July 26, 2012 •Brian Watson
As one of the select few revenue channels engine that powers your day-to-day operations, statement processing is absolutely critical.
And despite all the (highly justifiable) praise for EBPP, traditional statement processing, at least for the time being, is still the dominant self-pay payment option for patients. Case-in-point: a 2011 InstaMed healthcare payment study reported that a whopping 92% of patients surveyed still receive paper bills.
All of which is precisely why simple, clean, clear patient statement design (or “Statement Zen”, a term that I’m single-handedly trying to elevate into a meme) is so beneficial these days. Using smart, aesthetically pleasing design that’s built to reduce patient confusion and drive the viewers’ visual path directly to key bill info helps to limit the burden on your customer service center and (most importantly) speed revenue collection.
If that’s something that you’re after (and as a revenue-cycle professional, I’m assuming it just might be up your alley), the best way to ensure that your statements are simple, well-organized, and high-performing is by following these 7 steps:
1). Differentiate for Emphasis. With as much information that's crammed onto most patient statements, it’s easy for readability to suffer. The more your elements are mashed together and muddled, the harder it is to empahsize what's truly important: what is owed, for what, and by when. Create contrast and awareness by using impactful color, clear call-out boxes, and different font sizes to let your patients know where to focus attention.
2). In All Things, Balance. Confusing, messy statement design often boils down to a lack of balance. Data is plopped down on a page with no thought as to how it affects eye movement or visual focus. Or too many elements are competing against each other, hampering a statement’s ability to communicate key billing info at a glance. Statements that are in balance are easier to understand because they help create a visual hierarchy that separates what’s more important from what’s less. Using a grid-based statement layout can help you more effectively manage balance, color interaction and visual path: creating a clean, organized statement that quickly guides patients to key info.
3). Proximity Rules. Let’s face it: patient statements tend to be busy. By combing together similar elements, you can group data into bite-sized chunks, making it easier for patients to navigate (and understand) their statement.
4). Put Space between Things. In a technical sense, white space is empty space. But it shouldn’t be treated that way. In fact, to enhance readability and clarity, white space is one of the most critical elements you can build into your statement design. A Human Factors International study claims it increases comprehension by almost 20%. Why is white space so important? It helps type become more legible, it enables important text (i.e. balance-due information) to stand out from competing elements, and helps reduce messiness and establish a clear, intuitive visual path. All of which is to so that it’s a vital component of any truly patient friendly statement design.
5). Communicate. Don’t Decorate. When it comes to creating a patient statement that’s truly user-friendly, good design is critical. But design doesn’t mean excessive ornamentation. Too many statements are adorned with unnecessary elements: superfluous pictures and graphics, too much transaction data, and a muddled, confusing layout. Smart statement design removes unnecessary elements for the benefit of statement usability, making it as easy as possible for the patient to understand key billing details at a glance.
6). Through Repetition Comes Understanding. From advertising to politics, repetition is everywhere. And for good reason: repeating a persuasive message has been shown again and again to enhance its impact. That’s why balance-due information is too important to convey just once. Print it on the payment stub; bold it in the transaction detail; feature it prominently in the account summary. At a minimum, you should communicate exactly what’s owed at least 3 times on a one-page statement. The same principle applies with customer service and payment channel information: feature it more than once on the first page and repeat it on each subsequent sheet.
7). If You Can Do It with Less, Than Do. Be keenly aware of your patient statement’s signal-to-noise ratio. Effective statements are assertively simple and to-the-point. It sounds reductive, but you should shoot for a statement that doesn’t make users think; providing just enough information to get rid of questions, but not too much to overwhelm or squander their patience. That means minimizing not only visual clutter but also excessive transaction information and onerous payment instructions for a bill that’s clean, clear and easy-to-understand.
Ready to discover more battle-tested, best-practice statement design strategies? Click to download our free whitepaper Building a Better Bill: Why Good Statement Design Matters (And How You Can Get It).
What design elements are on your patient statement checklist?