Slowly but surely, hospitals and health systems have begun opening their doors for elective, essential surgeries that had been shuttered by COVID-19 care priority. Understandably, patients have been reluctant to return, driven partly by safety concerns as well as new concerns about their out-of-pocket costs. The question then is: If you open the doors, what […]
By Laurie Heavey, VP Marketing March 23, 2020, marks 10 years since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law. Public opinion still is divided about the ACA’s results toward true healthcare reform. In fact, during the past decade, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) has conducted 102 public opinion polls that show many views […]
SAN DIEGO, Jan. 27, 2020 – U.S. out-of-pocket healthcare spend, including consumer copayments, deductibles and spending not covered by insurance, was more than $375 billion in 2018, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS projects 43 percent growth in patient out-of-pocket financial responsibility between now and 2027. Increasing consumer responsibility for […]
By Bruce Haupt, President & CEO The new decade is here. In 2020, we can expect healthcare pricing and affordability to take center stage as the presidential race kicks into gear. With the focus on affordable healthcare, we have an opportunity to help people who are most vulnerable manage to pay for the healthcare they […]
By Laurie Heavey, VP Strategic Marketing We all know that patients carry more of the payment burden for their medical care. And with so much negative publicity about sending patients to bad debt collections, health systems need to manage a delicate balance between collecting what they’re rightfully owed and giving patients reasonable payment options. The […]
A Focus on Patient Engagement Enhances Satisfaction and Financial Performance Harrisburg, Penn., June 24, 2019 – UPMC Pinnacle has undergone significant operational changes, including overhauling its revenue cycle IT system and adding new facilities throughout south central Pennsylvania. In September 2017, the health system joined UPMC. Throughout UPMC Pinnacle’s history, the Revenue Cycle team continues […]
(L-R) HFMA’s Todd Nelson, Patrice Taleff, UPMC Pinnacle, Karen Hoffman, CentraCare Health, Stacey Russell, MaineGeneral Health and Pete Thompson, ClearBalance ClearBalance Honors CentraCare Health and MaineGeneral Health for Improved Revenue Cycle and Patient Satisfaction Metrics SAN DIEGO, June 24, 2019 – CentraCare Health in Minnesota and MaineGeneral Health in Maine have been named 2019 Patient Financing […]
SAN DIEGO – June 10, 2019 –Until recently, medical groups and primary care physicians were largely immune to consumer forces of convenience and affordability that have affected hospitals and health systems. That’s because physicians historically enjoyed “repeat business” through generations of people who found familiarity and comfort with their longtime family physician. However, that’s all […]
By Laurie Heavey, VP Strategic Marketing Spurred by the need to treat the patient as a payer, along with continued calls for price transparency, more health systems are having the financial conversation earlier in the patient care process. Today, the patient financial journey begins with pre-service scheduling. During pre-service conversations, patients typically want an estimate […]
By Christian Coburn, Director, ClearBalance Patient Experience Center When it comes to healthcare, consumers want and expect to be informed of options to pay their out-of-pocket costs. According to the ClearBalance® 2018 Healthcare Consumerism study, consumer loyalty is influenced by how early and how often you communicate with patients about their estimated out-of-pocket costs, their […]