{"id":4542,"date":"2025-03-20T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-20T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/?p=4542"},"modified":"2025-03-20T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T10:00:00","slug":"the-x-factor-using-experian-data-to-drive-financial-assistance-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/?p=4542","title":{"rendered":"The X Factor: Using Experian data to drive financial assistance automation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Missed payments, delayed reimbursements and rising debt are often symptoms of a struggling financial clearance process. According to Experian Health\u2019s State of Patient Access survey, more than six in ten patients<\/a><\/strong> say they\u2019d feel more confident about covering their portion of healthcare costs if offered a payment plan. Still, many remain unaware of financial assistance that could further ease their financial burden. Automating financial clearance helps get patients on the right financial pathway as quickly as possible, resulting in streamlined collections and a better patient experience<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In a recent on-demand webinar<\/a><\/strong>, Brandon Burnett, VP, Revenue Cycle at Community Health System, shared how his organization is using Patient Financial Clearance<\/a><\/strong> (PFC) for financial assistance automation, and to increase efficiency throughout the revenue cycle. By using Experian Health\u2019s data to quickly identify charity care eligibility and generate appropriate payment plans, they\u2019ve been able to increase the amount covered by charity care by 30% and reduce bad debt without any additional staff. This article summarizes the key takeaways.<\/p>\n

Why automate patient financial clearance?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Kim Berg, Director of Product Consulting and Optimization at Experian Health, set the scene by explaining how Patient Financial Clearance<\/strong><\/a> helps healthcare organizations assess patients\u2019 financial capacity and guide them accordingly. Using data like estimated income, spending habits and household size, the tool calculates Federal Poverty Level (FPL) percentages and assigns propensity-to-pay scores, so providers have a more realistic idea about what patients can afford.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not collecting pay stubs or tax returns,\u201d Berg said. \u201cWe\u2019re using aggregated consumer data to estimate income and figure out the patient\u2019s ability and propensity to pay.\u201d With this, health systems can quickly identify charity care eligibility and offer customized, affordable payment plans. \u201cIt\u2019s about understanding a patient\u2019s ability to pay and guiding them down the right financial path.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using data to support state regulation compliance and automate financial clearance processes<\/strong> <\/h2>\n

Rising healthcare costs and uncompensated care are the main motivations for improving presumptive charity screening. Berg noted that changes in state regulations add pressure, introducing additional checks for charity care eligibility<\/a><\/strong> before patients are sent to collections.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing more states passing legislation that introduces some kind of charity requirement,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can provide the data to help prioritize those patients sooner in the process and work with you one-on-one to understand how the data can help you comply with state requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Burnett said that automating presumptive charity screening with Patient Financial Clearance has helped his organization manage these changes, including California AB-1020<\/strong><\/a>. \u201cWe\u2019re using Experian\u2019s data to automate the decisions when patients apply. It means we don\u2019t require any additional documentation or information.\u201d It helps \u201cmove eligible patients out of accounts receivable and into charity approval faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

Automating charity approvals to reduce manual work and bad debt<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Sharing a look inside Community Health System\u2019s financial clearance workflow, Burnett described how Patient Financial Clearance had led to a 30% increase in the amount approved in charity care compared to 2023, with no increase in bad debt. They comfortably handle an average of 1,400 applications each month, with only one to two full-time equivalent staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve automated about 80-85% of our charity approvals,\u201d he said. By integrating PFC data with Epic, the system automatically identifies charity-eligible patients and processes adjustments without staff intervention. \u201cThe adjustments happen automatically, the letters are generated, and nobody has to touch it. That\u2019s a huge efficiency gain for our charity team, because it\u2019s exception-based now,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Finding additional efficiencies throughout the revenue cycle<\/strong><\/h2>\n

While Community Health System is also using Experian Health\u2019s Collections Optimization Manager<\/a><\/strong> to automate collections, they\u2019ve also integrated PFC data into their broader collections workflow.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing Collections Optimization Manager, we can identify patients through their propensity to pay, their presumptive FPL, and if they look like they would be approved for one of our financial assistance programs,\u201d said Burnett. \u201cWe\u2019re also screening for bankruptcy and scrubbing to see if patients are deceased. So beyond PFC, Collections Optimization Manager is a great way to continue to leverage that data throughout your collection cycle.\u201d<\/p>\n

He highlighted that Experian\u2019s support had helped them get even more out of automation. \u201cExperian will come on-site and walk through the workflows. You don\u2019t always know what other organizations are doing or what\u2019s possible, so having that consultative approach has been so helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

These reviews helped uncover further opportunities to use PFC data, resulting in hundreds of staff hours saved.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe weren\u2019t even looking at these extra benefits at first,\u201d Burnett said. \u201cExperian pointed out that we could use the same data to automate more processes, and it ended up saving us hundreds of hours of staff time. That wasn\u2019t something we expected, but it\u2019s already paid for itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using Patient Financial Clearance to improve patient experience<\/strong>s with self-service <\/h2>\n

For Berg, two particular benefits of Patient Financial Clearance are worth highlighting for their impact on the patient experience. Firstly, it paves the way for more compassionate payment discussions with patients, by giving financial counselors a more complete picture of the patient\u2019s financial situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can prioritize financial counselors\u2019 work queues to focus on certain patients first, because they\u2019re most likely to qualify for Medicaid or charity. You can offer estimates, and make sure patients understand their responsibility and their options,\u201d she says. \u201cIf you understand your self-pay population sooner, you can guide them to the right path and free up more time. There\u2019s a lot of cost savings and resource savings downstream.\u201d<\/p>\n

Secondly, Berg points out that many patients prefer to manage their financial assistance applications digitally, without recourse to a financial counsellor. \u201cA lot of people want to handle everything on their mobile device or through a website,\u201d she says. The recent State of Patient Access survey<\/a><\/strong> found that 56% of patients want more digital options for managing healthcare, while 67% want to be able to apply for financial assistance online.<\/p>\n

To support this, many Experian Health clients are using PFC\u2019s self-service options<\/strong><\/a> to allow patients to complete applications on their own, whenever and wherever it is most convenient. These include:<\/p>\n

Mobile links are sent via text message, with the option to submit an application through eCare NEXT\u00ae<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Websites and patient portals, where patients can apply and upload documents online.<\/p>\n

Offering these digital options meets patients\u2019 demand for more control over their financial journey, while reducing manual work for staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cA great way to leverage data throughout the collections cycle\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Community Health System\u2019s experience shows how automating financial assistance delivers value throughout the revenue cycle. Patient Financial Clearance<\/strong><\/a> helped accelerate and increase charity care approvals, reduce the administrative load for staff and lower bad debt, while ensuring patients receive the support they need. With a clearer understanding of each patient\u2019s financial capacity, Community Health System can proactively guide patients to the right pathway, making financial assistance more accessible and reducing friction when it comes to payments.<\/p>\n

The hidden benefits of using the same data to streamline collections are a strategic advantage for efficiency-conscious providers. As costs and complexities continue to trend upwards, data-driven automation is an increasingly useful way to improve financial health for both providers and patients.<\/p>\n

Learn more about how <\/em>Patient Financial Clearance<\/em><\/a><\/strong> uses data to help healthcare organizations implement financial assistance automation, to improve patient satisfaction and increase collections.<\/em><\/p>\n

\nLearn more<\/a>\n

Watch the webinar<\/a>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

The post The X Factor: Using Experian data to drive financial assistance automation<\/a> appeared first on Healthcare Blog<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Missed payments, delayed reimbursements and rising debt are often symptoms of a struggling financial clearance process. According to Experian Health\u2019s State of Patient Access survey, more than six in ten patients say they\u2019d feel more confident about covering their portion of healthcare costs if offered a payment plan. Still, many remain unaware of financial assistance…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4543,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4542"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4542"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4542"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medical-article.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}