When to outsource Patient Support to a third party? The US healthcare industry has become competitive, and ensuring the highest patient experience standards is an existential feature of healthcare providers. Directors of Patient Experience must weigh the pros and cons carefully and plan a smooth transition.  

In this insightful blog post, we delve into the benefits of outsourcing patient support, explore the signs that indicate it’s time to consider this strategic move, and provide valuable guidance on finding the right partner for outsourcing. Additionally, we address the critical factors in managing an outsourced patient support operation, ensuring seamless integration and maintaining the highest quality standards, confidentiality, and brand consistency. 

Join us on this journey as we uncover the key considerations that will empower your organization to make the right call in optimizing patient support services for enhanced outcomes.

 

Main Benefits of Outsourcing Patient Support Services

 

Outsourcing Patient Support has become a preferred solution for healthcare providers to address problems patients experience, such as following up on a diagnosis or prescription made by a doctor, scheduling appointments, verifying insurance coverage, providing health education, responding to inquiries, resolving complaints, and many more.

Outsourced patient support can help handle incoming patient calls and reduce the workload put on the front desk workers in these entities. An outsourced service provider leverages their in-house personnel to deliver more convenient and effective patient support solutions with round-the-clock support. It also reduces cost, in contrast to scenarios where healthcare centers hire dedicated employees for patient support.

 

State-of-the-art Technology, Specialized Skills, and Expertise

With access to professional processes, modern technology, specialized skills, and expertise, healthcare contact centers can streamline operations, enhance efficiency, reduce errors, and deliver exceptional patient care. 

Outsourcing patient support allows you to tap into a dedicated team with the latest tools and knowledge, ensuring your patients receive the highest support and satisfaction. Leverage the benefits and advantages of outsourcing your patient support services to stay ahead in the healthcare industry.

 

Enhance In-House Workforce

You can enhance your team’s capabilities and productivity by leveraging external expertise, specialized skills, and modern technology. Outsourcing patient support allows your in-house staff to focus on core responsibilities, leading to increased efficiency and improved job satisfaction. 

This strategic approach empowers your workforce to deliver exceptional care and support, leading to better patient outcomes and a more effective healthcare organization.

 

Cost Savings

One significant benefit of outsourcing patient support is the potential for cost reduction. By partnering with a specialized healthcare contact center, you can optimize your operational expenses and achieve significant cost savings.

Outsourcing eliminates the need for additional infrastructure, technology, and staffing resources, as the outsourcing provider takes care of these aspects. You reduce capital expenditures and allow an efficient allocation. Moreover, outsourcing can offer cost-effective solutions as providers leverage economies of scale and expertise to deliver services at a lower cost per interaction.

Outsourcing patient support enables you to convert fixed costs into variable costs. Rather than maintaining a full-time in-house team, you pay only for the required services based on the volume of patient interactions. This scalability provides flexibility, allowing you to adjust your support capacity based on demand fluctuations, seasonal variations, or specific project needs.

Finally, outsourcing patient support cuts recruitment, training, and employee benefits costs. The provider handles hiring, training, and management, saving you time and resources. The provider’s expertise ensures a skilled workforce, reducing the need for extensive training programs.

 

Improved Patient Engagement and Satisfaction

Outsourcing patient support grants access to a dedicated team of experts specializing in personalized care, ensuring swift and responsive assistance. Farewell to long wait times as you streamline patient inquiries, delivering an exceptional experience from the moment they reach out. 

Healthcare contact centers should choose outsourcing providers with cutting-edge technology and versatile communication platforms to let patients connect on their terms, fostering convenience and accessibility. 

Consistent, high-quality support contributes to better patient engagement and satisfaction. Satisfied patients are more likely to adhere to treatment plans, resulting in improved health outcomes. By outsourcing patient support to competent outsourcers, healthcare organizations can deliver exceptional care experiences, fostering loyalty and advocacy among patients.

 

Capacity to Adapt to Seasonality (Scaling Up and Down)

Patient inquiries and healthcare needs tend to increase significantly during certain times of the year, such as flu seasons or holidays. This volume surge can strain in-house resources, leading to longer response times and overwhelmed staff. 

Conversely, periods of lower patient activity and reduced demand for support services may occur. In-house staffing levels that were sufficient during peak seasons may become excessive, resulting in underutilized resources and unnecessary costs. 

Seasonality is a critical factor in the healthcare industry, and outsourcing patient support provides the necessary flexibility to adapt to these fluctuations. By partnering with an outsourced contact center, healthcare organizations can effectively manage the peaks and troughs of patient volumes, ensuring timely and efficient support throughout the year. This strategic approach enhances patient satisfaction, optimizes resource allocation, and allows internal teams to focus on delivering exceptional care.

 

Effective Healthcare Outcomes

Getting the right outsourced patient support services will allow handling all admin tasks while leaving a suitable space for medical experts to perform their roles properly. You can access a team of experts who drive positive patient outcomes by partnering with a specialized healthcare contact center. Our highly trained professionals possess the skills and knowledge to provide personalized care and support that aligns with your organization’s goals. 

By handling patient inquiries, responding in a timely manner, and communicating proactively, we ensure patients receive guidance and assistance for successful treatment journeys. We help patients navigate their healthcare experiences, leading to improved health outcomes. By outsourcing patient support, you tap into expertise that enhances care coordination, medication compliance, and overall patient satisfaction. Together, we can achieve effective healthcare outcomes.

 

When to Outsource Patient Support: Deciphering the Signs that Indicate It’s Time To Outsource

 

Numerous challenges that healthcare centers, hospitals, and clinics face might prevent their capacity to provide high-quality treatment. One of these challenges is administrative responsibilities like appointment scheduling, billing, and insurance verification, which may limit the centers’ ability to focus on patient care.

As healthcare organizations strive to meet the ever-increasing demands of a dynamic industry, some indicators suggest that outsourcing patient support may be the key to unlocking better results. Let’s explore some of these signs in detail.

 

Growing patient population (High volume of patient calls) 

As your organization experiences a surge in patient population, managing the influx of patient calls can become overwhelming for your in-house team. Long wait times, dropped calls, and the inability to handle the sheer volume of inquiries can lead to frustrated patients and strained resources. 

Outsourcing patient support enables you to tap into a specialized team equipped to handle high call volumes efficiently, ensuring prompt and satisfactory responses to patient inquiries.

 

Increased demand for specialized services

With advancements in healthcare technology and the rise of specialized treatment options, the demand for specific expertise and services has escalated. 

Outsourcing patient support can bridge this gap if your organization needs more in-house expertise or resources to meet these demands. Partnering with a specialized outsourcing provider ensures access to a pool of trained professionals with the necessary knowledge and experience to handle complex inquiries and provide tailored patient support.

 

Lack of in-house expertise and languages

Language barriers can hinder effective communication and impact patient satisfaction in an increasingly diverse patient population. 

Outsourcing providers often employ multilingual professionals who can engage with patients in their preferred language, ensuring clear and accurate communication, enhancing patient experience, and fostering trust.

 

Struggling to keep up with patient inquiries

A backlog of patient inquiries can result in delayed responses, missed opportunities for timely interventions, and potential dissatisfaction. If your in-house team cannot keep up with the influx of patient inquiries, outsourcing patient support can provide the bandwidth to handle the workload effectively. 

By leveraging the resources of an experienced outsourcing partner, you can ensure prompt responses, minimize wait times, and provide the level of service that patients expect and deserve.

 

Decreasing patient satisfaction ratings 

If your organization is experiencing declining patient satisfaction ratings, it may indicate that your in-house patient support needs to catch up. 

Outsourcing patient support allows you to tap into the expertise and resources of dedicated professionals who deliver exceptional customer experiences. By outsourcing, you can elevate your patient support services, improve response times, and enhance overall patient satisfaction.

By recognizing these signs and taking timely action, healthcare organizations can unlock the benefits of outsourcing patient support, including improved patient experiences, enhanced efficiency, and increased satisfaction.

 

Challenges to Consider When Finding the Right Partner for Outsourcing Patient Support

 

When selecting an outsourcing provider, it is essential to consider the provider’s experience, expertise, and track record. It is also necessary to assess the provider’s ability to provide the services you need and its financial stability. Additionally, it is indispensable to consider the provider’s ability to maintain contractual compliance and its overall reputation. You must ensure the provider can maintain the confidentiality and security of patient data and the highest quality of care.

• Language Barriers

Language barriers can lead to misunderstandings, errors, or omissions of important information, affecting the patient’s diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. They can also reduce the patient’s trust, confidence, and satisfaction with the care they receive.

• Quality Control

Poor quality control can lead to dissatisfied patient outcomes, such as poor patient reporting, and insufficient data may result in misleading procedures or delays in patient support response rate that can gradually affect cost.

• Maintaining Brand Consistency

Ensure consistency in the interaction style and standards across all channels, including any outsourcing platform. It contributes to increasing patients’ trust and loyalty and building a solid reputation and relationship with your patients, making them more likely to choose you over your competitors and stay loyal to your brand. 

• Data Security and Confidentiality

Protecting patient privacy and rights is essential for ensuring that patients’ personal and sensitive information is not accessed, disclosed, or misused by unauthorized parties. Patients have the right to control who can access their data and for what purposes and to be informed of any breaches or risks to their data. Data security and confidentiality can also prevent or minimize the negative consequences of data breaches or misuse, such as reputational damage, legal liability, financial loss, or patient harm.

• Evolving patient expectations and behavior

Patients today demand more personalized, convenient, and accessible care, which may require investing in technology-based solutions and enhancing staff communication skills. These may also involve using telehealth platforms, remote monitoring devices, or artificial intelligence tools, posing technical, ethical, and legal challenges.

• Administrative burdens on clinicians

Outsourcing patient support may reduce the workload and stress of clinicians by taking care of non-clinical tasks such as scheduling, billing, or documentation. However, it may also introduce new challenges, such as coordinating with multiple vendors, managing contracts and compliance issues, or resolving disputes and errors.

Criteria for Evaluating Outsourcing Patient Support

 

Selecting the right outsourcing partner requires careful evaluation of various criteria. Let’s dive into the essential factors to consider when evaluating outsourcing options for patient support to guide you in making informed decisions.

 

Experience and Expertise of the outsourcer 

When evaluating outsourcing options for patient support, it is crucial to prioritize partners with a proven track record of delivering high-quality patient support services to healthcare providers. Look for outsourcers with specific experience and expertise in the healthcare industry, as they will possess the necessary knowledge to handle patient inquiries effectively.

Partnering with a recognized leader in patient support outsourcing ensures access to a team of experienced professionals who understand the healthcare sector’s unique demands. Their expertise should include managing complex patient interactions, handling sensitive medical information, and navigating regulatory compliance.

 

Staffing and Resources 

Assess the outsourcer’s staffing capabilities and available resources to determine if they can adequately handle your patient support needs. Look for partners with a flexible staffing model that ensures adequate coverage during peak periods, guaranteeing efficient and timely patient support without compromising quality.

 

Technology and Infrastructure 

Patient support relies on a modern, reliable, and secure technology infrastructure. Evaluate the outsourcer’s technology capabilities and ensure their systems align with patient support needs. Look for partners with advanced tools, secure communication channels, and the ability to integrate seamlessly with your existing systems.

Your outsourcer must utilize state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, including a solid omnichannel platform that supports voice, email, chat, and social media interactions. Deep knowledge of sophisticated analytics tools should provide valuable insights into patient trends, enabling proactive support and continuous process improvements.

 

Quality Control and Performance Metrics

To ensure consistent and high-quality patient support, evaluate the outsourcer’s quality control processes and performance metrics. Look for partners who prioritize quality assurance and measure their performance against key performance indicators (KPIs) aligned with your organization’s goals.

Excellence Support Services strongly emphasizes quality control, conducting regular audits, and employing customer satisfaction surveys to monitor performance. They consistently meet and exceed established KPIs, ensuring exceptional patient experiences and continuous improvement.

 

Regulatory Compliance

Protecting patient data and ensuring regulatory compliance is paramount. Verify that the outsourcer complies with all relevant regulations, such as HIPAA and GDPR, to safeguard the confidentiality and privacy of patient information. Their comprehensive compliance protocols and robust data protection measures ensure the security and privacy of patient data, meeting all relevant regulatory requirements.

 

Cultural Fit

Cultural alignment is essential for a successful partnership. Look for outsourcers whose values and priorities align with your center’s culture. Seek partners who share your commitment to patient satisfaction and embrace a patient-centric approach.

Your outsourcer should foster a culture centered around empathy and patient well-being. Their commitment to personalized care should align closely with your center’s values, ensuring a seamless transition and consistent patient experiences.

 

Cost

While cost should not be the determining factor, finding a partner to deliver high-quality services at competitive pricing is essential. Evaluate the outsourcer’s pricing model and ensure it aligns with your budgetary constraints without compromising service quality.

The ideal outsourcing candidate should provide flexible pricing options and transparent billing to ensure a mutually beneficial partnership and deliver exceptional value for your organization.

 

Conclusion

Outsourcing patient support can help healthcare centers save time and money, enhance patient satisfaction, improve operational efficiency, and increase flexibility while maintaining the highest quality of care. By leveraging his expertise in handling and reducing administrative and operational workload, healthcare centers can free up resources to focus on patient care and other essential services.

NAOS Solutions has the technology and expertise to manage tasks efficiently, allowing healthcare centers, hospitals, and clinics to focus on delivering high-quality care. As healthcare delivery continues to evolve, healthcare centers that partner with NAOS CX will succeed in a rapidly changing landscape.

We deliver the highest quality in outsourced patient support services using our unique data-driven approach. We combine powerful technology and high-performance teams within our highly engaged and agile culture. Our expertise includes CX, engineering, data science and analytics, sales and marketing, and back office services. 

=> For more insights on the benefits and considerations, check out our blog on Outsourcing a Healthcare Contact Center: Weighing the Impact Before Taking the Leap.