EngagedMD Improves Fertility Patient Experience With DocuSign eSignature and DocuSign Identify

According to research from the Harvard Business Review, patient choices are a strong driver of the global health care market and impact more than 60% of healthcare spending in the United States. This is especially apparent in fertility treatment, an expensive and emotional process in which the patient experience is critical and the stakes are high. Fertility clinics, like all healthcare providers, need to educate their patients and obtain informed consent.

EngagedMD, a patient journey management company, provides 160+ fertility clinics in the US, UK, and Canada with a comprehensive platform where patients can learn about their treatment, review documents required for treatment and provide consent. EngagedMD has a robust e-learning platform to provide patients seeking fertility support with educational resources.

The challenge was identifying the best and most patient-centric way to obtain consent via electronic signatures. EngagedMD integrated DocuSign eSignature and DocuSign Identify into its platform to deliver on its four-part mission for fertility clinics: improve the patient experience, save time, go paperless and reduce risk.

Both patients and clinics cut down on paperwork—and time

Before clinics started using EngagedMD with the DocuSign integration, their patients had to fill out and sign dozens of paper documents, often 20 to 30 pages long, before treatment began. Clinics had to organize, file, and track each form. Additionally, patients and their partners had to go to a physical office location to sign documents. This process was a burden to patients, and it impacted clinic revenue by reducing the number of appointments available for medical treatments.

Clinics that use EngagedMD software integrated with DocuSign solutions benefit from the improved efficiency of a digital process. In fact, DocuSign has saved EngagedMD’s partner clinics up to 2 hours per patient on consent appointments, freeing up time to allow clinics to see more patients and have more focused appointments. This has also allowed clinics to process more than 1.8 million consent envelopes, totaling millions of documents, saving costs and time previously spent printing and mailing paper documents.

"Before using EngagedMD for consents, our appointments with international patients often took up to 3 hours,” said EngagedMD customer Mayra Camacho, IVF Coordinator for HRC Fertility. “Now, the appointments are 1.5 to 2 hours because patients have signed the documents at home. It's very user-friendly and convenient on the patient side. I rarely get questions about how to sign.”

DocuSign Identify can reduce risk and offer peace of mind for providers and patients

As clinics shifted away from what Jeff Issner, Co-founder and CEO at EngagedMD, described as a “paper process mentality” and became comfortable signing electronically using DocuSign eSignature, many clinics also began incorporating DocuSign Identify, a suite of premium identity verification products, when they needed additional security. Depending on agreement value and each clinic’s risk profile, clinics use an Identify solution: DocuSign SMS Authentication or DocuSign ID Verification.

Clinics that implement DocuSign ID Verification see it as a safeguard that provides additional assurance beyond an access code or email address. “It comes down to making sure that the right people are signing the right things. In fertility, there is a fear that one partner may be signing the other partner's documents,” Issner explained, which can create legal problems.

Combining identity verification technology with electronic signatures can help clinics reduce risk and give patients confidence that their information is protected and their consent is recorded. Before accessing sensitive documents, patients upload a photo of their ID, such as passport or driver license, on their computer or mobile device. The technology checks that the ID is not expired, the name matches the name on the document, the barcodes decode to information that is consistent with the rest of the ID, and the security markings show no evidence of tampering. A certificate of completion with verification method used is created for all signatures.

In addition to mitigating risk, DocuSign eSignature’s digital consent process reduces clinics’ time spent on scanning, verifying and filing ID documents. "Having our consent forms digitized with EngagedMD before COVID hit was a lifesaver. Previously, patients had to come into the office to sign forms,” said EngagedMD customer Paul Verrastro, CEO of Center for Advanced Reproductive Services. “Once we set up EngagedMD, the ability to send forms remotely allowed us to comply with COVID guidelines and still get consents signed by both patients and their partners, without an office visit.”

Improved patient-centered care, aided by positive digital experience

As EngagedMD continues to identify more areas to streamline processes in the fertility space, Issner says the company plans to seek other opportunities to apply similar paperless processes—and will continue to work with DocuSign to offer them. Because digital channels play a key role in the patient experience—75% of patients say technology is important when it comes to managing their health—patient-centered digital services will remain a focus of EngagedMD and the clinics it serves. EngagedMD is working with their DocuSign customer success team to implement more technologies and participate in early access programs for new features, ensuring EngagedMD stays at the forefront of patient-centered digital services.

EngagedMD is helping clinics streamline operations and provide positive patient interactions.

Click here to learn more about DocuSign Identify, DocuSign’s premium signer identification solutions, part of DocuSign Agreement Cloud.