The problem

Effingham Health System relied on manual processes for patient registration, communication and payments, creating friction for both patients and staff and limiting the organization’s ability to scale with its growing city.

Teams spent significant time calling to confirm appointments, patients were asked to arrive up to 25 minutes early to complete paperwork and staff toggled between systems to manage registration, eligibility and payments. The result was front‑desk bottlenecks, incomplete or inaccurate data, higher no‑show rates and delayed collections—hurting both the patient experience and operational performance.

The need

A proven intake and engagement platform with highly customizable workflows—one that could adapt to every visit type and care setting, improve front‑end accuracy, modernize the patient experience and scale with community growth.

The solution

Effingham selected Phreesia for its integrated, customizable platform and hands‑on support.

Starting with ambulatory clinics, the team deployed digital registration, payments, eligibility verification and patient communications in a single platform. Logic‑based workflows were tailored by visit type, location and patient demographics so patients only completed what was relevant, while staff received accurate, complete data before the visit.

Patients now upload insurance cards and IDs digitally, eligibility is verified in advance and copays and open balances are collected ahead of or at check‑in—eliminating scanning and redundant data entry. The self‑service experience shortens check‑in and gets patients to the exam room faster, increasing face time with the care team.

After just one month of being live, Effingham saw huge results: 55% increase in time-of-service collections compared to the previous year, significant reduction in no-shows and 8-12 minutes of staff time saved per patient.

Happy staff, happy patients and a healthy bottom line.