How St. Joseph Hospital achieved a 420% increase in patient philanthropic aid
Covenant Health is a Massachusetts-based multi-state healthcare system with deep roots in the communities it serves. The organization currently has 100 physician practices and clinics, along with more than 5,000 employees and healthcare providers.
THE PROBLEM
St. Joseph Hospital, a member of Covenant Health, faced a significant challenge in connecting patients with much-needed financial assistance.
Despite being aware of the existence of the thousands of programs that provide philanthropic assistance to patients, it encountered a critical gap in its approach – namely in human resources. Without a full-time team to enroll patients in these programs, the hospital simply did not have enough hands on deck to manage the processes involved in enrolling patients, staying on top of the latest program requirements and changes, to stay on top of necessary paperwork and more.
“This problem is compounded by the fact that many patients were not – and still are not – widely aware of these programs, meaning they did not have the resources they needed to advocate for themselves in this area ” said Stephen Forney, senior vice president. and CFO at Health Association. “Even if they were aware of these programs, the complexity of the application process could deter some from seeking help on their own.
“This gap between the availability of help and patients’ access to it was a pressing concern, and we recognized that there had to be a more efficient and effective way to bridge this gap. That’s when we introduced the hospital to Atlas Health, which we saw as a solution that could streamline the application process, more accurately identify eligible patients and ultimately improve our patients’ access to affordable care.”
PROPOSAL
Given the challenges it faced, St. Joseph Hospital quickly joined Covenant Health’s broader mission to bridge the gap between patient access and availability of financial assistance.
“Atlas Health approached hospital president John Jurczyk to share a demo of the software and the ways they could address the unique challenges faced by St. Joseph Hospital and Covenant Health as a whole,” noted Forney on. ‘Their proposal contained a few important parts that stuck with John.
“Providers cannot afford to overlook opportunities to support their patients and add value to the organization.”
Stephen Forney, Covenant Health
“The first aspect of the program that appealed to them was the extensiveness of their database,” he continued. “It was truly a game changer because it streamlined the process of identifying help options for their patients while keeping program information up to date.”
Instead of relying on manual searches or incomplete information, the hospital found it could trust Atlas Health to provide its patients with the best financial support available, he added.
“Second, Atlas Health’s proposal emphasized the importance of empathetic patient advocates who will truly go to war for their patients,” he said. ‘The advocates were a crucial element in St. Joseph Hospital’s approach staffing issues, as they would then have a dedicated team available to work with patients, guiding them through every step of the application process and helping them overcome any obstacles they encounter along the way.
“This human touch was essential and would ensure patients felt supported and strengthened during their most vulnerable moments,” he added.
Finally, the platform’s workflow automation really came to the fore in the proposal, Forney said.
“As you may know, administrative tasks can be quite time-consuming for healthcare providers and the healthcare industry has continually looked for ways to streamline them,” he continued. “By automating routine processes such as document collection and verification, Atlas Health can significantly speed up the application process without tying up providers or introducing the risk of errors or delays.
“This was a huge plus and it gave them a solution before a problem was even introduced,” he added.
RESULTS
The results achieved through the implementation of the technology are truly remarkable, Forney said.
“One of the most important successes is the amount of financial assistance secured for patients,” he reported. “St. Joseph Hospital alone was able to raise more than $1 million in aid for more than 60 patients in less than six months, and they have seen a 420% increase in philanthropic assistance overall.”
ADVICE FOR OTHERS
“The healthcare industry has always been challenging and has become even more so with the impacts of the pandemic,” Forney said. ‘Providers cannot afford to overlook opportunities to support their patients and add value to the organization.
“Using a system to access philanthropic assistance is an excellent example of applying technology to value creation,” he continued. “Attempting to access such programs manually or not at all is suboptimal for both healthcare providers and patients.”
Covenant Health has had tremendous success applying technology to this opportunity, he concluded, and looks forward to finding new ways to increase value with technology in the future to improve the lives of patients.
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