Over the past decade, contactless care has become increasingly prominent in healthcare. While it might have sounded futuristic a decade or so ago, it’s an important component of healthcare consumerism. With the COVID-19 pandemic accelerating adoption of contactless technology in most consumer-facing industries, prospective patients are increasingly expecting to access and manage their healthcare through more convenient, contactless means.

What exactly is contactless care? Basically, it describes a patient experience delivered in a way that avoids unnecessary person-to-person contact. This type of care leverages digital technologies and tools to offer healthcare and health-related services for everything from appointment scheduling and contactless patient intake to virtual consult and online payment. 

Today’s patients expect a seamless experience, similar to that offered in industries such as retail and hospitality. They want healthcare services that are not only convenient but also enable them to connect with providers on their terms. 

Contactless care isn’t only a bonus for a lot of individuals — it’s a requirement. Many consumers are looking for expanded digital capabilities that enable them to complete more tasks online, at their convenience, with over 85% of consumers interested in making payments, completing pre-visit forms, providing insurance, and even alerting the front desk that they’ve arrived for a visit via digital means.

Many healthcare providers realize the benefits of contactless care, too. Roughly 93% of physicians believe these tools provide an advantage in their ability to care for their patients.

Promoting Patient and Staff Satisfaction

Contactless care offers many more benefits than just convenience. Along with meeting consumer demand for ease, access, transparency, and speed, it aids in mitigating crowded waiting rooms, high-touch areas, wait times, and unnecessary travel. 

Contactless care can even help improve health outcomes by delivering safe, timely, and consistent care that’s accessible and affordable. By putting patients at the center, it often drives higher levels of engagement and satisfaction. Additional advantages of contactless care include:

• Fewer medical errors
• Augmented patient safety
• Improved patient-provider communication
• Increased HIPAA compliance
• Enhanced provider and staff productivity and satisfaction
• Fewer repetitive administrative tasks
• Enhanced patient loyalty and retention

How to Provide a Contactless Patient Care Journey

Patients should be able to experience a contactless patient journey, from pre-visit registration all the way to post-appointment payment. Medical groups utilizing the technology to produce this, however, are best served with tools that enable them to increase workflow efficiencies while meeting patient needs. 

The most popular digital health tools for contactless care are those that automate tasks before, during, and after a patient’s appointment. More patient control means less work for medical group staff. Prime examples of these tools are those used for appointment scheduling, check-in, and payment.

Online Patient Scheduling

Patient registration and appointment scheduling are the first and most important steps in a patient’s healthcare journey. A majority of patients prefer to have the resources available to schedule appointments, register, and check-in in a contactless manner through their smartphone, computer, or other mobile device.  

Approximately 40% of consumers now prefer to book appointments online. And, about 70% of patients are more likely to choose a medical group that allows them to book, change, and cancel appointments online. 

Why has the use of online scheduling grown so quickly? Only half of patients who call for an appointment are able to book an appointment over the phone on the first try. Scheduling via phone is also inefficient, taking eight minutes on average versus one minute online. 

Manually contacting patients to remind them of an upcoming appointment is certainly time-consuming. It also does little to minimize no-shows and cancellations or aid providers in improving the accuracy of their schedules.

Contactless Patient Intake

The manual check-in process isn’t only inconvenient, but it also leads to poor time management that results in longer wait times. Medical groups that offer digital check-in tools eliminate the need for physical patient intake tasks and minimize contact with individuals who are ill. 

During the contactless patient intake process, patients can update demographic information, verify their insurance information and medical history, acknowledge and sign consent forms, and complete questionnaires. Other benefits of using digital patient intake platforms are:

• Improved patient satisfaction and engagement
• Shorter wait times
• Mitigation of medical errors
• Alleviated administrative burden
• Enhanced coordination of care
• Improved HIPAA compliance
• Curtailed operational costs
• More reliable revenue 

Additionally, digital check-in technologies that integrate with electronic health records and practice management systems, increase front office bandwidth by automatically capturing patient information and populating it in real-time.

Digital Payment

Offering contactless technologies that enable patients to view and pay their bills digitally—including online, email, and text options—helps consumers feel in control over their finances and creates a better experience. In fact, 96% of consumers consider some sort of cost information when selecting a new provider or service, underscoring the value they place on transparent pricing. Maybe that’s why 78% of consumers want the COVID-19 pandemic’s prevalent contactless payment options to remain in place. 

Contactless payment options do more than keep a medical group’s front desk area cleaner for both patients and staff, they also increase front office employees’ efficiency and productivity. They also are safer than manual payment methods because they rely on credit cards with chips or mobile wallets. 

Kryuus Health offers end-to-end patient access and engagement solutions that enable patients to easily find and schedule care, complete pre-visit tasks, and meaningfully engage with their providers .Request information or schedule a meeting with our team to learn more!

In today’s fast-paced healthcare industry, optimizing the efficiency of front office operations is crucial for delivering exceptional patient care. From managing patient interactions to handling administrative tasks, front office staff play a pivotal role in patients’ satisfaction. Their care experience, when put into practice well, can help improve patient satisfaction for their organization.

Good customer service isn’t just for restaurants, retail, and banks. Consumers of healthcare are more selective than ever when it comes to who is providing their care. With the rapid emergence of healthcare consumerism, spurred in large part due to contactless care precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, patients aren’t stuck with a provider with whom they’re not satisfied.

Creating a Positive Experience to Improve Patient Satisfaction

A patient’s visit with their provider begins and ends at the front desk. This interaction can set the tone for the entire patient journey. It’s often an organization’s first chance to make a good—or bad—impression. 

Sounds easy enough, right? Make sure your front office staff is friendly and helpful to patients. Along with a high quality of care from the physician, your practice can improve patient satisfaction. 

There is a problem with this scenario. Unfortunately, it doesn’t take into account all the other tasks for which your front office staff is responsible. Along with patient registration and insurance verification, these team members typically have additional responsibilities. They must schedule appointments, answer phones, maintain records and accounts, retrieve patient records, collect payments, handle referrals, and much more.

Friendly and efficient frontend operations can increase practice revenue and also improve satisfaction for both providers and their staff. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of four ways to enhance the productivity of your front office staff.

1. Conduct Regular Staff Training

Your front office staff can’t stick to best practices if they’re not aware of them. That’s why you should regularly train them on the steps, policies, and protocols used to run your practice. Ensure that they don’t have to rely on guesswork. Clearly define each staff member’s responsibilities, and provide them with the tools necessary to fulfill them. Some organizations utilize a daily checklist. 

One of the most important aspects of proper staff training is the relevance of software and systems. While this includes electronic health records (EHR), it’s any software or systems that the frontend uses in their duties. By providing comprehensive training, healthcare organizations can help their staff become proficient in using these tools and technologies, which can lead to increased efficiency and accuracy.

2. Offer Patient Self-Scheduling

As we discussed in a recent blog, patient self-scheduling offers myriad advantages for healthcare providers, including labor savings, cost reduction, increased patient satisfaction and engagement, improved care management and adherence, and more. It allows front office staff to focus on other high-value activities, helps the practice fill same-day appointments, and prevents overbooking by providing a clear view of available time slots. 

In addition to promoting a positive patient experience by offering convenient 24/7 access to available appointments, patient self-scheduling can reduce the call volume for front office staff. One study found that front office staff spend an average of 8 minutes on the phone with each patient who calls in looking to schedule an appointment. When this is the only method available to patients who are looking to schedule, the phone lines can quickly become overwhelming.

3. Utilize Appointment Reminders

Manually contacting patients to remind them of an upcoming appointment is certainly time-consuming. It also isn’t an easily scalable process and does little to minimize no-shows and cancellations. 

Automated appointment reminders enable providers to communicate with patients using their preferred method, whether that’s a text message, email, or phone call. It can prompt patients to reschedule using a digital health tool instead of just missing their appointment, saving time for both the patient and your front office staff. Plus, your team members can use that extra time to engage with patients in-office.

4. Implement Digital Patient Check-In

Automating administrative intake processes with digital patient check-in lowers the burden on your front office staff. How?  It puts documentation in your patients’ hands, thereby streamlining workflows, saving hundreds of staff hours, and reducing data entry errors. Patients can use a personal smartphone or tablet to verify their insurance, sign consent forms and authorization releases, verify or update clinical information, and more, all of which update in real-time with the patient’s electronic health record. No more manual data entry from a clipboard into the EHR for staff. 

For those patients who may not complete this information before their visit, consider going a step further and providing QR codes in the office waiting room, so that patients can still complete all of their pre-visit forms without causing overcrowding and long wait times at the front desk.

Enabling patients to use digital patient check-in not only decreases wait times, which tends to improve patient satisfaction, it also helps clinicians prepare for a visit sooner, so appointments can be more efficient.

Each of these best practices also aids your front office staff in reducing duplicative processes, mitigating healthcare waste, automating repetitive tasks, and organizing patient data for easier access. They also help to improve the efficiency of your team members without the need for additional staff. Such benefits are especially crucial as the healthcare labor shortage continues.

Schedule a meeting with one of our team members to learn more about how you can increase the productivity of your front office staff and improve patient satisfaction overall!

BOSTON, MA – JULY 16, 2024 – XO Health, an innovative health care services organization designed by and for self-insured employers, has announced a strategic partnership with Kyruus Health, the leading care access platform, to enhance its digital member experience. This collaboration aims to create a more unified healthcare journey for all stakeholders, including members, providers, and payers, with an anticipated go-live date of January 2025.

“Kyruus Health’s advanced technology will empower XO Health’s members by providing clear, accessible information about their healthcare options and costs,” Rick Schneider, SVP, Digital Product, Intelligence and Engineering at XO Health said. “This transparency is crucial in helping our members make informed decisions and ultimately achieve better health outcomes.”

XO Health’s unique business model, which emphasizes next generation alternative payment models, requires flexible support. By integrating Kyruus Connect for Payers, XO Health will offer a seamless digital experience that includes provider search, cost transparency, quality scores, primary care selection, augmented provider data, appointment scheduling, and telehealth integration.

“The Kyruus Health solutions will complement our omnichannel approach to curated and guided care making the member experience more seamless, personalized, and supportive. Our goal is to ensure that all members receive the right care, via the right channel, at the right time and right price,” Howard Kraft, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at XO Health, highlighted. “This integration will significantly enhance our efficiency and service quality.”

This partnership between Kyruus Health and XO Health will provide needed support for companies to comply with cost transparency mandates, maintaining the companies’ accountability and building trust from their employees.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with XO Health, a health plan at the forefront of healthcare innovation,” Peter Boumenot, Chief Product Officer at Kyruus Health said. “Our shared vision of connecting people to the right care will drive member engagement, support informed care decisions, enhance overall transparency, and help XO Health grow their membership.”

Learn more about how Kyruus Health enables over 100 health plan brands to deliver unparalleled member experiences to 150 million members.

Sara Heath

Tech Target Patient Engagement

Patient and family advisory councils (PFACs) aren’t just a hospital mainstay anymore, as health IT vendors host them to gain user insights.

Patient and family advisory councils are starting to find new homes in unexpected places: health IT companies.

PFACs are historically common fixtures in hospitals and health systems. But as the industry continues to embrace a consumer-obsessed approach to patient engagement, that mindset is translating from care sites to the vendors that supply them.

The patient voice isn’t just important for shaping care management; it’s also important for designing the tools that assist with that care management.

Healthcare’s digital transformation means there’s a growing suite of tools, such as patient portals or online provider search and appointment scheduling systems, that directly serve patients. Getting patients’ user intel about how these systems work can give designers the insights necessary to make improvements.

While health IT companies might conduct extensive user testing and focus grouping, adding PFACs is new territory for most developers. How are health IT vendors approaching this new world of patient feedback?

Continue reading the full story here on Patient Engagement.

The 2024 AHIP Conference brought together health insurance thought leaders from across the nation. Discussions at AHIP ranged from the latest trends and challenges to innovations impacting healthcare. Covering a wide array of themes, the sessions offered insights into topics including data management, regulatory compliance, member engagement, care management, and the latest in artificial intelligence (AI). The Kyruus Health team enjoyed attending various insightful sessions and hosting an event to connect with industry peers.

The Kyruus Health team hosted an event following the first day of sessions.

Five Key Takeaways from the 2024 AHIP Conference in Las Vegas

1. Embracing Regulatory Changes as Opportunities for Innovation

One of the major themes of the conference was the evolving regulatory landscape and how organizations can adapt to it. In the session Regulatory Upheaval: Managing the Pace of Change, a panel of experts from L.A. Care Health Plan and Deloitte & Touche LLP emphasized the importance of integrating compliance into strategic planning. 

They highlighted that regulatory requirements should not be seen merely as checklists but as opportunities for organizational growth and innovation. Leveraging adaptable and scalable technology, while ensuring a strong foundation in data governance, was also stressed. The panel also noted the potential benefits of viewing compliance through a positive lens, sharing that regulatory requirements can support business strategies of delivering value.

These themes align closely with insights from Kyruus Health’s 2024 Benchmark Report for Health Plans, which found that despite greater access to transparency tools following Transparency-in-Coverage mandates, both awareness and utilization of those tools have decreased. Health plans must go beyond checking the compliance box to ensure their digital tools are in fact enhancing the member experience. 

2. Prioritizing Mental Health and Health Equity in Employee Benefits

Speakers from Providence Health Plan, Voya Financial, Mercer, and Salt & Straw Ice Cream discuss key trends, challenges, and innovations in employee health benefits.

The importance of mental health and health equity emerged as crucial topics throughout the conference, including in the session Industry Trends and Insights: The Employee Health Benefits That Matter Most. The panel, including speakers from Providence Health Plan, Voya Financial, Mercer, and Salt & Straw Ice Cream, discussed key trends, challenges, and innovations in employee health benefits.The focus was on understanding the evolving needs of employees, especially in the context of mental health and health equity, and how employers can adapt to provide better, more inclusive benefits. 

The speakers discussed the growing demand for mental health services among employees and the necessity for employers to offer comprehensive mental health coverage, including virtual care options. Addressing health equity by ensuring benefits cater to the diverse needs of the workforce through data-driven interventions was highlighted as well. “Employees are more likely to stay with an employer if they feel like the mental health resources offered are robust,” stated Carole Mendoza, Vice President of Benefits at Voya Financial, pointing to the direct link between employee well-being and retention. 

To explore more ways to engage employer groups and their employee members, watch a recording of the webinar Mastering Digital Transformation: Strategies to Optimize Digital Tools for Employer Groups.

3. Enhancing Member Engagement and Retention

Another area that was explored extensively throughout the conference was strategies for member engagement and retention, including in the session Reimagining Touch Points for Engagement and Retention. Speakers from GuideWell, CDPHP, and Chief Customer shared insights on integrating consumer feedback from various touchpoints such as community interactions, provider feedback, and social media. Camille Harrison, Chief Innovation and Experience Officer at Guidewell, emphasized this point by stating, “Every time that we have an opportunity to hear feedback, we’re collecting that and we’re also looking at how our vendors interact with our customers.”

They emphasized the importance of using technology and data analytics to anticipate member needs and create personalized experiences, aligning with recent findings that members want more personalized cost estimates to help them make informed care decisions, but only 32 percent strongly agree that their health plan can provide accurate information about expected costs. Proactive problem-solving and maintaining trust through transparent communication were also key points discussed. 

“Every time that we have an opportunity to hear feedback, we’re collecting that and we’re also looking at how our vendors interact with our customers.” – Camille Harrison, Chief Innovation and Experience Officer at Guidewell

4. Understanding and Incorporating Patient Preferences

 Speakers from Patient Advocate Foundation and UCare discuss the importance of understanding patient preferences to improve healthcare delivery.

Members, especially younger generations, wish their health plan provided more detailed provider profiles, including photos, videos, and care philosophy. This theme was highlighted in the session Patient Preferences When Selecting Providers to Inform Networks and Directories, which underscored the importance of understanding patient preferences to improve healthcare delivery. Kathleen Gallagher of Patient Advocate Foundation and Pleasant Radford, Jr. of UCare discussed how patient preferences for providers who share their background can inform network directories and enhance provider training. 

They emphasized the need for healthcare providers to be trained in cultural competency and empathy to ensure better patient experiences. Kathleen Gallagher pointed out, “Addressing factors that influence patient care perspectives and experience is necessary to ensure an equitable healthcare experience,” stressing the significance of aligning healthcare services with patient expectations. 

The speakers also shared that experience and sensitivity are top of the list when members search for care, and that they prefer to go online to a health insurance provider directory to be able to see those pieces of information. By partnering with Kyruus Health, Pleasant Radford shared that their members will soon be able to see “race, ethnicity, preferred languages, cultural competencies, the types of courses that they’re taking and how they’re moving the needle of their cultural competence.”

5. Advancing Value-Based Specialty Care

The integration of value-based care (VBC) into specialty care was a critical topic at the conference. In the session Driving Progress in Value-Based Specialty Care, speakers from Independence Blue Cross, Capital Blue Cross, and Thyme Care discussed the necessity of shared accountability and provider engagement to control healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes. 

They highlighted the unique challenges and opportunities in designing specialty value-based models, emphasizing the need for shared accountability, provider engagement, and alignment across payers. The role of technology and data analytics in facilitating VBC by enabling better tracking and management of patient care was also emphasized.

The 2024 AHIP Conference provided invaluable insights into the future of healthcare, emphasizing the need for innovation, inclusivity, and strategic adaptation. From regulatory changes to employee benefits, customer engagement, patient preferences, and value-based care, the sessions underscored the industry’s commitment to improving healthcare outcomes through collaboration, technology, and a member-centric approach. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, the lessons and strategies discussed at the conference will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping a more efficient, equitable, and innovative healthcare system.

For more care access insights and actionable steps to advance member engagement and experience, download the 2024 Care Access Benchmark for Health Plans.