McKesson app: Patient preferred and cost effective

ROCK HILL, S.C. - Patients increasingly want what they want, when they want it, says McKesson's Dylan Ross, and that's where the company's new VerbalCare app can help.

The app allows McKesson's provider customers to send targeted communications to their patients and track their adherence to help them comply with insurance requirements.
“In this age of technology and speed, everyone wants everything faster, and they want it to be easy and hassle-free,” said Ross, vice president & general manager, Biomedical Solutions. “In many instances, patients would prefer the convenience of reordering product or answering simple questions through an app on their phone versus taking the time to make a phone call or send an email.”
Features of the app include a knowledge library where providers can send welcome packets, educational videos and informational documents to patients. It also has the ability to capture patient signatures electronically, customize patient satisfaction surveys, and automate re-supply.
Using the app, providers can reduce operational costs associated with robocalls, text messaging and call centers, particularly around resupply, Ross says.
“The acquisition cost of customers can be very, very high if you have to pay someone to pick up the phone and call them,” he said. “If a patient won't respond, providers don't get paid.”
As McKesson expands its relationships with various connectivity partners, the app will only grow in its capabilities, including facilitating provider-to-provider and provider-to-patient communication, as well as coordinating bill pay and capturing overdue copays.
“For example, sleep compliance is a pain point for providers,” said Ross. “With McKesson VerbalCare, providers can facilitate a quick response if the patient is struggling with their PAP therapy, remind the patient to return to the physician to ensure compliance and, ultimately, improve provider reimbursement.”
As healthcare consumerism continues to trend upward, patients are demanding more transparency and speed than ever before, says Ross.
“And wherever patients are making health care buying decisions, such as on their couch with their phone, that's where HME providers and their partners, like McKesson, need to be,” he said.