The relationship between high-quality, actionable patient education and practice revenue is increasingly evident in healthcare. Education drives patient engagement and action, which leads to better health outcomes and ultimately increased practice revenue. We’ve outlined the ways you can leverage patient education strategically to drive financial success within every specialty.
Increases preventive screenings
The best patient education solution is one that uses plain language that’s actionable and relevant to your patient population. While it’s important to have education on different health conditions and healthy living tips, be sure to also provide education on preventive screenings since that can directly increase billable claims and accordingly revenue. Focus on the top five screenings you offer to meet practice goals.
Increased screenings mean earlier disease detection, earlier treatments and better outcomes. And they provide additional opportunities for making billable claims. Encourage patients to ask their doctor about screenings through digital signage in the waiting room and exam room—both locations where patients are already thinking about their health and making decisions about their care. Having consistent, focused messaging means patients are more likely to see and retain the information.
In addition to having messages on waiting room and exam room screens, providers should also discuss screenings during the appointment. They must identify which patients are most at risk for certain diseases and speak to them about getting the right screenings. However, doctors typically wait to recommend screenings to patients until they fall within the target risk group because of insurance coverage and care guidelines. That’s why it’s also helpful to have accessible health information in the waiting room and exam room detailing the symptoms of common conditions within your patient population. This will prompt more patients to ask doctors about symptoms they may not have thought to bring up before.
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Supports your value-based care model
More and more practices are making the switch from fee-for-service to value-based care models. If you follow the latter model, your providers need to maintain relationships with patients, identify and care for high-risk patients, reduce hospitalizations and work as a team to have optimal population health management. Patient education helps you meet these requirements, earning greater reimbursement.
In addition to encouraging preventive screenings, your education should include content on when to go to the ER, how to feel confident speaking to the doctor, advice for being an effective caregiver and healthy living tips. All of these contribute to treating the patient holistically—helping to reduce hospitalizations and meet the care model requirements.
Improves treatment compliance
The right patient education solutions in your office will also increase treatment compliance. And when patients are taking medications as prescribed, they’ll have better health outcomes, fewer emergency room visits and fewer hospital readmissions—which means more revenue under a value-based care model. To reap these benefits, showcase compliance messaging on waiting room and exam room screens that remind patients to take a full course of antibiotics, offer tips for remembering medications and more.
Never assume that patients already understand their diagnosis and treatment. Patients’ educational backgrounds, economic stability and other social determinants of health affect their health literacy and accordingly their ability to follow doctors’ orders. Emphasize to providers the importance of using simple terms and encouraging questions during appointments to make sure each patient leaves feeling confident in their next steps.
Patient education is not only a cornerstone of quality healthcare but also a strategic asset that can significantly optimize practice revenue. Our in-office patient education devices are proven to boost preventive screenings, billable claims and ultimately revenue. Discover how in our case study, “Improving Health Outcomes with PatientPoint.”