Medical Offices Re-Open and Stay Open with Digital Billing & Contactless Payments

Medical providers are excited to open their clinic doors and see their patients in person again and patients are just as eager to have in-person access to their healthcare providers. As healthcare eases its way into the reopening of medical offices, providers and healthcare leaders are looking strategically at how to stay prepared and safeguard both patients and staff throughout the patient journey so new spikes in COVID-19 and future disruptions to normal operations have less impact. A major component to powering a healthy practice during and after COVID-19 is the ability to bill patients and accept payments digitally. Mobile payments and patient balance messaging via text and email equip medical practices with a contactless patient financial experience, which not only speeds the payment process but strengthens an overall infection-control strategy that protects patients and billing staff regardless of the current threat, season, or disruption. Take a look at how medical providers are using digital billing to get their practices open and keep them open for the long-term. 

Supporting Telehealth & a Digital Patient Journey

Whether a patient’s appointment takes place over Telehealth or in the clinic, the patient journey is turning digital, driven by patient habits and preferences for self-service and convenient access. Tools like online scheduling, electronic registration, and 2-way patient chat already support these patient preferences, digital billing is a logical addition to these strategies with mobile-first communication that is easy to use, accessible without a username or password, and 24/7 availability to view bills and make payments. 

Powering Recovery & Long-Term Financial Health

Long before COVID-19 swept the nation, medical practices were looking for better ways to collect patient payments and create a patient-centered financial experience. Paper statements get lost in the mail and are often never opened, making it difficult to get a patient’s attention until their balance goes to collections and they receive a final notice. These traditional, paper-based billing processes are cumbersome, expensive, and leave practices vulnerable to future disruptions where staff need to work remotely and normal operations cease. Digital billing supports a healthy A/R cycle by reducing days to collect, bringing in more revenue, and doing it all without printing, sorting, and mailing paper statements. 

Driving Patient Satisfaction with Transparent Billing and Self-Service

A patient’s financial experience can be loaded with emotions for the patient and poses a key vulnerability for practices to take a hit in patient satisfaction. Digital billing solutions, like Relatient’s MDpay and Patient Balance Messaging, empower patients with transparent invoices that clearly outline their balances by visit and give them the ability to direct payments to the balances they want to pay off first. Even better, they can do it all from their mobile devices, without playing phone tag with the billing office or searching for stamps. 

Need Help Building a Contactless Patient Billing Experience? 

We can help