Many gastroenterology (GI) practices across the country are awakening to the fact that they are having problems with patient recall. The reality is that at many practices only 15-20% of patients return for their colonoscopy at the recommended time.
Hunter Phillips, CEO of PRSM Healthcare, recognized the problem in 2011 and realized that an outsourced service combining leading-edge technology with a highly skilled recall team offered a win/win solution: more patients would receive colonoscopies when scheduled while practices would benefit from conducting more procedures and improving patient care. That was the inception of PRSM Healthcare, which has become the national leader in the GI recall space.
“We thought we were doing a good job on recall procedures,” says Bergein F. Overholt, MD, of his three-location GI practice, Gastrointestinal Associates, in Knoxville, Tennessee. “But when we took an in-depth look, we discovered we were not reaching a large percentage of patients.”
Dr. Overholt turned to PRSM for help.
“PRSM provides a service that reduced the number of phone calls, improved the accuracy and results of our patient recall process, the number of procedures and our revenues. Most importantly, it improved the quality of care that we provide,” says Dr. Overholt.
Healthier Patients
Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer as well as the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the U.S. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 136,830 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2014, and about 50,310 people died from the disease.
While screening has the potential to prevent colorectal cancer by detecting precancerous growths, only 59% of people age 50 or older received colorectal cancer testing in 2010.
Stronger Bottom Lines
Physician practices continue to struggle with new value-based care models and shrinking reimbursement. Missed colonoscopies and endoscopies offer an important revenue source that few practices can afford to ignore.
“We went to one practice that had just 19% of its patients coming back to the office for their colonoscopy,” says Phillips. “Once we started working with them, their compliance number jumped to 51%. We typically can increase patient presentation by at least 30% in the first year we work with a practice, with sustained increases in future years as well.”
Reaching the patient to schedule a procedure takes time and persistence that an already stretched GI practice staff often doesn’t have. Contact data often is conflicting, inaccurate or out of date, and staff members face competing practice priorities and an ever-increasing documentation burden for the patients who do come into the office.
Combining proprietary technology, advanced analytics and a focused, skilled staff, PRSM Healthcare engages patients due for a colonoscopy or other procedure using phone, mail and text. And PRSM can schedule with patients directly into the practice schedule at times when people have the greatest likelihood of being at home, which is often not during practice business hours.
“We believe so strongly in the value we deliver to GI practices that we don’t get paid until the patient actually shows up for the appointment,” according to Phillips. “We also document all efforts, helping practices achieve regulatory compliance and reduce malpractice liability.”
PRSM Healthcare has grown rapidly since its inception, continuing to expand its national footprint. As the leader in patient recall solutions, PRSM serves practices across the country with its proprietary technology and expert staff.
About PRSM Healthcare
PRSM Healthcare solves the gastroenterology (GI) practice challenge of patients who fail to return for follow-up endoscopy visits by providing complete patient recall solutions proven to improve practice efficiency, enhance quality, increase revenue, reduce liability and seamlessly support the GI practice through the entire recall process. As the leading provider of GI procedure recall services, PRSM has a proven history of increasing recall presentations by 30% or more. Learn more at www.PRSMhealthcare.com.