The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated demand for contactless experiences that are both digital and convenient across the entire range of patient interactions. However, one of the strongest preferences expressed by healthcare consumers-for online systems to receive and pay bills-has been largely unmet because of legacy mechanisms that require patients to interact with staff and decipher often-confusing paper statements.

These outmoded procedures can jeopardize patient loyalty through friction in the payment journey. Indeed, 56% of consumers would consider switching healthcare providers for a better healthcare payment experience. The disconnect between patient preferences and the actual payment experience is wide. More than 70% of consumers prefer an eStatement versus only 29% who actually get their medical bills that way, while 67% would rather pay these bills online. 

It's imperative that the industry address the payment disconnect with patients through a reimagined payment experience that is intuitive, secure, and easily accessible. Systems and experiences should allow patients to pay balances quickly and efficiently. 

This article will examine how a Chicago-based billing service, Revenue Integrity Management Services (RIMS), answered demand for convenient payment options with a quick-pay option for online payments that resulted in a 250% increase in online payments over its previous system. 

The provider customer is a 150-provider pediatric surgical practice that offers its families access to an online portal where they can communicate with providers, view test results, and manage their appointments. However, in late 2019, the practice's payment systems had no connection with that online portal.

The disparate systems were highly inconvenient for patients who were forced to use a separate billing portal to pay online. Additionally, the process to set up an account on the billing portal was so complex that it required staff intervention-creating more manual work for RIMS staff. Families calling to set up an account on the portal often ended up paying the bill with a credit card over the phone, rather than going through the longer process of setting up an online account. 

A self-service online payment option was needed to give families the convenience they needed and reduce unnecessary work for RIMS staff.

RIMS implemented a quick-pay option for online payments at the start of 2020.  The new payment channel delivered the convenience that families were seeking: a way to easily pay online without accessing a separate payment portal involving a new set of login credentials and staff-dependent setup.

The new payment channel was first promoted by including the URL on all billing communications, including statements and pre-collection letters. Additionally, staff encourages families to pay their balance online rather than taking a payment over the phone.

The results were dramatic. A majority of families began using the new channel to pay their balances, resulting in a 250% increase in online payments for the RIMS client.

The disruption caused by the March 2020 COVID-19 pandemic cannot be overstated, particularly for healthcare-related businesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, billing services struggled to move business operations to an entirely remote workforce to securely manage client payments. This transition included quickly equipping staff with all the tools needed to securely conduct billing and collections processes entirely from home.

For RIMS, leadership had to make the transition to remote workforce within a matter of days.  In the case of the pediatric surgical client, the transition was significantly eased by the quick-pay online option. In fact, the system was so successful that April 2020 saw the highest level of patient payments in the company's history. 

The transition to a remote workforce had to happen quickly in March, but the repercussions continued long after the initial change. RIMS leadership and staff worked diligently to minimize any potential operations disruptions and ensure payment collections continued. 

Once again, the quick-pay site was crucial to collections for clients. Rather than taking credit-card information over an unsecure phone line, all staff directed patient families to the secure online payment site. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, families valued the priority RIMS gave to the privacy and security of payment information.

The client appreciated that the new payment tool included a robust reporting tool, allowing RIMS to quickly produce detailed reports, including daily summaries and payment trends. Indeed, the client found that online payments increased 45% over previous months due to the new channel.

Although the quick-pay online channel was intended to solve a usability issue for the client's families, it became an important tool to transition RIMS staff to an entirely remote workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.  This led to the company experiencing higher than normal payment levels despite the pandemic.

RIMS is exploring ways to offer other self-service options, including automated payment plans, to further empower clients to connect with patients for payments. 

Deirdre Ruttle is Chief Marketing Officer, InstaMed, and Head of Wholesale Payments Healthcare Marketing, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

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