At OSIS, we specialize in implementation, customization, optimization, training, and ongoing support for NextGen Healthcare’s Electronic Practice Management (EPM) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) Systems to empower health centers to focus on patient care. Spring of 2021, NextGen® Enterprise released the NextGen® Patient Experience Platform (PxP) that integrates with practice’s EPM and EHR systems to help create a more efficient way to communicate with patients. In this post we will answer some frequently asked questions about the NextGen Patient Experience Platform.
What is the Patient Experience Platform (PxP)
The NextGen PxP is a series of applications which empowers patients so they can actively manage all aspects of their health care with their Provider(s). The PxP can take the patient on a journey through their healthcare and enable better communication with providers to pave the way for more efficient self-care. At the practice level, leveraging the PxP can help providers and staff view patient information from one centralized location.
What are the modules or additional applications within the PxP that may benefit our practice?
The applications below can be added to the Patient Experience Platform so that patients can also experience this one centralized location for their healthcare. Practices can opt to implement all the applications below or choose only a few to integrate into their PxP. These applications should be chosen to support what best aligns with their patient and practice needs and may be an additional purchase price to integrate.
- NextGen Patient Portal
- NextGen Patient Self-Schedule
- NextGen PreCheck
- NextGen Pay
- NextGen Virtual Visits
- Instant Medical History
Is the PxP a patient portal?
The Patient Experience Platform is sometimes referred to as the PxP Portal and can seem confusing for those thinking it is a patient portal. There is a Patient Portal application in the PxP , but it is just one of the applications that make up the platform. The NextGen PxP Patient Portal is a centralized web page that provides patients with the ability to actively communicate with their healthcare team, manage their health, and account information. The image below is a view from the patient's side when they login into the PxP Patient Portal. This view can be customized with the practice logo, messages, and much more. Not every practice will need all the additional applications you see here.
What is the function of the Patient Self-Scheduling within PxP ?
The base functionality of the Patient Self-Scheduling module within PxP gives patients the ability to schedule their own appointments based on rules set up by Practice. Patients can see past and future appointments. There is a lot of flexibility when practices configure the Self-Scheduling module that can help streamline office processes for scheduling appointments. Appointments are scheduled using the decision tree methodology – why (being seen), and what (symptoms). Practices can even stop certain types of appointments from being scheduled and prompt the patient to call to schedule the appointment.
Can the Patient Self-Scheduling module reduce staff burden?
Yes, if the Patient Self-Scheduling module in the PxP Platform is enabled, patients can schedule, reschedule, and cancel appointments to help reduce the practice’s call volume. Reducing the call volume, gives back hours each week to office staff to focus on other tasks and patient care. This feature also attracts new patients – especially those tech savvy patients. This is a clean and effortless process for the patient to follow to schedule their own appointments.
What is the NextGen PreCheck?
The NextGen PreCheck is an area where patients can receive appointment reminders and start the appointment check-in process before the day of the appointment. They can confirm appointments with email and text reminders. After the appointments are confirmed, in the Practice Management appointment book, the confirmed check box with a date/time stamp is applied for your users to see that it was confirmed. If PreCheck is implemented, the patient can start the pre-check-in process to update their personal demographics, contact information, pharmacy and/or insurance information. They can also complete forms and capture consent within.
Would you suggest integrating NextGen PreCheck?
We recommend integrating the PreCheck module to help save staff time on the day of the patient’s appointment and to ensure the patient’s chart contains the most updated data. It also reduces wait time for patients when they are physically in the office.
Can the staff of the practice review the data input into PreCheck by the patient before it is integrated into NextGen?
Yes, NextGen has created a System Practice template in NextGen EHR Enterprise application for staff to review the information before importing the patient data into NextGen. This allows staff to follow up with the patient if there is incorrect information added.
Is there an application that helps patients pay their bills from the PxP Portal?
Yes, NextGen Pay application allows patients to make payments for co-payments or outstanding balances, check patient balances, and receive eStatements directly from the PxP . There are a variety of ways the patients can pay including automatic payments, mobile payments, or setup payment plans. They can also access eStatements or printed statements from NextGen Pay.
What are the benefits of incorporating NextGen Pay into the PxP Portal?
We have found when Members add NextGen Pay to their PxP Portal, time is saved during the check-in process when staff do not have to collect co-pays in person. Since the current co-pay and balance information is available to the patient, this allows the patient to come to the appointment with any questions they may have. For the practice management side, NextGen Pay produces a real-time dashboard review for all payment sources and consolidates vendors into one report for easy reconciliation. Practices are noticing co-pay funding has increased and usually occurs within 24-48 hours (about 2 days) of patient submitting payment.
Are virtual visits streamlined into NextGen with the NextGen Virtual Visits feature?
The NextGen Virtual Visits allows patients to schedule real-time appointments through video with their care team. This feature is integrated with Practice management and EHR. Once the patient logs in, the patient is checked in, the appointment gets marked as kept, and then creates an encounter to streamline scheduling. During the virtual visit encounter, the provider can share notes, their screens, and even access any interpretive service when appropriate.
How does the PxP benefit a practice’s daily operations?
The PxP can be considered the digital front door of a practice that can account for many patient's access points to their care. Patients want to have an open door feeling to their care – what better way to do this than provide digital strategies to allow them to interact with the practice beyond typical business hours, via mobile devices, and with as few steps as possible.
Opening the appointment scheduling book to patients improves both patient and provider satisfaction. When phone call volume is reduced patient satisfaction is much higher because they do not have to leave messages, eliminates ‘phone tag,’ and reduces the patient wait time at the front desk for check-in if staff are on the phone scheduling appointments. Provider satisfaction is also higher when their staff has more time off the phone to focus on patient care. When a practice enables the NextGen PreCheck, the time the medical assistant and the patient spend together updating the patient’s past medical/surgical history, family history, and social history will decrease if a patient has already completed the pre-visit section in their portal.
Offering the NextGen Virtual Visit can reduce no-show and cancellations for patients who may have transportation issues or last-minute changes to their schedules. This can increase patient retention if a patient doesn’t' need to leave home to see their provider.
With NextGen Pay, your accounts payable can collect copayments through NextGen Pay ahead of time and will receive updated/real-time reporting that is robust. Metadata between patient and practice is available and monitored across payment sources with a single dashboard view. These real-time snapshots create a more efficient reconciliation process for the practice.
The patient is at the core of your practice. Integrating the NextGen PxP Portal manifests an investment in your office and your patients. The overall goal is the create a positive engagement for both the patient and provider, and in the end empowers patients to take an active role in managing their healthcare.
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