For its “Trends in Patient Pay” report, Athenahealth analyzed data across all types of insurance coverages and self-pay from July 2017 through the end of 2019. The analysis examined data of 158 million claims for 33 million patients across various specialty areas, including primary care, orthopedics and urgent care.
Here are three insights from the report:
1. The percentage of patients who paid their medical bills using a mobile device increased 63 percent from 2018 to 2019.
2. While desktop payments remained the most common channel for online payment, the method did decline across all age analyzed age groups, with a 14 percent drop in patients under age 40 and a 4 percent decrease in patients older than 40.
3. The percentage of online payments increased across nearly all specialties, but the areas that saw the largest growth were pediatric and adolescent medicine at a 30 percent increase.
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