COVID-19 has disrupted industries, and nowhere is it more apparent than in healthcare. Given the urgency of addressing the pandemic – from ensuring new protocols are in place amidst the pandemic, prioritizing capacity and delivering healthcare services in new manners – the concept of the “patient experience” may have been put on the backburner for many in the industry. That is a mistake.
Now, moreso than ever, is the time to put the patient experience front and center. People are re-evaluating how they consume healthcare: asking themselves – is this the safest way for me to handle my medical care? Is it the best way? Can we leverage more virtual and digital solutions for care?
Indeed, a new report found those health systems that evolve to meet patient needs, amidst the pandemic, are best poised to not only retain their current patient base but also increase it. Healthcare providers could potentially increase their revenues by 5% to 10% of their pre-COVID levels within 12 months. For a $5 billion health system, this equals between $250 million and $500 million in additional annual revenues. Think about it – people have put off many non-urgent medical issues that they will eventually need to address. But it doesn’t mean that they will naturally return to their previous healthcare provider.
According to this report, two out of three patients are likely to switch to a new provider if their expectations for how the healthcare provider manages COVID-19 are not met. To avoid losses and position for growth, providers should take the following approach to improve patient experience.
Embrace change
Providers should listen to a patient’s unique concerns to better understand their communities. This allows real-time response to fears and confusion or reinforcement of actionable information. For example, if there is a need for additional counsel—such as symptoms of COVID-19 compared to symptoms of other illnesses—listening will present an opportunity to quickly provide necessary information. Alternatively, if something is not going as planned, community feedback gives healthcare providers an advantage to get ahead of potential problems (and their solutions). Leveraging digital tools to stay connected will not only help healthcare providers during this pandemic crisis, but could be used in a post-COVID world as a way to stay connected.
In no small part to the fact that we live within a decidedly digital society, it only stands to reason that securing personal and private information is now one of the most pertinent concerns. This is also why the European Union created the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protocol to mitigate the chances of private material falling into the wrong hands. Of course, some sectors tend to be more vulnerable than others. One striking example involves the e-health community. This article highlights the steps firms can take to better protect their clients and remain in full compliance with GDPR guidelines.
The Role of ITAD for Health Organizations
First and foremost, the notion of IT Asset Distribution (ITAD) is critical to address before moving on. The main concern involves the fact that important patient information (such as names, email addresses and financial details) may be inadvertently stored within end-of-life devices such as computers and mobile phones. If they are not disposed of properly, there is always a risk that this data can be subsequently accessed by a (potentially nefarious) third party. ITAD provides start-up healthcare organisations with a handful of options including:
Overwriting the existing information.
Magnetically erasing the data; rendering it completely inaccessible.
Physically destroying the device(s) in question.
As these processes are not normally able to be accomplished through the use of in-house techniques, it is better to outsource such solutions to third-party vendors with a proven track record.
A Disturbing Trend Within the Healthcare Sector
Another issue which start-up online healthcare providers must overcome involves online security in relation to current GDRP regulations. This has been highlighted by a handful of stark facts; perhaps the most worrisome is that 66 percent of firms still do not utilise a secure HTTPS server. Not only will this place the data of patients at risk, but it also augments the chances that the website in question could fall victim to hacking and similar activities. Thus, it is crucial that all e-health portals adopt the appropriate SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) systems to avert any possible breaches sooner as opposed to later.
Automation has become increasingly popular in business over the past few years. By automating business processes, you can reduce errors, save time, and save your business a lot of money.
It can seem like a daunting prospect, though. How on earth do you go about automating a complex process? Especially one as complex as a medical claims audit?
By breaking your process down and working with experts in the field, you’ll find that your processes can be automated, and you can start enjoying the benefits.
Work with experts in your field
When looking for your claims audit software, it’s important that you work with a provider who understands your industry and who has worked on automation projects in your industry before.
If your software provider is experienced in your field, they will be able to give you great insight on how to go about the automation process, as well as having experience of where these projects have been successful (or not so successful) for other companies in your industry.
They should also be able to make suggestions on how to improve your business processes, as a lot of automation is around making the processes themselves as streamlined as possible, rather than simply just asking a computer to do the process that is already in place.
By Rachele Elasky, product manager, and Sarah Chien, analytics solutions manager, Carrot Health.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in recent months predicted both lower premiums and richer benefits for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans in 2021. Specifically, CMS anticipated a decrease in average premiums of more than 34% from 2017 levels while plan choice, benefits, and enrollment increased—making the average monthly premium the lowest in 14 years.
But while CMS accurately depicted the indisputable trend of moving toward lower costs and higher value in MA offerings, it did not tell the whole story. To do that, we consolidated and reported on all Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Plan (PDP) benefit data nationwide released by CMS. This provides a much clearer picture on how these trends impact individual members vs. across member populations.
Following are the highlights of that analysis.
More Plans Offered Than Ever Before
There will be a 13% increase over 2020 in the number of MA plans available nationwide for individual enrollment in 2021. At 3,545, this is the most plans ever offered and includes 665 new plans—a nearly 4% increase from the 642 new plans offered in 2020.
While MA enrollment is rapidly increasing, the competition is growing even faster. In 2021, there will be 21.5 MA plans in the country for every 100,000 beneficiaries. That compares to 16.8 plans per 100,000 in 2018, which is an increase of more than 53% in just four years.
This growth is not uniform across the country, however. Densely populated markets in the Northeast such as metropolitan geographies typically have the most plans to choose from although enrollment growth rates have been higher in more rural areas of the country in recent years.
New Plans, More Value
New MA plans being introduced into the market for 2021 generally offer more value than existing plans through lower premiums and richer benefits. Among new plans, premiums are one-fifth of those for existing plans ($9 vs. $42), anticipated out-of-pocket costs are lower, and nearly every supplement benefit is offered at a higher rate.
It’s no secret that healthcare businesses face some unique challenges, especially in this unstable economy. And with so many regulations and rules on the books, it can be challenging to make changes that result in long-term success. That’s why these five proven tips can help you make big changes that can have a real impact:
Form a strong base on social media
We often feel that Facebook, YouTube, etc. These social sites are just for the youths, and that nothing significant can occur here. But let me tell you are gone are the days when these statements were considered trustworthy, how nearly everybody is socially very successfully promoting their businesses. Social media has a great reach and network.
You can share any sensitive information about any patients online. But you can use it carefully and follow it up on Facebook or any other platform. You can also write a blog about common health issues and tips to cure them so that more and more people come to know about you. This way, you can uplift the graph of your patients. Continue Reading
There are many things you must consider first. First and foremost, what is your major? Some people go with a Bachelor’s in healthcare, while others prefer to take classes towards a Master’s in healthcare. If you choose a Bachelor’s in healthcare, you may want to take classes such as psychology, human services, and nutrition. These courses can help you get into med school and keep you on top of your career. These programs may not have much practical experience in any specific field. Still, they do provide ample classroom instruction and can make you valuable to med school.
Before pursuing your medical career, there are certain factors you must keep in mind. These factors are going to help you make the right choice for you.
Every business today knows the usefulness of having an active online presence to reach out to people. Marketing your practice or hospital means learning some complex terms and jargons in order to increase your search engine ranking. Healthcare marketing will help to position your business as the right choice for your target audience. One of the first steps in boosting your website is optimizing an SEO agency for your healthcare website.
Search engine optimization(SEO) means optimizing your website for the top search engines like Google and Bing. If you’re a dentist, you want the term “dentist near me” to bring your name up first. SEO is a compelling marketing tactic that can bring more qualified clients and patients to your medical practice. Most SEO agencies, like https://linkflow.ai/, can assist in giving your site the right exposure so that you can reach out to more people and gain conversions.
There are a lot of organizations offering SEO services to their clients based on their requirement. If you are new to the online realm and looking for a good web host provider. Websites like MangoMatter UK can help you pick the best web host provider according to your needs. Here are a few advantages that can be obtained by contracting the service of an SEO company or agency:
(6 Benefits of Hiring an SEO Expert in Healthcare Marketing, Credit: Pexel)
Increased visibility
The primary reason a practice or hospital would use targeted healthcare SEO is to boost your website ranking on search engines. When potential clients or visitors search a particular keyword in search engines, if your website appears on top. You are likely to drive more traffic to your site and gain possible conversions. Searchers trust Google because it is the world’s leading search engine. And as a byproduct of that, they trust your practice when it appears at the top.
Telehealth is the delivery of health education, health information services, and healthcare services using remote technologies like telecommunication and digital communication. It has long been around in the healthcare industry.
However, previously providers hesitated in embracing the potential of it because of the low revenue and costly infrastructure needed to set it up. Nonetheless, the COVID-19 pandemic completely transformed that scenario. Caregivers were compelled to adopt telehealth technologies for their own safety and follow social distancing norms.
Since the pandemic, telehealth services have gained tremendous momentum, particularly for the following reasons:
Virtual visits are safe because they lower the risk of spreading the virus.
Telehealth enables those who are vulnerable to the virus (elderly citizens and those with a compromised immune system) to continue receiving medical services safely without physical visits.
Medicare allows payments for telehealth services during COVID-19 for beneficiaries even if they are at their homes.
However, one must not confuse telehealth with a phone consultation. Telehealth is different as it incorporates many facilities for better delivery of healthcare to patients remotely, like,
Visualization of the patients to assess whether ill enough to need face-to-face and determine the best place for care.
Visualization of reports such as X-ray reports, blood sugar, blood glucose levels, and more.
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