Gemelli Biotech, a leader in diagnostics for GI diseases, prides itself on delivering an exceptional patient experience. In order to provide the highest level of service, the team recognized the correlation between customer satisfaction and a streamlined workflow for patient collections. With 90% of revenue coming from patient responsibility, Gemelli Biotech needed a partner that could handle a high volume of patient A/R. They chose Inbox Health.
Before partnering with Inbox Health, Gemelli Biotech only sent paper statements. There was little transparency from the vendor, the team had to trust that the statements were mailed without clear documentation, and then hope the post office didn’t lose the bill. On top of that, the turnaround time for payment was between four and six weeks. With the emergence of digital solutions like Inbox Health, Gemelli Biotech was confident they could increase payment speeds.
Since using Inbox Health’s platform, April Abraham, billing supervisor at Gemelli Biotech, says there has been an increase in overall revenue and collection speeds, improvement in operational efficiency, and better communication with patients through digital channels.
With Inbox Health, Gemelli Biotech sends statements through digital channels – email and text – and often gets paid the same day. If patients do not have questions, 47% will pay the day they receive a bill, and the remaining will remit sometime throughout the week. Today, all patient statements are sent digitally, unless a patient requests a paper statement (less than 15% request paper).
When patients have questions about their bill, the communication process is streamlined through text, email, and live chat in Inbox Health’s platform, which alleviates a lot of phone calls directly to its customer service line at its physical location. For patients, there is no waiting on hold or frustration trying to get someone on the phone.
“Inbox Health allows us to communicate with patients in real time,” April says. “I’m able to help patients directly in Inbox Health’s platform and provide documentation, test results, or medical records. It also streamlines the time in which we are able to provide requested information and brings a sense of peace to patients because they have someone advocating for them who is able to provide support and instructions in an easyto-use platform.”
With multiple avenues of communication, Inbox Health is able to provide a more personal and empathetic experience for patients.
“Everybody is online, and effective communication absolutely translates to digital channels,” April says. “You can make sure patients feel heard, then give them suggestions in writing on how to best move forward, often providing ways to get insurance to remit payment. It makes for an overall better customer experience, and that is something we pride ourselves on.”
Gemelli Biotech is committed to working with patients to help them pay their balances, and Inbox Health’s payment plans make it easy to set up payment over the timeframe that they want to settle their bill. Payment plans enable Gemelli Biotech to continue to collect revenue without adding additional stress for patients. Currently, between 5% and 10% of patients opt to enroll in a payment plan.
The combined factors of ease of payment, streamlined support, and satisfied patients have led to an overall 16% increase in monthly revenue.
“We have seen a faster turnaround in revenue and an increase in overall monthly revenue,” April says. “On top of that, we are able to connect better with our customer base and provide an improved patient experience. Inbox Health is an extension of Gemelli.”
April Abraham,
Senior Manager, RCM
Gemelli Biotech
hello@gemellibiotech.com