As a medical professional, you understand the difficulty of collecting timely payments on outstanding patient bills. Don’t undervalue the importance of patient demographics if you want to optimize your billing and collection process. So let’s go over patient demographics, what the patient information form includes, what kind of information to collect, and planned parenthood patient demographics.
Patient demographics, which include everything from the patient’s date of birth to the insurance carriers with whom they are affiliated, are typically the first piece of information obtained from the patient. They decide who to send the claim to, where to deliver the final bill, and who to contact if there is a payment problem. If the necessary information is not acquired while the patient is in your office, the procedure can be derailed at any stage.
What are Patient Demographics?
Basic patient information is found in patient demographics. Practices collect patient details to provide better care and streamline the medical billing and coding process. These data strongly overlap with marketing demographics, however, they are not identical. Since marketers utilize demographics to identify which consumers are worth their attention, practitioners use patient demographics to help individuals who are already in front of them as well as billpayers for their services.
Patient Demographics Information Includes
Almost always, patient demographics information includes the following information:
- Full legal name
- Date of birth
- Biological sex
- Gender
- Contact information, including address
- Ethnicity
- Race
Under the umbrella of patient demographic data, some healthcare entities additionally include insurance information, medical history, education, and the employer. Others consider the first two of these items to be non-demographic patient data. Medical history, in particular, maybe more suitable to include inpatient medical charts than demographics.
Although education and employer data are extremely beneficial for marketers, they may be less relevant to healthcare results. But, in general, if you collect some information from a patient during their appointment registration or check-in, you can classify it as a patient demographic.
Why are Patient Demographics Important?
Patient demographics are important because
#1. Direct the billing procedure.
Patient demographics define the payers from whom you should seek reimbursement under a definition that includes insurance information. Demographics with insurance information tell you where to submit your final bill and how to follow up on delinquent claims. If you do not collect these demographics, your charging procedure may be delayed.
#2. Simplify patient communications.
Sending patient statements to an out-of-date address is detrimental to your practice. Gathering patient demographics is a guaranteed approach to avoid this problem. Similarly, contacting an out-of-date phone number will be futile if you’re phoning patients to confirm appointments or collect payment on past-due invoices. The majority of medical software includes patient interaction capabilities like automatic patient reminders and a patient portal. Making use of these can reduce no-shows and cancellations while also educating your patient and getting them more involved in their health and fitness.
#3. Enhance patient care.
Several of the questions you might ask to establish a patient’s risk factors are answered by their demographics. For example, since 1 in every 5 women over the age of 50 has osteoporosis, you’ll know to look for it in patients who fit the criteria. This preventive approach supports new value-based care models that can enhance patient outcomes.
#4. Become more culturally aware.
A patient’s demographics may connect with particular lived experiences and perspectives that practitioners should bear in mind throughout patient visits. Medical skepticism, for example, is widespread among Black Americans. A culturally competent practitioner should care for Black patients while keeping this trend and its origins in mind. Patient demographics are a good place to start.
Patient Demographics Form
Use the online Patient Demographics Form Template to keep all patient information in your database current. This user-friendly form makes it simple to collect patient demographic data as well as any other patient health information needed to offer the best care. Instead of attempting to go through a stack of paper forms at appointment time, patients can fill out demographic information online at their convenience.
Patient demographic forms can be filled out on any device because they are all mobile-friendly. Tablets can potentially replace the patient information form at your practice. For healthcare providers and their staff, online forms simplify the patient intake procedure.
This demographics form template is simple to alter, allowing you to collect all of the information you require. Use this form during patient registration to acquire information other than medical history. Form fields include the date of birth, primary care physician, marital status, full-time/part-time employment status, family member information, and more. HIPAA compliance capabilities are accessible. Along with other crucial patient forms that you can create, the Patient Demographics Form Template is a great addition.
Planned Parenthood Patient Demographics
According to a spokesman for Planned Parenthood’s political action committee, men increasingly seek health care from the organization.
Alencia Johnson, of Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF), told Hill.TV journalist Jamal Simmons, “One of our fastest increasing patient demographics is men – they represent 12 percent of the population that we serve.”
According to Johnson, the nonprofit offers a wide range of services to men. This encompasses everything from STI tests for sexually transmitted illnesses to condoms and vasectomies in some states.
According to the organization, this is part of a rising pattern.
In the last ten years, Planned Parenthood stated it has increased the number of males who use its services, and the organization reported a 76 percent increase in male patients across the United States from 2004 to 2014.
Johnson is the director of public engagement at PPAF, which, according to Johnson, is not to be mistaken with the Planned Parenthood clinics that many people are familiar with in their towns.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund is our advocacy arm where we can throw down and safeguard access to women’s reproductive health care and access to safe legal abortion.
12 million activists, donors, and other supporters support the nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
How to Gather and Keep Track of Patient Demographics
Demographic collecting and tracking procedures should be standardized, much like all patient intake and registration procedures. The problem is that numerous practice management specialists have repeatedly seen untrustworthy patient demographic collecting and monitoring systems. The following pointers and strategies can assist your practice in avoiding this problem.
#1. Ask the appropriate questions.
It’s one thing to ask, “Is your information up to date?” This question has two outcomes: the patient either has to spend time looking up your information about them, or they simply assume their information is correct. These outcomes are undesirable because you want the patient intake procedure to be as efficient as possible and because patients who assume your information is correct may be mistaken.
To overcome this issue, make sure your query quickly provides the information you’re seeking from your patient. instead of “Is your information up to date?” “Is 123-456-7890 still the best phone number for you?” or “Can you please provide your current phone number?” You should ask comparable questions regarding the patient’s address, insurance number, and emergency contact.
#2. Know how to ask the right questions.
Creating a list of extremely specific demographic questions is not the same as knowing how to best gather that information. It’s not uncommon to hear anecdotes about people feeling mistreated when asked for their demographics. Also, some patients may refuse to give specific types of information. To prevent this stumbling block, plan out how you’ll ask the questions you’ve formulated.
One thing to consider is your mode of communication. When a patient phones to schedule an appointment, having a nurse take demographic information over the phone may raise privacy concerns for the patient. Moving to an online registration gateway may feel more private because patients may complete the process at their leisure.
Consider this: Do you believe your patients would be comfortable sharing stigmatized conditions or demographic data with others who have no involvement in their healthcare? Probably not. Understanding who should ask demographic gathering questions and when to use online portals instead offers a much-needed privacy barrier.
No two medical practices gather and track patient data the same way, but all practices must follow certain norms and regulations. The Quality Improvement Strategy (QIS) initiative, which is overseen by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), is one such rule. The CMS website outlines best practices for QIS patient data gathering. QIS is intended to promote improved patient outcomes with fewer hospitalizations.
State-level patient demographic rules may also apply to your clinic. For example, in Massachusetts, hospitals are mandated to record race and ethnicity statistics for inpatient, observation, and emergency room visits. This crucial passage is found in the actual language of the Massachusetts law: “[A] suggested data gathering instrument has been established… to standardize efforts across hospitals.”
#4. Configure your EMR for easy data entry.
You’ll need a location to keep your data once you’ve collected it. Such area is increasingly being found within an electronic medical record (EMR) platform. These technologies make patient data accessible with a few clicks and preserve it with digital security techniques that outperform physical storage. They also provide efficient, streamlined access throughout your practice, as well as simple sharing with practitioners at different facilities.
Having said that, not every practice now employs EMR technology. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 14.1% of office-based physicians did not use an EMR system as of March 2020. The good news is that locating the best EMR system for your clinic may be straightforward.
Whether you’re new to EMR systems or have one but want to switch, visit our EMR software best picks page to get started. EMR systems come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from highly user-friendly alternatives like the one highlighted in our Kareo review to consulting-heavy platforms like the one included in our athenahealth review. The patient demographic gathering process is made considerably simpler after your EMR platform has been established.
What are the 3 categories of demographics?
- Demographic data (at least age and sex)
- Economic data (e.g., occupation and income)
- Social (e.g., education and housing)
What is the purpose of patient demographics?
Demographic data can assist give a foundation for understanding communities as they are now, where they’ve been, and where they’re going. It can be a strong tool for tracking change through time and identifying a community’s needs or strengths to drive planning, policy creation, or decision-making.
How do you write a demographic profile of a patient?
The following information is nearly always included in patient demographics:
- Full legal name.
- Date of birth.
- Biological sex.
- Gender.
- Contact information, including address.
- Ethnicity.
- Race.
What are the main types of demographics?
Age, gender, occupation, cultural background, and family status are the five major demographic groups.
What are the demographics for a patient chart?
Patient demographic data includes all non-clinical information about a patient, such as a name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, sex, race, and so on.
What are examples of demographic profiles?
Examples of demographic information include age, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status, income, education, and employment. You may easily and successfully collect this type of information with survey questions.
Conclusion
The future of our healthcare system depends on having the appropriate information to modify our procedures and comprehend the difficulties facing patients.
Patient demographics are important, it can be said. To continue providing the best possible care to your patients, you must examine how to best gather, store, and use this information—the answer may be a mobile solution.
Managing patient demographics will become easier as technology advances. As more individuals become aware of the advantages of mHealth, more patients will desire to participate.
Related Articles
- EMR SYSTEMS: Meaning, Best Emr Systems & Training
- DEMOGRAPHICS OF TARGET MARKET: How to Define & Identify Them!!!
- REMOTE MONITORING: What It Is, Application, and Jobs
- Practice Management Software: Definition & Top Picks
- DEMOGRAPHICS: How to Make Use of Demographics in Strategic Marketing
References
