Very interesting research on the many benefits to self check in. One Texas hospital found that kiosks reduced processing costs from $8.12 per patient to .$94
http://www.chcf.org/publications/2009/03/touchscreen-checkin-kiosks-speed-hospital-registration
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Presentation Draft
Here is a quick snapshot of what I've done so far. I need to spend some more time cleaning up the graphics a bit, but I wanted to at least show you guys where I am on the work.
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0Aaktf6VHsaVQZGdkYjNwNWRfMTljdG05N3JmaA&hl=en
I'll email the ppt slidedeck to everyone.
https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0Aaktf6VHsaVQZGdkYjNwNWRfMTljdG05N3JmaA&hl=en
I'll email the ppt slidedeck to everyone.
Phreesia secures $11.6 M Series C Funding
Phreesia secures $11.6 M Series C Funding led by BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners and Sandbox Industries
New York, NY - February 17, 2009 - Phreesia, the Patient Check-In Company™, the leader in patient-intake, announced today the close of an $11.6 million investment, bringing total investment to date to $25 million. BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners, L.P., a corporate venture fund of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, and Sandbox Industries led the round, joining existing investors Polaris Venture Partners, HLM Venture Partners, and Long River Ventures. As part of the investment, Paul Brown, Managing Director of BlueCross BlueShield Ventures, Inc. and Matthew Downs, Managing Partner of Sandbox Industries will join the Phreesia board of directors.
"This investment by BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners and Sandbox Industries is a validation of Phreesia's successful growth as the Patient Check-in Company and as a leading healthcare information technology company. Phreesia will use this funding to expand its rapidly growing footprint of thousands of doctors in 49 states," said Chaim Indig, Phreesia's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Given the push by the new Administration towards advanced healthcare IT adoption, this is an exciting time to be at the forefront of technology for patient-centered care. We are proud to have such a strategic partner lead this round."
Paul Brown, Managing Director of BlueCross BlueShield Ventures, Inc., said, "BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners is committed to ensuring that providers are able to deliver the best care possible to patients. In Phreesia we are investing in a healthcare company that is demonstrating enhanced clinical outcomes for patients and more accurate, hassle-free information for physicians. Our providers and members will benefit from improved monitoring of treatment response and overall support of measurement-guided care."
BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners is a $116 million venture capital fund to which eleven independent BlueCross and BlueShield companies have committed capital. The fund invests in technologies, products, and services in the U.S. healthcare industry that promote efficiency, lower costs, and improve options for consumers. In a unique partnership, the fund is managed jointly by representatives from the BlueCross BlueShield Association, participating BlueCross BlueShield companies, and Sandbox Industries, a Chicago-based venture capital firm.
Allen & Company LLC served as the exclusive placement agent for the private placement.
New York, NY - February 17, 2009 - Phreesia, the Patient Check-In Company™, the leader in patient-intake, announced today the close of an $11.6 million investment, bringing total investment to date to $25 million. BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners, L.P., a corporate venture fund of the BlueCross BlueShield Association, and Sandbox Industries led the round, joining existing investors Polaris Venture Partners, HLM Venture Partners, and Long River Ventures. As part of the investment, Paul Brown, Managing Director of BlueCross BlueShield Ventures, Inc. and Matthew Downs, Managing Partner of Sandbox Industries will join the Phreesia board of directors.
"This investment by BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners and Sandbox Industries is a validation of Phreesia's successful growth as the Patient Check-in Company and as a leading healthcare information technology company. Phreesia will use this funding to expand its rapidly growing footprint of thousands of doctors in 49 states," said Chaim Indig, Phreesia's President and Chief Executive Officer. "Given the push by the new Administration towards advanced healthcare IT adoption, this is an exciting time to be at the forefront of technology for patient-centered care. We are proud to have such a strategic partner lead this round."
Paul Brown, Managing Director of BlueCross BlueShield Ventures, Inc., said, "BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners is committed to ensuring that providers are able to deliver the best care possible to patients. In Phreesia we are investing in a healthcare company that is demonstrating enhanced clinical outcomes for patients and more accurate, hassle-free information for physicians. Our providers and members will benefit from improved monitoring of treatment response and overall support of measurement-guided care."
BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners is a $116 million venture capital fund to which eleven independent BlueCross and BlueShield companies have committed capital. The fund invests in technologies, products, and services in the U.S. healthcare industry that promote efficiency, lower costs, and improve options for consumers. In a unique partnership, the fund is managed jointly by representatives from the BlueCross BlueShield Association, participating BlueCross BlueShield companies, and Sandbox Industries, a Chicago-based venture capital firm.
Allen & Company LLC served as the exclusive placement agent for the private placement.
Patient Check-in ROI & Benefits
Published on March 11, 2009 8:46 PM
The healthcare kiosk market is estimated to be over $800M by the year 2013. One of the reasons is that the inefficiencies of the old model cannot be sustained anymore (ie paper in triplicate).
What are the Benefits of the new systems?
Benefits
• 24 x 7 Access for Patients to pay via credit card or electronic check
• Simplified view of patient statements
• Ability to pay multiple accounts with one transaction
• Automatic payment reconciliation with billing system
• Ability to offer payment plans and recurring payments
• Insurance payment and adjustment information
• Works with multiple billing systems where necessary
• Secure communication with financial staff
• Email notification of new bills and billing updates
• Utilize your existing merchant services
• Robust FAQ and glossary to reduce business office call volume
• Branded to your organization
• Standard and configurable reports
How do those benefits translate into ROI?
- Transaction results showing 76% of all transactions are successfully completed at kiosks, and this percentage is steadily increasing.
- Savings - The VA has concluded that they save 1.5 FTEs per kiosk overall
- Data improvement - Allowing patients to correct demographic data has had impressive results in improving the information accuracy of patient records. As a side benefit, the VA reduced returned mailings (due to inaccurate addresses) by 8000 pieces in a single region. This resulted in a savings of $150,000 per year
- Acceptance - Initial acceptance of a new kiosk implementation is very high. 54% preferred to use the kiosk (this moves to a higher level quickly ... see 76% above).
- Demographics - The average age of a kiosk user in the VA is 62. To achieve this average, many thousands of patients well over age 62 use the kiosk.
- Increased compliance with data accuracy goals and positive identification standards
- Increased compliance with pre-registration, JCAHO, positive identification mandates
Source: The Pittsburgh VA Medical Center
The healthcare kiosk market is estimated to be over $800M by the year 2013. One of the reasons is that the inefficiencies of the old model cannot be sustained anymore (ie paper in triplicate).
What are the Benefits of the new systems?
Benefits
• 24 x 7 Access for Patients to pay via credit card or electronic check
• Simplified view of patient statements
• Ability to pay multiple accounts with one transaction
• Automatic payment reconciliation with billing system
• Ability to offer payment plans and recurring payments
• Insurance payment and adjustment information
• Works with multiple billing systems where necessary
• Secure communication with financial staff
• Email notification of new bills and billing updates
• Utilize your existing merchant services
• Robust FAQ and glossary to reduce business office call volume
• Branded to your organization
• Standard and configurable reports
How do those benefits translate into ROI?
- Transaction results showing 76% of all transactions are successfully completed at kiosks, and this percentage is steadily increasing.
- Savings - The VA has concluded that they save 1.5 FTEs per kiosk overall
- Data improvement - Allowing patients to correct demographic data has had impressive results in improving the information accuracy of patient records. As a side benefit, the VA reduced returned mailings (due to inaccurate addresses) by 8000 pieces in a single region. This resulted in a savings of $150,000 per year
- Acceptance - Initial acceptance of a new kiosk implementation is very high. 54% preferred to use the kiosk (this moves to a higher level quickly ... see 76% above).
- Demographics - The average age of a kiosk user in the VA is 62. To achieve this average, many thousands of patients well over age 62 use the kiosk.
- Increased compliance with data accuracy goals and positive identification standards
- Increased compliance with pre-registration, JCAHO, positive identification mandates
Source: The Pittsburgh VA Medical Center
Dan's Comments
Until today I didn't see Dan's comments. I thought I would respond in a new thread just in case the rest of the group missed it, too.
Dan Wrote (2 Comments):
1) Electronic check in really does add to ease and convenience for each visitor. However, I would want to know whether this tool can integrate with the practice management system to support E-visits for non-urgent, follow-up online consultations? Kaiser launched pilots on this advanced model.
2)My initial impression is that this sounds like a great project idea. An employer is more likely to contract with a given health plan's provider network if the providers are using technology to improve care delivery. The big question is whether this tool is truly cost-effective, given start-up and training costs, and whether non-tech savvy patients would be able to navigate this tool. The front desk may still need to walk some patients through the interview process.
Paul Wrote (2 Comments):
1) The patient check-in systems that I found do integrate (in most cases) with the physician's PMS. In the case of the vendors I researched, these solutions also integrate with EMR and EHR systems as well.
According to my research, E-visits and follow-up consultations are usually outside the scope of the patient check-in systems. Most of these systems just handle the basic check-in process.
However, from what I can tell, Phreesia definitely has the most innovative product on the market. Their PheesiaPad checks for insurance eligibility, accepts credit/debit card payment, displays educational info based on the patient's symptoms, and integrates with most EMR/EHR/PMS solutions as well.
I'd be interested to see the info on Kaiser's pilot. Are you certain that their solution is intended for physician offices? Or, is it intended for hospitals?
Please post what you've found.
2) Good point! I looked into the implementation costs (i.e. equipment, training, support, etc.) and Phreesia beats the competition. They charge $50/month and take about $1 for every $25 they collect via credit/debit processing. The competition all have much higher implementation fees. I'll try to do a bit more digging into the fees. I'll post what I find.
Thanks, Dan!
Dan Wrote (2 Comments):
1) Electronic check in really does add to ease and convenience for each visitor. However, I would want to know whether this tool can integrate with the practice management system to support E-visits for non-urgent, follow-up online consultations? Kaiser launched pilots on this advanced model.
2)My initial impression is that this sounds like a great project idea. An employer is more likely to contract with a given health plan's provider network if the providers are using technology to improve care delivery. The big question is whether this tool is truly cost-effective, given start-up and training costs, and whether non-tech savvy patients would be able to navigate this tool. The front desk may still need to walk some patients through the interview process.
Paul Wrote (2 Comments):
1) The patient check-in systems that I found do integrate (in most cases) with the physician's PMS. In the case of the vendors I researched, these solutions also integrate with EMR and EHR systems as well.
According to my research, E-visits and follow-up consultations are usually outside the scope of the patient check-in systems. Most of these systems just handle the basic check-in process.
However, from what I can tell, Phreesia definitely has the most innovative product on the market. Their PheesiaPad checks for insurance eligibility, accepts credit/debit card payment, displays educational info based on the patient's symptoms, and integrates with most EMR/EHR/PMS solutions as well.
I'd be interested to see the info on Kaiser's pilot. Are you certain that their solution is intended for physician offices? Or, is it intended for hospitals?
Please post what you've found.
2) Good point! I looked into the implementation costs (i.e. equipment, training, support, etc.) and Phreesia beats the competition. They charge $50/month and take about $1 for every $25 they collect via credit/debit processing. The competition all have much higher implementation fees. I'll try to do a bit more digging into the fees. I'll post what I find.
Thanks, Dan!
Dividing Project Responsibilities
Hi Team,
Unfortunately I did not write down who was responsible for what, but to get the conversation started, I thought I would post the list of tasks. At some point can everyone please add a comment about what you're going to tackle? Thanks!
-- Pick some facet of Healthcare IT
-- Educate us on the technology
-- Define the problem statement
-- What problems or challenges does it address?
-- How will it solve the challenge?
-- Who are the stakeholders?
-- How will it help the stakeholders?
-- Describe the benefits
-- How does it improve patient care?
-- What efficiencies will be realized?
-- What vendors provide the solution(s)?
-- Pick a vendor and perform a cost benefit analysis
Unfortunately I did not write down who was responsible for what, but to get the conversation started, I thought I would post the list of tasks. At some point can everyone please add a comment about what you're going to tackle? Thanks!
-- Pick some facet of Healthcare IT
-- Educate us on the technology
-- Define the problem statement
-- What problems or challenges does it address?
-- How will it solve the challenge?
-- Who are the stakeholders?
-- How will it help the stakeholders?
-- Describe the benefits
-- How does it improve patient care?
-- What efficiencies will be realized?
-- What vendors provide the solution(s)?
-- Pick a vendor and perform a cost benefit analysis
Friday, September 3, 2010
Headed to ER? Some Post Waits by Text, Billboard
Associated Press
August 24, 2010
Need an X-ray or stitches? Online, via text message or flashing on a billboard, some emergency rooms are advertising how long the dreaded wait for care will be, with estimates updated every few minutes.
It's a marketing move aimed at less urgent patients, not the true emergencies that automatically go to the front of the line anyway - and shouldn't waste precious minutes checking the wait.
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