Patient Portal Patient Portal Applications to Enhance Applications to Enhance

ProfitabilityProfitability

Paul C. Seel MD, M.B.APaul C. Seel MD, M.B.Apseel@sophrona.compseel@sophrona.com

Vice President and Medical DirectorVice President and Medical DirectorSophrona Solutions www.sophrona.comSophrona Solutions www.sophrona.com

April 3-7 2009April 3-7 2009San FranciscoSan Francisco

The author has a financial interest in Sophrona SolutionsThe author has a financial interest in Sophrona Solutions

PatientAcquisition

Pat

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Reg

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A Patient Portal Can Impact All Stages A Patient Portal Can Impact All Stages of the Patient Business Cycleof the Patient Business Cycle

The patient accesses the patient portal from the practices web site.

Patients Want the Convenience of Electronic Patients Want the Convenience of Electronic Access to Their Physician’s Offices……Access to Their Physician’s Offices……

Practices Can Improve Profitability Practices Can Improve Profitability

Patients bank, trade stocks, book Patients bank, trade stocks, book complex travel arrangements and complex travel arrangements and even order pizza on-line 24/7/365 even order pizza on-line 24/7/365

1 1 74% of patients desire the 74% of patients desire the ability to communicate with their ability to communicate with their physicians via some sort of e-mailphysicians via some sort of e-mail

11 Only 8% of patients report Only 8% of patients report such accesssuch access

1http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/newsletters/wsjhealthnews/

WSJOnline_HI_Health-CarePoll2006vol5_iss16.pdf

Internet

Practice

Management

EMR

Systems

Office Reports

Link the Patient to the Front and Back Office Functions Enable Patient Self-Service and Data Entry

·Registration

·Appointments

·Bill pay

·Patient surveys

·Secure messaging

·Contact lens orderPatient

OfficeStaff

Improve the Value Proposition for the PM and EMR

Cost Efficient, Two-way Practice-Patient Cost Efficient, Two-way Practice-Patient Communication Conducted Over the Communication Conducted Over the

InternetInternet

Enables patient self service, reducing transaction and data entry costs Reduces practice phone calls Gathers valuable patient data e.g. interest in refractory surgery Secure, asynchronous communicationHIPAA secure

Patient Acquisition—Appointment Patient Acquisition—Appointment SchedulingScheduling

Allow patients to book appointments when it is Allow patients to book appointments when it is convenient for themconvenient for them

Reduce patient acquisition costsReduce patient acquisition costs• Low cost web marketingLow cost web marketing• Systematically survey patients for refractive surgery Systematically survey patients for refractive surgery

interest prior to appointments interest prior to appointments • Increased word of mouth traffic from satisfied patientsIncreased word of mouth traffic from satisfied patients

Increase web site “stickiness”: link practice web Increase web site “stickiness”: link practice web site to front office functionalitysite to front office functionality• Start a meaningful interaction with the initialStart a meaningful interaction with the initial click for on-click for on-

line appointment schedulingline appointment scheduling

Patient RegistrationPatient Registration New Patients can complete registration on-line New Patients can complete registration on-line

Patients enter all their demographic, insurance and past Patients enter all their demographic, insurance and past medical historymedical history

Collect patient desires and preferences prior to the Collect patient desires and preferences prior to the appointments to direct future marketing effortsappointments to direct future marketing efforts

Avoid missed refractive surgery leadsAvoid missed refractive surgery leads Act on this information prior to the visit—increase Act on this information prior to the visit—increase

conversionconversion Less errors with patient entered data—avoid rebilling Less errors with patient entered data—avoid rebilling

delaysdelays Improved patient flow, less time wasted, more Improved patient flow, less time wasted, more

thoughtful responsesthoughtful responses Decrease no-shows with skin in the gameDecrease no-shows with skin in the game

Patient Care: Lower Costs and Increased Patient Care: Lower Costs and Increased Access With Secure MessagingAccess With Secure Messaging

Secure messagingSecure messaging Substitute for a face-to-face visit and get Substitute for a face-to-face visit and get

reimbursed for simple problems as an eVisitreimbursed for simple problems as an eVisit Asynchronous communication more efficient Asynchronous communication more efficient

than telephonicthan telephonic Efficient communication for routine issuesEfficient communication for routine issues

Med clarifications, Med clarifications, Side effectsSide effects RefillsRefills

Billing office questions answered without Billing office questions answered without phone tagphone tag

On-Line Bill PaymentOn-Line Bill Payment

Verify patient’s insurance prior to Verify patient’s insurance prior to their appointments, increase their appointments, increase collections for high deductible plans collections for high deductible plans at point of serviceat point of service

Speed collections, reduce A/R with Speed collections, reduce A/R with credit card paymentscredit card payments

Offer convenience to patients Offer convenience to patients

Contact Lens OrderingContact Lens Ordering

Offer patients convenience to order Offer patients convenience to order contact lenses on-linecontact lenses on-line

Reduce defections to 1-800 Reduce defections to 1-800 contacts.com with a convenient contacts.com with a convenient alternativealternative

Link ordering to suppliers to reduce Link ordering to suppliers to reduce inventory costsinventory costs

Decrease staff telephone timeDecrease staff telephone time

Gather Patients’ Information Prior Gather Patients’ Information Prior to Their Appointmentsto Their Appointments

Gather information in the pre-registration Gather information in the pre-registration survey on patient desires and preferencessurvey on patient desires and preferences Interest in refractive surgeryInterest in refractive surgery Candidates for premium IOL’sCandidates for premium IOL’s Optical needsOptical needs

Develop visit plans with targeted interest Develop visit plans with targeted interest specific informationspecific information

Customize the visit of a patient with an Customize the visit of a patient with an interest in refractive surgeryinterest in refractive surgery

Increase Conversion

Summary Summary Patient portals decrease transaction costs Patient portals decrease transaction costs

and/or increase revenue for each phase of and/or increase revenue for each phase of the cycle.the cycle.

Data entry is the Achilles Heel of electronic Data entry is the Achilles Heel of electronic health data systems—off load a significant health data systems—off load a significant portion of data entry to the patients. They portion of data entry to the patients. They do a better job than your staff and do a better job than your staff and appreciate the convenience appreciate the convenience

Generate actionable data—systematically Generate actionable data—systematically gather patient preferences for premium gather patient preferences for premium goods and services for future marketing goods and services for future marketing activitiesactivities

Maximize word of mouth referrals—Maximize word of mouth referrals—satisfied patients are a great resourcesatisfied patients are a great resource