Service Blueprint Workshop

The workshop brought together key stakeholders from Alteon Health and Sutherland Global Services to design a roadmap for improving the patient self-pay process. Over three days, participants aligned on a vision for their partnership, mapped the current service ecosystem, and identified actionable goals to create a patient-friendly billing experience.

Client
Alteon Health

“How might we reimagine the self-pay experience for patients?” was the central challenge, addressing inefficiencies in billing, patient confusion, and the need for better stakeholder collaboration.

Process

  1. Pre-Workshop Preparation

    • Conducted stakeholder interviews with representatives from both organizations, including Vice Presidents of Billing, Customer Service Supervisors, and CIOs.\n

    • Mapped current challenges, such as patient education, data consolidation, and insurance complexities, to shape workshop activities.

  2. Workshop Activities

    • Day 1: Vision Alignment and Stakeholder Mapping

      • Participants envisioned a 3-year future for the partnership through creative exercises like the “Cover Story” activity.

      • Mapped stakeholder roles and identified key “Jobs to be Done,” as well as pains and gains.\n

    • Day 2: Service Blueprinting

      • Developed a high-level blueprint of the self-pay process, focusing on the patient journey and backend operations.

      • Identified pain points, such as lengthy data-gathering processes, fragmented billing systems, and patient confusion.

    • Day 3: Goal Setting and Roadmapping

      • Established SMART goals, including creating unified billing statements, increasing collections by 8-10%, and reducing inbound non-pay calls over nine months.

      • Outlined a roadmap detailing people, processes, and milestones for achieving 2018 goals.

  3. Post-Workshop Deliverables

    • Delivered a detailed Service Blueprint and documentation summarizing workshop outcomes.

    • Provided recommendations for next steps, including in-depth patient interviews, practitioner shadowing, and prototyping key billing flows.

Impact

  • Enabled Alteon Health to align internal teams and establish clear priorities for improving the self-pay experience.

  • Set the stage for further research and design interventions to streamline billing processes and enhance patient satisfaction.

  • Strengthened the partnership between Alteon Health and Sutherland through shared goals and actionable strategies.

Lessons Learned

  • The importance of engaging diverse stakeholders to uncover unique insights and foster collaboration.

  • Service blueprinting as a powerful tool for visualizing complex processes and identifying improvement opportunities.

  • Iterative goal-setting ensures that long-term visions are supported by actionable short-term milestones.