South County Orthopedic Specialists uses Phreesia to alleviate front-office bottlenecks

The problem

South County Orthopedic Specialists (SCOS) delivers full-service, comprehensive orthopedic care to patients of all ages. But after joining forces with three other orthopedic groups to form a larger partnership called OrthoWest, SCOS got much busier—and inefficiencies started piling up.

When patients arrived for an appointment, they had to complete pre-visit paperwork before seeing their provider, which exacerbated bottlenecks in the waiting room. Front-office staff spent countless hours scanning forms and verifying insurance eligibility, leaving them with less time to interact with patients.

The solution

With Phreesia’s intake platform, SCOS patients can complete pre-visit registration from their own device before their visit, or via an in-office tablet when they arrive. Those forms automatically interface with Aprima, the organization’s PM/EHR system, so administrative staff don’t have to manually scan them in.

Phreesia also automatically verifies patients’ eligibility and benefits, determines their copay during check-in and offers several discreet ways for them to pay, enabling SCOS to collect more at the time of service.

The Phreesia difference

Letting patients complete pre-visit forms on their own device has saved SCOS 1,500 hours of staff time over the past year alone. Phreesia also syncs with 1,000+ payers to automatically verify patients’ eligibility and benefits—and prompts patients to pay during check-in.

Efficiency and productivity have improved significantly since SCOS implemented Phreesia. The organization has reduced workflow strain, minimized paperwork and saved time, even during a difficult hiring environment.

“Finding quality staff members is challenging right now,” says Dawn O’Connor, Practice Manager. “Phreesia may not reduce our staffing needs, but it allows us to repurpose people for more complex tasks. That’s a huge benefit.”