“Rivet is a more modern solution that’s sped up our process overall.”
83% of patients want to see accurate information on out-of-pocket costs before obtaining health care services. In fact, 25% have avoided obtaining care due to lack of cost information, according to the 2021 Annual Consumer Sentiment Benchmark.
Like so many that strive to put patients’ needs first, Christine Clingman, director of revenue cycle at Northwest Orthopaedics Specialists, sought to improve patient experience by offering cost estimates.
Serving a community of more than three-quarters of a million people in the greater Spokane area, Northwest Orthopaedic Specialists care for orthopedic needs such as cardiac surgery, cancer treatment and renal transplantation, as well as many subspecialties.
The Northwest Orthopaedics Specialists team originally prepared patient cost estimates on their own, using Excel spreadsheets before they started using Rivet.
“It was not as reader friendly for the patient,” Christine said of their Excel estimates. “The spreadsheet had many info boxes that the patient didn’t understand or need to know.”
Christine and her team previously offered a valuable patient experience but Christine said, “Rivet is a more modern solution that’s sped up our process overall.”
“With Rivet,” Christine continued, “we’re able to get the estimate out to the patient more quickly, allowing the patient to pay using their computer or phone, technology that patients have come to expect.”
Lindsey Beam, patient accounts specialist at Northwest Orthopaedics Specialists, said that making payment more convenient for patients through Rivet is not only huge for patients, but for their team as well.
“Patients don’t have to contact us and reach a staff member to make a payment. If you have busy staff, and you miss that call, I feel like you just missed out. You don’t know if they’re going to call back,” Lindsey said.
“With Rivet, we’re able to get the estimate out to the patient more quickly, allowing the patient to pay using their computer or phone, technology that patients have come to expect.”
Lindsey has worked with many vendors in her tenure at Northwest Orthopaedics Specialists that told her she should submit her ideas to better the software systems her team uses. When she hears that information she said she thinks, “Well great. That’s just a canned response that they’re not going to look at.”
But with Rivet, she said, “I don’t feel like that’s the case. When we have an idea, Rivet’s willing to look at it and they’ve even changed a few things! It doesn’t fall into a black hole.”
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