By Angela C. Covington, Supervisor for Lee’s Summit Physicians Group.

Great news! Lee’s Summit Physicians Group has started using a new self check-in system called Phreesia.

Phreesia is a mobile, self check-in system that allow patients to conveniently and securely check in and confirm appointments from their own devices using Phreesia Mobile.

Phreesia will allow our office to send confirmations of appointments by either text or email.

The text or email is sent three (3) days before an appointment. If there’s no response, the system will send another confirmation request 24 hours prior. A final confirmation request will be sent 2 hours before the appointment. Once a patient receives the text, they can either Confirm, Cancel, or Reschedule their appointment.

When the appointment is confirmed, the patient can then start the check-in process at their convenience.

Security questions are asked to confirm the identity of the patient. Once these are answered correctly, the patient can complete additional patient information in the privacy of their home. This will allow us to have the most updated patient information for use in the office (for all necessary medical treatment) and for filing insurance.  The Phreesia system will minimize errors and give patients better control of their demographic information.

The first check-in process will take longer than subsequent check-ins.

While the first check-in on Phreesia will take more a bit more time than usual, check-ins following the initial experience will be significantly shorter since patients will need to review and confirm their information. Edits or additions can be made, too. And Phreesia’s logic-based technology means our patients will only need to complete and sign consent forms once a year.

During the self check-in process, there’s an option to add a credit card.

Patients aren’t required to add a credit card to Phreesia, but it’s a nice convenience. Phreesia is PCI-compliant, registered as an approved solution with Visa and Mastercard, and uses top encryption and security technology to protect financial information. If a patient would like to add their credit card or HSA card for us to collect copay, deductible, coinsurance or any remaining balances that are owed on the account, we can collect that balance with the patient’s approval.

One of the forms a patient is asked to consent to at first check-in is the “credit card on file” form. When signed, we will have permission to run that card for any balances remaining for the patient. We’ll then email them to let them know the amount collected. If a patient doesn’t want to add an HSA or credit card, they simply need to press the Decline button.

After a patient completes self check-in

When a patient arrives for their appointment, they need to inform the front desk that they’ve arrived. The front desk will make sure to update insurance, drivers license, verify we have the correct pharmacy information, update the patient picture for the chart, and collect any copays if not already collected. We ask that patients arrive ten minutes before their scheduled appointment to make sure all documents have been completed properly. Once this is done, they’re checked in and ready to see their provider.

If a patient can’t do self check-in from home, we offer in-office self check-in.

Once in the office, we can send a text to their phone, email or they  may use a tablet called a PhreesiaPad to check in. If someone chooses to do the in-office check-in, we ask that they arrive 20 minutes before their appointment. This is will allow our office time to answer any questions and ensure all required documents are complete.

Phreesia is built to meet and exceed the strict security requirements of the healthcare and financial services industries to ensure that all users are protected. Phreesia will never sell or disclose protected health information for commercial use. They adhere to the same rules of security for HIPAA and privacy that we do at Lee’s Summit Physicians Group.

We want to make sure that our check-in process is as painless as possible. Having an efficient check-in process allows us to focus more time on customer service and making each visit as pleasant as possible. We believe Phreesia will help us do this. We’re finding that with Phreesia, it does allow for us to open new avenues of communicating with our patients. Just a teaser… appointment request for scheduling through Phreesia is coming soon!

Exciting things are happening with LSPG and Phreesia. Stay tuned!