population grows, managing chronic conditions such as diabetes will be critical to improving patient outcomes and controlling healthcare costs. Healthcare providers must implement strategies and tools to help patients manage their care.

One method to accomplish this is leveraging mobile health technology. Mobile condition management tools fit nicely into the day-to-day of most patients and offer providers more avenues towards engagement.

Market research indicates that mobile technologies will continue to become a prevalent feature of the healthcare landscape. The growth of the mobile healthcare market has even more significant implications for chronic condition monitoring by allowing patients to make condition management a more consistent part of their lives.

Testing the Effectiveness of Mobile Diabetes Management

We had three health coaches and 13 patients, or their caregivers, participate in a program where they collaborated to manage their diabetes together using the YourCare ManagementTM solution. Patients and caregivers also had the opportunity to connect with other diabetes patients through the MEDHOST Mobility Support Group app.

Health coaches assigned tasks and goals to patients through the MEDHOST YourCare Management solution. Patients and caregivers would then log data daily through the MEDHOST Mobility YourCare Everywhere app. The app used notifications to nudge patients when tasks were due, and the dashboard alerted health coaches when readings were outside the normal range. Notifications provided physicians real-time opportunities for interventions, adjustments, and wellness plan support.

Using mobile technologies that enable healthy lifestyles and condition management practices, patients are empowered to take a more active role in their care. Patients and providers can utilize real-time data and communication tools to create a stronger, more functional connection. The top goals being:

Along with providing candid feedback about how the app and program might be improved and expanded upon, such as its potential for managing multiple chronic conditions simultaneously, participants also shed some light on several benefits of the MEDHOST suite of apps:

This program also revealed that the use of newer technology was effective with older generations and younger participants.

To learn more about how the full catalog of MEDHOST mobile and Digital Patient Management solutions can help you elevate the level of care provided at your facility, please reach out to us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278.

The mobile phone has become the preferred way for most consumers to facilitate both personal and business interactions.

As a result, a massive increase in demand for mobile tools in healthcare to match other everyday experiences of both patients and their providers. According to a report from Grand View Research, the global mobile healthcare market, or mHealth, is expected to grow by 17.6 percent from 2021 to 2028.

Most of this growth is predicted to come from consumer mHealth solutions. However, mobile apps that allow physicians and other healthcare professionals to spend less time at workstations, and more time seeing patients, will have incredible value as care delivery creates more digital interactions.

A survey of physicians shows that 80 percent use mobile devices in their day-to-day practice. In another study of 186 physicians, more than half of the respondents agreed that mobile health apps and devices helped promote healthy lifestyles. They also agreed that mobile integrations allowing the user to upload data to an EHR providing updates on patient care would have the most significant value.

Meeting the Needs of Mobile Healthcare Environment

As part of MEDHOST’s mission to provide community hospitals with appropriate healthcare IT tools and resources, MEDHOST developed mobile apps designed for the fast pace of modern care. We recently added a new physician-facing mobile app to our existing suite of mobile solutions.

The catalog of MEDHOST mobile solutions includes MEDHOST Mobility YourCare Everywhere and Support Groups, and most recently, MEDHOST® Mobility Physician.

Constant feedback from end-users working in various healthcare environments shapes each mobile solution’s design and development. Working with a diverse healthcare user group and external experts is crucial to achieving an application’s highest value and usability

MEDHOST Mobility YourCare Everywhere is designed to empower patients with mobile tools to manage their health data. Users have a customizable dashboard as a single hub for connecting, consolidating, and managing health data and CCDs from providers.

To ease the many burdens that come with managing chronic conditions, MEDHOST Mobility Support Groups offers both patients and their caregivers a private, safe, online environment to connect 24/7.  Managed by a hospital specialist, it leverages social interaction between patients with shared conditions. Support Groups also provide regularly updated content with helpful care guidelines and tips.

Other target features of YourCare Everywhere and Support Groups promote improving the patient-physician dynamic. Both mobile solutions support improved continuity of care, benefitting both patients and their providers. An extension of the healthcare experience, the YourCare® suite of mobile resources allows clinicians and healthcare consumers to access healthcare data and information from wherever they may be.

While YourCare Everywhere and Support Groups are focused on the patient experience, MEDHOST Mobility Physician targets physicians and their daily workflows.

This physician-facing app, scheduled to be released by the end of 2021, will offer physicians the flexibility they need to maintain patient care on the go. Core benefits of the platform include features that help ensure providers are receiving the most up-to-date patient data without having to return to a workstation or be present in a healthcare facility to access a patient’s chart.

One of the most powerful features of Mobility Physician will be the ability to communicate securely with colleagues via a HIPAA-secure messaging platform, which can fill current gaps in communication and minimize delays to patient care.

Learn More About MEDHOST Suite of mHealth Solutions

The MEDHOST suite of mobile solutions allows patients to play a more significant role in their care and provides physicians with the capabilities they need to practice with more freedom and mobility. Providing patients with greater access and giving providers the freedom to practice on their terms will strengthen the bridge between healthcare providers and patients and further support the continuity of care.

Want to learn more? Contact MEDHOST by phone at 1-800-383-6278 or by email at inquiries@medhost.com.

Continuity in care ranks amongst the top demands of healthcare consumers according to a survey from McKinsey & Company. Continuity of care is also closely tied to the healthcare experience. When healthcare experiences hold the same value as outcomes, hospitals should begin to examine the technologies linking those aspects of care.

Does your hospital have a mechanism in place that helps diminish gaps between patients, physicians, and providers? Are patients empowered through engagement? Are physicians and providers supported by a seamless flow of accurate health data?

Take a look at how the YourCare® Suite can help hospitals link the various stages of care to improve continuity for both healthcare customers and providers.
Infographic YourCare Improved Patient Experience

Download the MEDHOST EHR Support infographic.

To learn more about the YourCare suite of services, email us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278 to speak with one of our specialists.

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Tedious workflows can stall healthcare delivery, resulting in unnecessary bottlenecks, unhappy patients, and costly errors.

Because both patients and providers deserve more effective and efficient results, hospitals and health systems should consider an improved healthcare IT (HIT) solution.

MEDHOST’s YourCare Continuum™ offers a platform to streamline and simplify the electronic exchange of information between ambulatory clinics and hospitals.


Download the infographic about MEDHOST’s YourCare Continuum.

To learn more about how YourCare Continuum can streamline the workflow in your hospital or healthcare organization, email us at inquiries@medhost.com or call 1.800.383.6278 to speak with one of our specialists.

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Imperfect care coordination can result in barriers along a patient’s healthcare journey, a reality that frustrates patients and providers.

To smooth the patient’s path to receiving efficient and effective care, providers can invest in savvy patient-centric tools to avoid those inevitable roadblocks. Our map below illustrates how YourCare Continuum helps get you to the top of patient care.

 

 

Download the Infographic

To streamline patient care coordination, hospitals and healthcare facilities should implement customer-centric processes that prioritize the patient experience.

Adopting intuitive, simplified solutions that mirror the anatomy of today’s healthcare customer will mean patients get the care they need faster and enjoy a more satisfying experience too.

Learn more about how YourCare ContinuumTM can improve patient care coordination in your facility!