Nurse Hotline Enhances Member Experience for Health Plans
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Finding ways to improve care and reduce costs is a continuous goal for health plan administrators. By simply modifying the way an organization delivers healthcare, a nurse hotline enhances member experience. A health plan nurseline can benefit patients, their families, and everyone’s bottom line.
What is a Health Plan Nurseline?
Quite simply, a nurseline is an added member benefit that enables individuals to call in and talk to a nurse anytime of the day or night. A nurse hotline operates 24/7, so members do not have to wait for a physician’s office to open to talk to a healthcare professional about their medical concerns. Around the clock, patients have access to someone who can triage their injury or illness and provide them with qualified guidance about what to do next.
Additional Health Benefits for Members
In addition to basic coverage for regular visits to their physician and other medical services, a health plan can offer enhanced benefits for their members. One of those benefits that can significantly improve the member experience is a nurse hotline.
Ensuring that patients receive appropriate care in a timely manner can make a real difference in their health. It can also be a cost-efficient solution, when the patient follows through with the nurse’s recommendations for home care or follow up treatment. For health plan members who live in remote areas or who have concerns about traveling to their provider’s office, a nurseline can offer additional benefits of convenience and safety.
Improving Patient Engagement and Satisfaction
Health plan members who have access to an after-hours nurseline will be more engaged in proactively managing their own care, which in turn improves their level of satisfaction with the services they receive from their plan. Patients who are able to call a nurse hotline will speak with a licensed professional who can triage their symptoms and provide the highest quality advice and guidance.
IntellaTriage’s health plan nurseline ensures that members reach a registered nurse, on average, in under one minute. Rather than being sent through a phone tree and having to leave a message for someone to call them back, they have the attention of a healthcare expert within seconds of calling.
Reduce Unnecessary Visits with a Health Plan Nurseline
Patients who do not have access to a health plan nurseline may be tempted to rush to the emergency room when they experience non-emergency symptoms. They may feel they have no other option in the middle of the night when they (or a family member) are injured or become ill. A registered nurse answering the call will listen to the patient’s concerns and have the knowledge and experience necessary to recommend home care when appropriate.
The experts at IntellaTriage have found that up to 90% of potential emergency room visits can be resolved by calling a nurseline and speaking with a registered nurse. Most emergency room visits are actually unnecessary and are much more expensive than basic care provided over the phone or in the provider’s office.
Nurselines have become a proven tool for ensuring that health plan members receive the right level of care, even in the middle of the night when their physician’s office is closed. The registered nurse answering the call can redirect the patient from an unnecessary emergency room visit or even an unnecessary visit to their provider’s office by recommending appropriate ways to more effectively treat their medical issue.
The nurse can also educate patients on self-care, which can result in healthier lifestyle choices. Engaging the patient in their own healthcare can also improve the patient-provider relationship that is so important to quality outcomes.
Save on Overhead Costs
Enhancing the member experience can be accomplished without the costs of additional full-time staff. In fact, a health plan nurseline offers cost savings for all involved. Outsourcing the nurse hotline can result in a savings of $150,000 per year over the cost of staffing an in-house call center.
IntellaTriage Provides Quality Nurse Triage for Health Plans
At IntellaTriage, our registered nurses provide the triage services your health plan needs to increase your service offerings, improve patient outcomes, and raise member satisfaction. Our nurse advice line is structured to triage every call according to Schmitt-Thompson protocols, which are the gold standard in telephone triage.
Our phone triage nurses, all RNs, provide sound medical advice for patients concerned about a healthcare issue and we integrate with our providers’ systems to ensure consistent care for those patients. Contact IntellaTriage today for more information about our essential phone triage services for your health plan.
