Patients now carry more responsibility for paying medical bills, not just the healthcare providers. This shift happened because patients face higher costs like deductibles and copays due to insurance plans. These increased expenses make it hard for providers to get paid on time.
A survey by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that 32% of people had issues with how medical providers collect debts. Additionally, 13% said clinics tried to get payment for debts they didn’t owe. For the solution, medical billing services in the USA have tools to help with these problems in paying medical bills. If you want to learn more ways to increase patient collections, keep reading!
Importance Of Improving Patient Collections Workflow
Providers often still use old-fashioned ways to collect payment. This slows down payments for your business and makes employees less productive.
Here are some more problems these old methods can cause:
- Mistakes in billing and coding
- Not getting much payment back from collections
- Problems with keeping information safe
- Losing patient records
- Trouble with agreements with payers
You can fix these problems by giving patients digital ways to pay. This makes their payment experiences better. Also, sending reminders in apps can help them pay on time. This article talks about more ways to avoid payment collection problems.
Why Does Patient Volume Matter?
Your practice relies on its patients. During the pandemic, fewer patients visited medical offices because they were worried about COVID-19. A recent survey found that 29% of adults delayed medical care due to this concern. Even if you provide great care, you need a steady stream of clients to avoid losing income.
If the pandemic continues to affect your practice’s income, making it easier to collect patient payments can help maintain a good cash flow. Identifying areas for improvement in your payment collection methods will help your practice move in the right direction. Here are six proven ways to increase patient collection in your practice.
Improving How You Improve Patient Collections In Your Practice
Today, For better patient collections, the following are some ways to make it better:
Get Revenue When They Visit
The best time to get paid is when the patient gets their service. People at the front desk need to know how to talk about payment with patients. They shouldn’t just take information; they should also explain what the patient needs to pay for the service. (Providers and practices that ask for revenue at the visit do better.)
Make Clear Bills and Notices
When you send bills, make sure they’re easy to understand. Patients should see how much they owe and details about the services, charges, and who to contact with questions. Many bills are too vague. If patients know what they’re paying for, they’re more likely to pay up.
Checking In with Patients
To keep up with patients, we reach out regularly through calls and emails. We use a system to decide who needs more attention based on how likely they are to pay. Usually, we do this once a month.
Making Payments Easier
Sometimes, letting patients pay in smaller amounts or at a discount encourages them to settle their medical bills. This matters a lot for those with little or no insurance. When patients ask about their bills, we often set up a plan for them to pay bit by bit. We talk about this plan when they get the service, and we also send it in writing.
Payment Policy
Often, letting patients pay over time or at a lower rate can encourage them to settle medical bills they might not otherwise pay. This is important for patients with limited or no insurance. When patients ask about their bills, we usually set up a plan with specific payment dates. The supplier tells patients about this plan when they get the service.
Online Bill Payment
More and more, people prefer to pay bills online. Using new tech and offering different payment options online is attractive to all patients, especially younger ones. A good online system should show patients details about their bills, just like paper statements do. For safety and following HIPAA rules, it’s crucial to use a secure patient portal.
How To Measure The Patient Collections Plan’s Performance And Outcomes?
To see how well a plan for patient collections is working, it’s important to measure its performance. We need to set clear goals for each part of the plan and regularly check how well each goal is being met. If something isn’t working, we can change it to get better results.
Healthcare organizations, primary care clinics, and physicians’ immediate care Algonquin needs payment from patients to keep running smoothly. To do this, they have to focus on ways to get patients to pay their bills. This helps the office get more payment and makes sure patients have a good experience when paying for their healthcare.
Key Takeaways
- Enhancing patient collection workflows is crucial to avoid specific issues and improve revenue, going beyond old passive tactics.
- Patient volume directly impacts revenue, necessitating improved collection methods.
- Five significant ways exist to enhance the patient collection process effectively.
- Tracking the effectiveness of patient collection methods is essential.