Tag: identity management

Healthcare revenue cycle challenges are growing more complex. Learn the top RCM issues and strategies to improve cash flow, reduce denials and boost efficiency.

It's time for healthcare providers to rethink patient access with patient-friendly digital solutions. Read the blog post to learn how.

Solving the patient identity problem and ensuring that each patient record is accurate and airtight is a top priority. Healthcare providers want to be 100% confident in answering “yes” to the following questions: Is the patient who they say they are? Is the right medication being administered to the right person? Is the correct bill being sent to the patient’s current address? By validating patient identities, providers can secure patient trust, deliver high-quality care, and avoid losing revenue to identity errors and fraud. Unfortunately, patient identity management is only becoming more complex. While telehealth and remote patient access are opening healthcare’s digital front door to meet changing consumer needs and expectations, a mountain of sensitive patient data is piling up. This data is a gold mine for fraudsters who steal and sell patients’ personal information or use it to access services and prescriptions without paying. It’s distressing for patients and creates a major financial and administrative burden for healthcare staff. A nationwide patient identification system may still be some way off. However, providers can optimize patient matching in their own health systems by working to reduce vulnerabilities and adopting cutting-edge interoperable patient matching technology. Better patient matching means better patient care and protected profits The human cost of incorrect, incomplete or outdated patient medical records is significant. Patients could be given the wrong medication or diagnostic procedures. Allergy information can be missed. Patient test results can be mislabeled or mixed up. In Experian Health’s State of Patient Access 2.0 survey, almost half of providers said inaccurate and incomplete patient data was an obstacle to proactive follow-up, which could cause gaps in care and avoidable complications – which are critical to value-based care compensation. Duplicate and mismatched patient records also create massive inefficiencies that can threaten an organization’s financial health too. With telehealth claim lines climbing by 2817% between December 2019 and December 2020, reliably authenticating patient identities in both existing and new services will be critical to future financial performance. Resolve, protect and enrich patient identities with universal identifiers Having the right technology to resolve and secure a patient’s information when they log on to patient portals and telehealth systems is the first step. Automating patient enrollment with Experian Health’s PreciseID® ensures the patient is who they say they are. This solution utilizes best practices in identity-proofing, fraud management and device recognition. But this system only works if the records being matched are accurate. A universal patient identifier provides a single, accurate, 360° view of each patient throughout their healthcare journey. An interoperable format allows systems to talk to each other and protects against duplicates, errors, inefficiencies and fraudulent activity. Universal identifiers aren’t available nationwide yet, though there has been some encouraging movement. Congress is working to remove the ban on funding for such measures, while the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are taking steps to promote data standardization. For health systems that want to maintain a golden record for each patient within the bounds of their own operations, Experian Health’s Universal Patient Identifier allows staff to connect, verify and protect patient information. Choosing the right patient matching technology Traditional matching technology relies on demographic data and uses deterministic or probabilistic methods to link records with identical identification information. However, relying on a single source of data means that previous errors are inherited by new versions of a patient’s record. Demographic data isn’t unique to individual patients, which can lead to mismatched records and create extra manual work to fix. Experian Health uses referential matching technology to build a complete view of patients from reliable health, credit, and consumer data sources. The universal patient identifier connects disparate datasets and instantly updates the master index of patient records with new data points. Referential matching can only ever be as good as the data that is being matched and Experian is a global leader in data accuracy, across numerous sources, and is continually updated. Victoria Dames, VP of Product Management at Experian Health, says, "With Experian’s reference data, we’re able to create a longitudinal record of each individual and reconcile their data as they change names, addresses and see different providers. You need to know that it’s the same person, especially with the pandemic acting as a catalyst for digital technologies such as telehealth. It also helps organizations bring data together and ensure data integrity through mergers and acquisitions. Dealing with large volumes of data is a big hill to climb, but with the right technologies it can be that much faster.” As telehealth and digital patient access services gain traction, solving the patient identity problem becomes increasingly urgent. Universal Identity Manager combines industry-leading consumer demographic information with the highest quality reference data and powerful unique patient identifiers to create a single view of each patient. With better patient identity management, providers can protect against errors and fraud, and reassure patients that their personal information is safe. Find out more about Experian Health’s identity management solutions.

Patient identity management remains a major challenge for healthcare providers. Learn how to unlock the power of data to deliver better care.

As patient expectations shift, providers that offer a personalized healthcare marketing experience will be more likely to attract and retain satisfied consumers. The pandemic accelerated this shift. As a result, the traditional ways of healthcare marketing are starting to fall short. For example: A healthcare marketing strategy that’s designed for an “average consumer” results in a one-size-fits-all model that doesn’t always meet a patient’s individual needs. Communication options with fixed hours and channels don’t reflect “patient first.” Outreach messages blasted to an entire patient email list miss the mark for individuals who don’t speak the language or might prefer a quick text message instead. A study by Dassault Systèmes and CITE Research found that 83% of consumers expect products and services to be personalized within moments or hours. They’re accustomed to the “one-click” digital retail experience, which offers instant access to relevant recommendations and flexibility about how and when to buy. They’re also suffering from information overload, thanks to the sheer volume of emails, messages, articles and videos flooding their digital devices. Personalized communications can remedy that and help consumers feel respected and empowered, which drives connection and loyalty. But personalization isn’t just important for patient outreach. Personalized healthcare marketing can also help ensure patients get the treatment they need, by anticipating individual needs and highlighting relevant services at the right time. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to influence access to care, personalized healthcare communications can also be tailored for different patient segments. This can help reassure or remind individuals to book vaccination appointments or reschedule deferred care. Improve patient engagement with personalized outreach As digital offerings grow, consumer engagement expectations evolve. Providers must keep pace and communicate accordingly. Incorporating information about patients’ lifestyles, behaviors and preferences enables providers to deliver the right message at the right time. It also helps providers select and use the most effective channel of communication. Patients are more likely to respond and are empowered to manage their healthcare journey. For example, a Gen Z patient may prefer to receive appointment reminders by text, while an older patient may prefer a physical letter. One patient may prefer to get prescriptions mailed to their home while they’re at work, while another may be content to visit a pharmacy and pick up their medication while shopping nearby. Some patients will want a text message with a payment link to clear outstanding bills immediately, while others will appreciate a customized payment plan. Experian Health’s State of Patient Access survey 2.0 found that patients welcome proactive outreach by providers, though many say this doesn’t happen. Providers recognize the value in proactive patient engagement, but many say they lack the data to reach out effectively. With reliable consumer data and analytics, providers can create holistic profiles and deliver improved marketing to better serve new and existing patients. ConsumerViewSM pools data points on core demographics, behavioral insights, psychographic information and financial data to help providers understand their patients. This data can then be analyzed using Mosaic® USA and TrueTouchSM to segment, identify and reach the target audience with the most relevant message and format, and adapt based on consumer response. ConsumerView also adheres to consumer data privacy regulations, so providers can actively engage patients and build patient loyalty while confident in the knowledge that they have permission to use the data. Reduce readmissions and improve patient outcomes with better segmentation Personalized healthcare marketing isn’t just about messaging and channels. Providers that have a holistic picture of a patient’s lifestyle, life events, geographic changes and socio-economic challenges will be in a stronger position to anticipate their evolving wants and needs. For example, social determinants of health (SDOH) data can tell providers which patients may need extra assistance when visiting a doctor’s office, so that appropriate measures can be put in place. They might help identify patients with potential comorbidities that warrant proactive reminders about preventive check-ups. Similarly, providers can segment patients according to their financial situation. This can help with creating custom payment plans and sending timely payment reminders through targeted communications channels. Effective post-admission engagement can also help patients access the support needed to adhere to care plans, thus minimizing the risk of readmission and reducing unnecessary costs. A McKinsey & Co study found that around a third of patients with unplanned, high-cost follow-up care reported reasons that were considered avoidable, such as receiving unclear post-discharge instructions. Boost retention and recruitment with patient-centric and personalized healthcare marketing As rising medical costs and pandemic-related lifestyle shifts prompt more patients to shop around for care, providers must take action to create a healthcare experience that’s truly patient-centric. With data-driven healthcare marketing tools, providers can differentiate their services from other health systems vying for the same market. Find out how Experian Health can help your organization use consumer insights to build a patient-focused, personalized health marketing strategy to attract and retain satisfied consumers.

Take a look at at four opportunities that healthcare marketers and patient outreach teams can incorporate into their post-pandemic playbook.

The pandemic opened the door to a whole new set of identity management challenges. How can providers solve for data standardization challenges?

Learn how ACS worked with Experian Health and our Universal Identity Manager (UIM) platform to deliver the Experian Single Best Record (ESBR).

As Spotify and Amazon can attest, digital technology plus personalization is a winning formula. Consumers want anytime-anywhere access to the services and products they enjoy, without having to sift through irrelevant information. They want tailored recommendations that will make their life easier. More than eight in ten consumers say they’re more likely to choose businesses that treat them like a person instead of just a number. The pay-off for business—and health plans—is huge: by paving the way for better services, better relationships and a better consumer experience, personalization boosts profits, too. There’s one challenge: delivering personalization requires data. Health plans that want to offer a member-centric experience need the right insights to build a complete picture of what individual members need and want. Yet many health plans are forced to work from stale or incomplete data, notably when CMS hands over a new list of members or a new employer signs on to the plan. A system like that makes it nearly impossible to provide meaningful personalization, and consequently, the member experience suffers. With originally sourced data and consumer insights, health plans can fill in the missing links in member profiles and maximize opportunities to improve the consumer experience. Here, we look at how three specific data-driven strategies could help your health plan attract and retain satisfied members and demonstrate digital excellence by using personalization to drive improvements in communications and care. Personalize member communications for maximum engagement By looking beyond simple demographic data and clinical information, health plans can discover what really matters to members. Consumer data provides detailed insights about the kind of content that will resonate most with the member’s lifestyle, interests and health circumstances. Health plans can tailor their marketing messages accordingly, by highlighting articles about the treatment of relevant medical conditions or sending reminders ahead of annual check-ups.Health plans can also discover when and how to communicate with members so they’re most likely to respond. When member profiles reveal who prefers an email or a text and when, health plans can elicit higher levels of engagement, improve the consumer experience and see better results from targeted outreach campaigns. Make improvement decisions based on the most relevant data Consumer insights can also be used to develop improvement plans that zero in on exactly what members need for the best possible health outcomes. Combining insights on patient behavior patterns with an understanding of the challenges facing individual members means health plans can segment members, so the right support goes to the right place.For example, efforts to drive up medication adherence are going to be far more successful if based off accurate and current member profiles. Specific members can be sent automated, personalized reminders to fill out prescriptions in good time before they run out. Compare that to a “spray and pray” awareness campaign using generic messages that are likely to be ignored. Data-led improvement strategies are operationally efficient and create a better experience for members. Help members overcome social barriers to health Finally, when member profiles include a snapshot of how social and economic factors influence their ability to access healthcare, health plans can take action to offer support. Closing the gaps in care that arise when a patient fails to turn up to their appointment or ends up being readmitted to hospital, can often involve quite simple solutions. If data suggests the member has small children, but there’s no other adult in the household, it makes sense to cross-promote childcare services. Similarly, if the member isn’t known to own a car, a health plan could offer information on free transportation.Understanding these social determinants of health can help health plans offer proactive support so members enjoy better health outcomes in the long run. Experian Health’s rich datasets give health plans access to member-level insights on more than 330 million consumers, with data analysis and automation tools to help make business decisions based on the most relevant, current data. Contact us to find out how we can help provide the personalized experience members are looking for.