{"id":51,"date":"2011-03-19T11:29:03","date_gmt":"2011-03-19T11:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/blog\/?p=51"},"modified":"2016-06-29T12:05:55","modified_gmt":"2016-06-29T12:05:55","slug":"improving-patient-collections-medical-billing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/blog\/improving-patient-collections-medical-billing\/","title":{"rendered":"Improving Patient Collections \u2013 Medical Billing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp_plus_one_button\" style=\"margin: 0 8px 8px 0; float:left; \"><g:plusone href=\"https:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/blog\/improving-patient-collections-medical-billing\/\" callback=\"wp_plus_one_handler\"><\/g:plusone><\/div><p>Physicians\u2019 office and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/\">medical billing companies<\/a> employ various effective strategies to boost the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/accounts-receivable-management.html\">medical insurance billing<\/a> collections. In order to achieve enhanced collections and make practices more profitable, it is essential to focus on patient AR as well. But, there is a lethargic stance while working with patient receivables despite the fact that patient receivables contribute to a significant percentage of the total <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/revenue-cycle-management.html\">medical billing<\/a> collections. <!--more-->Why is the goal of collecting patient dues often not achieved? Where do we lag behind? It is only the approach that needs to be changed when we work with patient receivables. A strategic approach and certain additional measures if taken while interacting with patients will help us in improving patient collections.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The doctor\u2019s office should have a concrete \u2018patient collections policy\u2019 in place relating to different situations that might arise. This will act as a rule book to the patient collections process and will avoid any uncertainties and confusions with respect to patient collections. The practice should also ensure that this policy doesn\u2019t deviate from the \u2018state collection policies\u2019 &amp; \u2018fair debt collection practices act\u2019. Adding a clause in the brochures and in clinic\u2019s information pamphlets will create awareness among the patients about the clinic\u2019s payment policies.<\/li>\n<li>The front office executives at the doctor\u2019s clinic play a vital role in patient collections since they deal with patients directly. The executives should collect all required information from the patients at the time of the first visit. Designing a patient questionnaire that covers all necessary information would help a lot in minimizing errors with demographics.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/insurance-eligibility-verification.html\">Insurance eligibility verification<\/a> plays a major role. Assumptions should be avoided and it is required to verify if the procedure will be covered by the patient\u2019s insurance plan. \u00a0Setting up expectation for payment is essential when the executive is not precise about patient\u2019s payment responsibility.<\/li>\n<li>Researches confirm that the number of patients with \u2018heavy deductibles\u2019 insurance plans has increased. Therefore, it is necessary to verify if the patient has insurance coverage, deductibles and previous balances once he\/she is scheduled for appointment. Doing this prior to the visit will help the executives in getting a clear idea about the patient\u2019s payment history if any. \u00a0Executives should also collect the deductibles or balances from the patient if any at the time of the visit.<\/li>\n<li>It is important to follow the \u2018ABN policies\u2019 and the patient should be given a clear idea that it becomes their responsibility to pay when there is no insurance or if the insurance denies payment. The patient should be aware of his\/her payment responsibilities during the check out time. \u00a0This is to ensure that there is no last minute surprise to the patient after getting the patient statement.<\/li>\n<li>At times, it may be required to extend the \u2018plan of care\u2019 and the insurance carriers usually don\u2019t pay more than the allowed limit. In such case, the patient should be informed in advance about the out of the pocket expenses.<\/li>\n<li>Providing the executives with the apt software will improve the quality of the process and making efficient use of the software\u2019s \u2018patient collection attributes\u2019 will deliver better results.<\/li>\n<li>Sending comprehensive and customized patient statements with all necessary information like the service rendered, insurance\u2019s payment details and patient\u2019s payment responsibility will increase patient satisfaction as well as the possibilities for immediate payment. Attaching \u2018inserts\u2019 with guidelines to patient statement will help the patient in better understanding the bill.<\/li>\n<li>Prioritizing is essential when handling the patient collections. The executives should have the ability to decide which patient account is to be given more importance based on the balance amount\/ age of the receivables etc.,<\/li>\n<li>It is required to send patient statements at regular intervals followed by a phone call. A phone call is more effective and by doing this, executives can confirm whether the patient has received the statement or not.<\/li>\n<li>There should be an \u2018address service\u2019 agreement with a service provider having access with US public records, in order to find the current address of a patient, if there are return mails.<\/li>\n<li>Setting up of a separate department for handling patient queries and accepting all modes of payment like checks, credit and debit cards will enhance patient satisfaction and in fact collections.<\/li>\n<li>In case of errors with patient information, correspondence letters could be sent out to patients for clarification and for avoiding any delay in process.<\/li>\n<li>Providing flexibility in payment by putting forth payment plans will help patients- particularly self-payers, to pay their bills promptly. Moreover regular follow-ups will help in maximizing the collections and reducing the AR days.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Be it copay, co-insurance or self pay, following these guidelines accordingly will help in eliminating the bad debts and improving the patient collections.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp_plus_one_button\" style=\"margin: 0 0 8px 8px; float:right; \"><g:plusone href=\"https:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/blog\/improving-patient-collections-medical-billing\/\" callback=\"wp_plus_one_handler\"><\/g:plusone><\/div><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp_plus_one_button\" style=\"margin: 0 8px 8px 0; float:left; \"><g:plusone href=\"https:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/blog\/improving-patient-collections-medical-billing\/\" callback=\"wp_plus_one_handler\"><\/g:plusone><\/div><p>Physicians\u2019 office and medical billing companies employ various effective strategies to boost the medical insurance billing collections. In order to achieve enhanced collections and make practices more profitable, it is essential to focus on patient AR as well. But, there is a lethargic stance while working with patient receivables despite the fact that patient receivables &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/blog\/improving-patient-collections-medical-billing\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Improving Patient Collections \u2013 Medical Billing&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on get_the_excerpt --><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp_plus_one_button\" style=\"margin: 0 0 8px 8px; float:right; \"><g:plusone href=\"https:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/blog\/improving-patient-collections-medical-billing\/\" callback=\"wp_plus_one_handler\"><\/g:plusone><\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[125],"class_list":["post-51","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-improving-patient-collections","tag-patient-collections-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Improving Patient Collections \u2013 Medical Billing - ecare India Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ecareindia.com\/blog\/improving-patient-collections-medical-billing\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Improving Patient Collections \u2013 Medical Billing - ecare India Blog\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Physicians\u2019 office and medical billing companies employ various effective strategies to boost the medical insurance billing collections. In order to achieve enhanced collections and make practices more profitable, it is essential to focus on patient AR as well. 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