Access to Healthcare and Digital Tools Turning a Corner for the Better, According to Providers and Patients
An annual
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To access the free Experian Health State of Patient Access report, go to experian.com/state-patient-access. (Photo: Business Wire)
Perceptions of patient access on the upswing
Based on a survey fielded in
“Providers are continuing to embrace technology to solve challenges and the positive results are coming to fruition,” said
Still room for improvement, but many bright spots
There is an uptick of 11 percent among patients who say access is better vs. survey results in 2022.
Among patients who feel the patient access experience is better, they identified the following as improved:
- Check-in and registration
- Understand insurance more clearly
- More payment options
What is important to patients when evaluating healthcare access? Survey respondents chose the following as priorities:
- My medical provider’s ability to tell me what my insurance covers, before treatment, is important to me (96%)
- The ability to schedule appointments anytime, via online or mobile tools is important to me (89%)
- If my information hasn’t changed, I shouldn’t have to fill out paperwork (85%)
- An accurate estimate helps me better prepare to pay for my care costs (81%)
- I would like more digital options for managing my healthcare (60%)
While patients are more positive overall, seeing a doctor in an acceptable timeframe still poses difficulties. Among all patients surveyed, 27 percent say seeing a practitioner quickly is the number one challenge when trying to access healthcare. This is the exact same result as in 2022. Of the 22 percent of naysayers who say that patient access is getting worse, a majority (79%) pointed to the inability to see a practitioner quickly as a reason why.
Adoption of technology fuels provider optimism
Despite a grim view of patient access in the 2022 survey, providers were optimistic they would turn the corner. This appears to be accurate as the percentage of providers surveyed who say things have improved increased by 28 percent to more than half (55%) giving a thumbs up in 2024.
The top indicators providers selected as reasons the patient experience is better include:
- Telehealth has improved time to see a provider
- Automation has increased speed and accuracy
- Staffing is better
- Improved insurance identification technology
- Digital/mobile communications are implemented
There is some misalignment though among providers regarding staffing shortages, however, as the minority (20%) saying patient access has become worse cited staffing shortages as a top issue.
Additionally, while staffing may be a permanent headache for providers, the issue of “dirty” data collection at patient intake is causing another worrisome issue. Almost one in two providers (49%) say patient information errors are a primary cause of denied claims. Among the top ten barriers providers selected to improving patient access, half were related to claims including management of authorizations, maintaining multiple solutions to determine eligibility, and executing a search for patient insurance coverage.
The outlook, however, continues to be positive as a majority (79%) of providers are planning to continue investing in the betterment of patient access.
Since 2020,
To meet evolving needs and simplify healthcare,
To access the free State of Patient Access report, go to experian.com/state-patient-access.
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