Several digital tools supported the organization’s Safe Care campaign, including a chatbot focused on COVID-19, an enhanced digital appointment request for telehealth and digital forms designed to make in-person visits more efficient.
A 24-hour coronavirus call center gave patients a place to ask questions and provided a window into their concerns — part of the strategy to keep a pulse on community sentiment and align messaging accordingly.
“Our primary concern was to make sure patients weren’t putting off needed care that would have a negative impact if we didn’t get to them sooner,” she said.
3. Promote New Billing, Payment Strategies to Boost Patient Loyalty
On the business side, Northwell wanted to help mitigate the pandemic’s financial impact. Leaders recognized that unemployment, business shutdowns, remote education and other factors had put enormous strains on the community, said Quaranto.
When the pandemic began, Northwell mobilized 180 employees for remote payment collection and created a portal for online payments.
READ MORE: Learn how a major healthcare organization scaled up telehealth to meet growing demand.
“We quickly worked with Legal, Compliance and IT to get our advisers the ability to collect remotely,” said Quaranto. “This enabled seamless servicing and business continuity.”
For patients reluctant to use the portal, 10 advisers were dispatched to collect payments in person at a location that allowed for ample social distancing. Northwell has also developed a customer-centric approach and trained advisers on financial sensitivity.
Other strategies included temporary holds on COVID-related and telehealth bills; 60-day holds on open balances for patients with financial hardship, with options for extensions and interest-free payment plans; longer time frames and lower monthly payments for plans; and flexibility for managers to develop custom solutions for individual patients.
“Instead of calling to collect, we were calling to have a conversation on how we could be there for them,” Quaranto said.