Patientco, a next-generation patient payment technology company, has signed an agreement with BJC HealthCare, one of the largest nonprofit healthcare organizations in the United States, to make it easier for BJC patients to navigate, understand and pay their medical expenses.
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As a leading health system with 15 hospitals and multiple community health locations, BJC sought an improved, more consistent financial experience for patients. Patientco will provide BJC with a seamless suite of patient-friendly billing communication and payment tools.
Patientco will enable BJC to provide patients a single billing statement outlining their entire patient balance, streamlining the process and reducing multiple bills associated with one visit. Patients can also opt to receive digital billing communication via email or text instead of receiving a mailed paper statement. Patients will then be able to pay their bills using their preferred device, at any time of day or night, regardless of business hours through an integrated patient payment portal. To address affordability concerns for patients, BJC will also support online, self-service enrollment in flexible payment options, like payment plans.
Together, these features will help patients easily understand, manage and pay their medical bills. Additionally, Patientco’s technology directly integrates with the health information system (HIS), which supports a better experience for both BJC patients and team members. The BJC revenue management department will also have access to other cloud-based features from Patientco, including:
- Digital mailroom for automated check and correspondence handling
- Interactive chat to answer patient inquiries
- Staff payment processing integrated within the HIS
- Enterprise-wide reconciliation
- Multi-PM/HIS auto posting
- Real-time payment reporting
- User audit reporting
- Historical performance reporting
“We understand that medical financial burdens can cause added stress for patients,” said Cole Elmer, BJC Vice President of Revenue Management. “Our goal is to provide an improved payment system that simplifies the billing experience and offers more convenience and additional options for patients.”
“Patients are responsible for a greater portion of their health care expenses today compared to 10 years ago, which means health systems must adapt their patient payment strategies,” said Bird Blitch, CEO of Patientco. “As a forward-thinking health system, BJC HealthCare has taken action to deliver better patient financial care and improve revenue cycle outcomes. This demonstrates their commitment to providing an outstanding experience that builds trust with their patients.”
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