CASE STUDY
Ensemble’s patient experience program improves satisfaction scores for 20+ hospitals.
Tailored approach to training and communication drives consistent patient-centric financial interactions.
SNAPSHOT
Ensemble partnered with a major health system and a single-hospital client to evaluate and enhance the patient financial experience. Prior to this partnership, patients faced inconsistent interactions across different registration areas, and hospital staff did not have adequate training or support to implement best -practice pre-service collection strategies.
After evaluating current processes, tools and training, Ensemble's patient experience team created training materials and communication plans to help front-office staff implement uniform collection strategies focused on patients. This led to increases in the number of patients giving the highest survey scores on satisfaction surveys: a 0.8% increase for the major health system and a 4% increase for the single hospital.
Client A
- Health system
- > $4B NPR
- Midwest
- End-to-end RCM partner since March 2016
Client B
- Hospital
- < $500M NPR
- Midwest
- End-to-end RCM partner since March 2018
Challenges
Patient experience varied across registration areas, with pre-service collection efforts often stopped at signs of dissatisfaction due to poor service delivery and recovery training. Additionally, associates lacked regular education about these processes, and staff outside Patient Access did not consistently support or follow pre-service collection strategies.
Solutions
Ensemble’s approach to patient experience focused on empathy, empowerment and engagement. By analyzing survey data, inclusive of department scores and patient comments, we collaborated with our clients to get a clear understanding of their reputation within their community. Subsequently, we identified and addressed specific areas requiring enhancement and support through various educational initiatives to ensure outstanding service and foster continuous improvement. To do so, we:
- Provided focused training on deductibles, co-insurance, benefits and pre-service collection education
- Established regular communication plans regarding collections, new tools and methods to predict and manage patient responses
- Reviewed patient experience scores monthly with a cross-functional team to identify trends + opportunities for improvement
- Formed collaborative advocacy groups with clinical and patient access teams to ensure consistent messaging
Results
Scores* for Client A
Scores* for Client B
insurance information
scores for both clients
* % of respondents giving the highest
response possible on survey scale