Check-In Process: 5 Important Things You Need to Change
How to Improve Your Check-In Process?
Most people don’t enjoy going to the doctor's office. Some dread it so much that it leads to bad health outcomes and worsening of health conditions. However, a great patient experience will encourage your patients to return whenever they have a health problem and recommend you to others. You can start by improving some parts of your check-in process that greatly affect their first and lasting impression of you. Here are 5 things you need to change in your check in process.
1. Get rid of paper forms
Patients find it tedious to be required to come 20-30 minutes early prior to an appointment to fill out forms. So, don’t be scared of going paperless in your practice. You’ll be surprised how digital forms can be beneficial to you and your patients. One of its benefits is a reduction in patient information errors and data entry mistakes due to illegible handwriting. Digital forms will save your staff from deciphering your patients’ handwriting and manual input to your EHR. Avail patient portal services and make the necessary forms available on it so your patients can fill it up after scheduling their appointment. You can tailor it by automation to sync it directly with your EHR or EMR.
2. Use Self-Check-In Technology
Integrating self-check-in kiosks and apps is a sure way to improve the patient check-in process. It will lessen the data entry errors for your practice too. The self-service process empowers your patients to confirm their attendance and fill up the necessary forms in just a few taps digitally.
Your staff will have more time to accommodate your patients and attend to more urgent administrative and clinical matters too.
3. Automate your eligibility checking process.
Self-service check-in platforms with a real-time electronic eligibility checking feature can boost the odds of making a clean claim by easily verifying the patient's health eligibility and benefits. It will take a huge burden off your front-office staff and they’ll be able to cater to your visiting patients more. Patients can also begin their experience with a solid view of their plans and how their insurance can be extended to the care they offer, which reduces back-end labor and lowers collection costs.
4. Verify data immediately
Nobody is perfect. Thus, your patients are bound to make mistakes in their personal data entry. You need to integrate double-checking your patient’s information before the appointment or treatment through a remote staff or automation. You can also consider a practice management tool that will both authenticate patient demographic details—such as a patient's identity, phone number, employer information, and financial capacity to pay—and accurately connect it with the data in your EMR.
5. Streamline Your Scheduling
One of the most common causes of long wait times is overscheduling. A good patient check-in experience should be fast and convenient. It doesn't have to be tedious. Streamlining your scheduling process will help you do that while still making your patients happy. Overscheduling can be avoided by creating a quick, easy-to-follow series of instructions based on predicted waiting times. A good remote medical admin staff can easily optimize your scheduling for you too.
Partner with the Right Team
Let’s boost your patient volume and improve your check-in process with our Remote Patient Concierge Services. DrCatalyst can triple your patient volume by streamlining your administrative and clinical tasks by utilizing top digital marketing strategies, all while staying HIPAA compliant. Talk to our remote medical staffing specialists TODAY.
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