pre-registration solutions
by Christina Onolaja, MHA
Call-outs, resignations, and limited staffing resources make it challenging to keep up with the day to day requirements of a primary care practice. While many corporations are transitioning to remote or hybrid work and are increasing compensation to remain competitive, it is difficult to make these changes in a field where in person contact is necessary. Telemedicine is certainly a trend here to stay, but most visits still require an in-person appointment so the provider can listen to the patient’s heart, lungs, and perform tests that cannot be done from home.
Technology can help reduce the administrative burden in many areas of a primary care practice without sacrificing patient experience. In my last article, I discussed online scheduling as one way to help with staffing shortages and burnout. This week, we will look at how pre-registration solutions can further streamline the information collection process for a patient visit. With the vast array of technology solutions available, identifying the right one for your practice can be challenging. It is important to start with the current processes and identify which ones are critical to the flow of the practice. Next, determine which ones can be part of the pre-registration process and cleanly flow into the EMR without manual intervention from staff.
"Many primary care practices are understaffed and overburdened with their day-to-day responsibilities," said Liz Fox, Senior Director of Product Management at Phreesia. "Digital tools for intake and scheduling are no-brainers in helping primary care groups work smarter and more efficiently, especially in this current healthcare environment. We've seen how our clients can save more than five minutes of staff time per visit when they use these tools to help patients schedule appointments and check in on their own. When you add up that kind of time savings across hundreds visits per week for provider groups, it can have a tangible impact on their operations."
Pre-registration or intake solutions can help reduce the data entry burden on both administrative and clinical staff by having patients enter their data in an electronic form instead of writing it on a piece of paper. When using an intake system like Phreesia or Epion, the data will flow directly into the practice management and electronic medical record with little to no touches by staff, freeing those individuals to engage more directly with the patients standing in front of them. This data typically includes patient demographics, insurance information, payment collection, family history, past medical history, and social history to name a few. Some even offer clinical screeners such as the PHQ2/9 and STEADI Fall Risk assessments which satisfy outstanding quality metrics necessary to receive incentive payments in value-based contracts.
There is also a misconception regarding patient support for using pre-registration technology, particularly in practices with a significant volume of geriatric patients. According to a Forbes article by Deb Gordon, “Eighty percent of people surveyed said they prefer to use digital communications with their healthcare providers—such as online messaging or virtual appointments—at least some of the time, including 44% of consumers who mostly or always prefer to use digital communications”.
In a world where the staffing shortages do not seem to be getting any better, it is more critical than ever to work smarter, using technology to gain efficiencies and provide patients with a positive experience during their visit. Shifting staff from a heads down staring at a computer screen approach to engaging with the patients to help educate them on the tools so they can use them on their own in the future can help build relationships and promote a more positive patient experience. By including frontline staff in the selection and configuration process, practices can gain buy-in and support for the change, further ensuring a successful implementation resulting in a win-win for leadership, patients, and team members.
Next week, I will discuss how chart prep and patient huddles prior to a visit can help visits run more smoothly for providers as well as help capture care gaps.
