Healthcare organizations are using mHealth strategies more and more as they seek to improve engagement with their patients. However, most of their mHealth efforts have focused on more clinical-related messaging, such as reminders for preventive care services, appointment reminders or providing health information. But mHealth messaging efforts can also be used to improve the bottom line.
Using messaging for preventive care reminders not only improves patient outcomes by getting them in for services such as mammograms and colorectal cancer screenings, it also provides an opportunity for increased revenue. One provider boosted revenues by $250,000 after launching a messaging effort for mammogram screenings and another saw a revenue increase of $685,000 with an automated messaging campaign to remind men about colorectal cancer screenings.
A recent survey from West found that only 15% of healthcare providers are using some type of mHealth messaging (phone, text or email) to communicate financial information to their patients. The survey report says, “Sharing cost information prior to sending out bills makes patients more aware of self-pay responsibilities, improves transparency and helps patients plan for medical expenses. Yet less than one-quarter (24 percent) of providers plan to implement a price transparency program within the next 12 months. This data shows there are opportunities for providers to do more to improve transparency and remove payment hurdles.”
In an environment where 75% of patients are not aware of the cost of their healthcare services until they receive a bill and where 30% of patients are confused by the bills they do receive, it is difficult to make a timely payment strategy. With improved financial communications with patiets using mHealth and other methods, healthcare organizations can improve their bottom line.