How to Improve Patient Engagement Through Financial Information

Physicians may be focused on how patients are treated in their practices and the quality of care they receive, but they often overlook one of the biggest factors in engagement that also affects outcomes: patient finances.

“Patients see payment and billing as part of the total clinical experience even though doctors don’t,” says Oldenburg. Patients are seeing rising out-of-pocket costs and a push toward more health care consumerism, and patient expectations from doctors are changing.

Patient surveys show that only 12 percent said they had received information about out-of-pocket costs, while 67 percent said they have not discussed or do not plan to discuss their final bill with the hospital or provider.