An recent article talked about how the patient experience begins in the waiting room.

That's a few touches to late, isn't it? It's like declaring the patient experience ends when the practitioner leaves the appointment.

Anyone in RCM knows the patient financial experience is a key part of the process.

The five elements of patient experience

University of Utah Health receives approximately 220,000 surveys every year, and they've used the feedback in those to develop their Five Elements of Patient Experience.

While these were created based on care experiences, reading them through an RCM lens reveals how what patients value in their medical care is no different than what they value in financial care.

How can your RCM team use the 5 elements?

Your RCM team, whether you are a department within the care system or an external partner, can use the 5 elements of patient experience to consider

1. Does my RCM team KNOW me?
   
   We know empathy and connection are key to the patient care process. How is your financial team trained to offer those to patients throughout the payment process?
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2. Does my RCM team HEAR me?
   
   When patients are struggling or have financial questions, is your team prepared to listen and fully understand their concerns?
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3. Does my RCM team TEACH me?
   
   The patient financial experience can be as confusing and filled with jargon as the medical experience. How can you better train your patient financial experience representatives to patiently and thoroughly explain financial obligations in a way that relieves patients of stress and helps them understand similar commitments in the future?
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4. Does my RCM team COORDINATE for me?
   
   How is your team connected to the provider or care system? What communication occurs on your end to make sure the burden isn't on the patient to clarify or connect between systems?
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5. Does my RCM team MAKE IT EASY for me?
   
   What self-service options and automated payment plans does your team offer? What are the most common questions and complaints your team gets, and how can you develop digital options or information to deliver those just in time for patient needs?

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We recently helped an RCM partner spot 2.3X more opportunities for their representatives to show empathy to patients, and they were able to shift their training as a result. We'd love to show you how.