Healthcare

Enhancing Patient Experience through Healthcare BPO Services

Nobody looks forward to seeing the doctor, and not just due to the illness. Long lines at hospitals for registration, waiting for consultations and tests, billing and insurance claims are some of the banes of the healthcare industry. In a bid to provide the best possible service, the industry is trying to plug these issues. The demand for quality healthcare services has increased tremendously over the past few years. Digitisation has spread its wings across industries and patients today expect personalised  and speedy healthcare services. In a post-pandemic world, the healthcare industry faces several other challenges too, such as a burnt out workforce, shortage of medical professionals, rising costs and complex regulations, in addition to having to respond to public health crises.

With several players in the market, healthcare providers now need to improve patient experience and satisfaction. While the concern is to elevate patient satisfaction, healthcare providers cannot afford to ignore operational efficiency, which is a large contributor to improving patient experience. Access to good care facilities due to geographical or financial barriers remains a concern. Similarly, lack of adequate insurance coverage can also lead to patients seeking care elsewhere. Hospitals need to be able to provide uniform and consistent care to patients, across all facilities, and also offer continued care.

Efficient and effective business processes can help streamline processes and improve patient experience. It is important to remember that if mistakes are made during documentation of diagnosis, treatment and medication, patient outcomes can be adversely affected.

Transforming with healthcare BPO services

According to a recent industry report, the worth of the global healthcare BPO market is estimated to reach around USD 755.76 billion by 2030. There are several reasons for this. 

• Process efficiency is a critical component of effective patient care, and healthcare BPO can streamline several administrative functions that result in smoother operations. By opting to outsource patient registration, insurance verification and appointment scheduling, hospitals can utilise their resources to deliver other critical services, resulting in improved patient experience.
• Cost reduction is a key factor in healthcare outsourcing. Training, recruitment and hiring costs and technology infrastructure costs all reduce as the BPO provider has the necessary expertise to execute the administrative processes.
• Patient portals and helplines can prove to be a lifeline for patients in times of crisis. Often, hospital staff are overwhelmed, leaving them with little time to address callers or people who connect online. Equipped with the latest technology and applications, healthcare BPO services can include chatbots, online portals and dedicated resources to handle emergency queries and responses. Hospital staff can use these streamlined communication mechanisms to understand the history of patient queries, and respond appropriately. This builds confidence and trust in patients and increases patient satisfaction.
• Medical coding requires high familiarity with scientific codes. These codes depend on the diagnosis, treatment and many other factors that affect the final category for billing. Incorrect codes result in inaccurate billing, delays in payments and penalties, impacting both hospital credibility and patient satisfaction.  Healthcare BPO providers have trained staff and expertise to handle medical billing and coding, easing out an otherwise complex and resource intensive process.
• Claims processing and management is another area where healthcare providers need to deploy resources to validate insurance coverage and claims, and ensure that patients are eligible for reimbursements. Outsourcing claims processing can reduce waiting time, provide clarifications and help improve workload management, especially when there are claims in large numbers.  The accounts receivable (AR) function and revenue cycle management can also be outsourced to healthcare BPO providers to improve payment efficiency, revenue and growth.
• Healthcare providers are mandated by compliance regulations based on their geographic region. For instance, healthcare providers in the US need to strictly adhere to the regulations mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), while in Europe, businesses are mandated by the General Data Protection Act (GDPR). Healthcare BPO providers have expertise and are familiar with local rules and regulations for the industry. Outsourcing these functions gives  access to trained resources who have the necessary expertise to ensure compliance adherence and patient data security, resulting in fewer penalties and improved patient care.
• Accurate medical transcription and documentation is a stringent requirement for hospitals. Medical consultations and audio notes require transcription for evidence, as well as for tracking patient history and understanding physician instructions. Electronic health record (EHR) services requirements need an understanding of medical coding, terminology and adhering to document formats, all of which can be done by trained BPO resources. Healthcare BPO providers may also leverage artificial intelligence (AI)-driven applications to transcribe large volumes of data efficiently and use human oversight and judgement to ensure the accuracy of the transcribed information. AI investments can be substantial and require significant technical expertise as well as infrastructure, both of which can be provided by the BPO provider.

Outsourcing functions that consume time and resources let healthcare providers focus on patients, and do what they do best - deliver quality patient care. Healthcare BPO services enable efficient - processes and accurate documentation, allowing healthcare providers to offer patient-centric services while optimising costs and operational efficiency.

How can Infosys BPM help with BPO services for Healthcare?

Infosys BPM’s Healthcare BPO Services bring together strong domain expertise and a deep understanding of technology to address the changing dynamics of the healthcare industry.  Our integrated IT-BPM solutions for healthcare are designed to transform healthcare operations, enhance patient experience and improve patient satisfaction.