Access to Healthcare and Digital Tools Turning a Corner for the Better, According to Providers and Patients
May 06 2024 - 6:00AM
Business Wire
An annual Experian Health survey shows a sharp
reversal from last year with more satisfaction and perceptions that
healthcare services have improved
Healthcare providers and patients are in rare agreement that
healthcare access and service-levels are improving, according to
the Experian Health 2024 State of Patient Access survey. Almost a
third (28%) of patients and 55 percent of providers surveyed say
the environment is getting better while patients still say the top
challenge is seeing a practitioner quickly.
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of Patient Access report, go to experian.com/state-patient-access.
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Perceptions of patient access on the upswing
Based on a survey fielded in February 2024 of 200 healthcare
revenue cycle decision-makers and more than 1,000 adults who
received care or oversaw care for a dependent, results overall
reveal that operational improvements by providers – many through
the adoption of technology – have influenced many patient
satisfaction levels. The most significant contributors to happier
patients are the improvements in staffing levels, more accurate
price estimates, increased use of telehealth and self-scheduling
options.
“Providers are continuing to embrace technology to solve
challenges and the positive results are coming to fruition,” said
Clarissa Riggins, Chief Product Officer at Experian Health. “From
launching patient portals to enabling mobile payment tools, they
are adopting a myriad of new innovations to operate more quickly
and efficiently, and patients – while not saying access to care is
fantastic – are beginning to see the difference.”
Still room for improvement, but many bright spots
There is an uptick of 11 percent among patients who say access
is better vs. survey results in 2022.
Among patients who feel the patient access experience is better,
they identified the following as improved:
- Check-in and registration
- Understand insurance more clearly
- More payment options
What is important to patients when evaluating healthcare access?
Survey respondents chose the following as priorities:
- My medical provider’s ability to tell me what my insurance
covers, before treatment, is important to me (96%)
- The ability to schedule appointments anytime, via online or
mobile tools is important to me (89%)
- If my information hasn’t changed, I shouldn’t have to fill out
paperwork (85%)
- An accurate estimate helps me better prepare to pay for my care
costs (81%)
- I would like more digital options for managing my healthcare
(60%)
While patients are more positive overall, seeing a doctor in an
acceptable timeframe still poses difficulties. Among all patients
surveyed, 27 percent say seeing a practitioner quickly is the
number one challenge when trying to access healthcare. This is the
exact same result as in 2022. Of the 22 percent of naysayers who
say that patient access is getting worse, a majority (79%) pointed
to the inability to see a practitioner quickly as a reason why.
Adoption of technology fuels provider optimism
Despite a grim view of patient access in the 2022 survey,
providers were optimistic they would turn the corner. This appears
to be accurate as the percentage of providers surveyed who say
things have improved increased by 28 percent to more than half
(55%) giving a thumbs up in 2024.
The top indicators providers selected as reasons the patient
experience is better include:
- Telehealth has improved time to see a provider
- Automation has increased speed and accuracy
- Staffing is better
- Improved insurance identification technology
- Digital/mobile communications are implemented
There is some misalignment though among providers regarding
staffing shortages, however, as the minority (20%) saying patient
access has become worse cited staffing shortages as a top
issue.
Additionally, while staffing may be a permanent headache for
providers, the issue of “dirty” data collection at patient intake
is causing another worrisome issue. Almost one in two providers
(49%) say patient information errors are a primary cause of denied
claims. Among the top ten barriers providers selected to improving
patient access, half were related to claims including management of
authorizations, maintaining multiple solutions to determine
eligibility, and executing a search for patient insurance
coverage.
The outlook, however, continues to be positive as a majority
(79%) of providers are planning to continue investing in the
betterment of patient access.
Since 2020, Experian Health has checked the pulse of the
healthcare industry’s systems and strategies that make or break a
patient’s access to care, including factors such how easy is it to
book appointments and register for care, and if patients can
understand and pay their bills without too much difficulty.
To meet evolving needs and simplify healthcare, Experian Health
offers providers patient engagement solutions and products to
reduce claims denials including exclusive products like the
artificial-intelligence-powered product AI Advantage and Patient
Access Curator, which reduces the capture of patient data to one
click and 30 seconds.
To access the free State of Patient Access report, go to
experian.com/state-patient-access.
About Experian Health
At Experian Health, we serve more than 60 percent of U.S.
hospitals and more than 7,500 medical practices, labs, pharmacies
and other healthcare providers with data-driven platforms and
insights that help our clients make smarter business decisions,
deliver a better bottom line and establish strong patient
relationships.
Experian has 22,000 people operating across 32 countries, and
every day we’re investing in new technologies, talented people and
innovation to help all our clients maximize every opportunity. With
corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, we are listed on the
London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and are a constituent of the FTSE 100
Index.
For more information about Experian Health, visit
http://www.experianhealth.com. Learn more about Experian at
www.experianplc.com or visit our global content hub at our global
news blog for the latest news and insights from the Group.
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Sandra Bernardo Experian 1 949 529 7550
Sandra.bernardo@experian.com
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