Why Cardiology Practices Benefit From Using Digital Patient Access

What is Digital Patient Access?

Digital patient access encompasses many tools and integrations that can aid your patients in scheduling appointments, simplifying check-in and keeping your cash flow consistent. Patient experience is at the heart of every cardiology practice, so it is vital to prioritize a simple, intuitive interface that your patients can use. Producing solutions to patients’ common problems when interacting with healthcare providers can set your cardiology practice apart.

Patient Self-Scheduling Simplifies Appointment Creation

Scheduling an appointment should be a simple interaction. Many patients find that this simple task is much more challenging than they expect it to be. Managing available time slots and factoring in cancellations or time change requests can be a burden on your administrative staff. 

Automating the process can be beneficial for your team while also giving your patients digital access. Putting digital access in your patients’ hands allows them to find the most convenient time that works for them without having to contact your clinic during your open hours. 

Extend this technology to a call center, seamlessly. Use the same patient scheduling software to provide call center agents with interactive scripts to ask the right questions and help patients to book an appointment quickly and efficiently. All appointments booked with the same scheduling technology at call centers are updated in real-time. 

If a patient cancels at the last minute or needs to see a cardiologist as soon as possible, your team will know which appointments are open and available once they appear in the system. Waiting for business hours to schedule an appointment is frustrating for your patients and creates high workloads for your front desk. Digital access technology such as online and call center scheduling is a single solution to countless problems created by outdated scheduling systems.

Pre-Check Provides A New Way to Check In

Collecting information before a patient visit is necessary for a successful cardiology appointment. Having an under-optimized check-in method can lead to problems. Patients, particularly newcomers, may underestimate how much paperwork they need to complete before seeing their cardiologist. Spending time filling out paperwork leads to a longer wait time for all your patients and throws your whole schedule off course for the day. One delay is all it takes to mess up the flow of your workday and create resentment among patients that have to sit in the lobby for extended periods. 

Implementing Pre-Check technology can reduce patient wait times by giving your patients digital access to check in on their timetable. Check-in times are drastically reduced, keeping your waiting room clear and appointments on time. Patients can use their mobile device, computer or tablet at home to update relevant information and submit documentation. The data is submitted digitally, so patients don’t have to deal with the hassle of printing forms and remembering to bring them. After being guided through all of the required questions, patients no longer need to arrive a half-hour early to their cardiology appointment and you don’t have to skip a beat to give them quality healthcare for their heart. 

Keep Your Cash Flow Consistent

Digital patient access technology is the easiest way to keep cash flow at your practice consistent. 

Discreet payment options promote a comfortable atmosphere for patients at your practice. While interacting with the software, patients’ primary, secondary and tertiary insurance benefits can be checked multiple times to avoid payment interruptions. Eligibility-as-a-Service connects your practice to over 900 healthcare payers. The eligibility engine provides instant and automatic responses from most insurance companies and saves your staff time so they can focus on more crucial tasks. 

Relying on your billing office can lead to stalls in payment intake. This technology allows patients to pay co-pays and other financial responsibilities during pre-registration and check-in. Patients will appreciate financial transparency. Your practice will also be able to avoid many mistakes with mailed invoices and collection notices. Securely saving their credit card information saves your patients even more time and encourages return visits. Another way your business can lose out on revenue is through no-shows. Patients may not mean to no-show on appointments, but they can still significantly hurt your bottom line. No-shows prevent you from collecting full payment. Your administrative staff also loses time on calls reminding the patient. These types of digital patient access technology deliver a simple and effective solution by incorporating automated reminders. 

Automated reminders are sent in a text message or an email. The reminders are customizable, so you can control precisely what you’re communicating to your cardiology patients and when they receive them. Receiving appointment reminders helps your patients keep appointments at your practice at the front of their minds and reduce a no-show. A comprehensive patient engagement platform is a vessel for digital patient access. Your cardiology practice performs more efficiently by using algorithmically powered software to do the heavy lifting. Your staff can focus on patient interaction, and you can deliver care to as many hearts as possible.   

It’s this distinction that puts Clearwave in a class of its own. Clearwave performs the functions of 10 separate platforms while remaining clear and focused no matter how you use it. From the moment a patient wants to book an appointment until they leave your office, Clearwave gives access to the patient digitally while promoting patient satisfaction.

Find out more about how Clearwave’s patient scheduling platform could improve your cardiology practice by reading our case study with Cardiology Associates. By using Clearwave, they have reduced patient paperwork, accelerated their check-in rate and decreased the administrative burden on their staff. Click here to download the case study!