Larry Taylor, president and CEO of Practice Partners in Healthcare, describes five steps ASCs should take for collecting payments from patients.
1. Train staff in collections. If possible, bring in an experienced collector to talk to front-office staff. If this is not possible, staff should meet to share their observations on collections. The chief goal is to help make staff comfortable asking others for money. "Most people don't like to ask others for money, even if it's their job," Mr. Taylor says.
2. Provide daily feedback to staff. Staff should keep a log showing how many patients paid their bill. Offer a bonus payment for those who collect 90 percent or more of patients' payments. "The goal here is to reinforce to staff the importance of collecting from patients," Mr. Taylor says.
3. Bring up payments at three points. At the initial contact, when patients are referred, get their insurance information, explain full payment is due at the time of service and provide a ballpark estimate of the cost. Offer the patient an opportunity to call before surgery to ask for a more precise amount. In the pre-op call, remind patients to bring a check or credit card to pay the full amount. At registration, the front-office staff collects the full amount, based on deductible and copayment amounts provided in advance by the business office.
4. Offer payment plan. If the patient cannot pay the full amount, front-office staff should offer a standard payment plan. Patients should make a substantial down payment and the payment plan should last no more than six months. Patients who say they cannot follow the standard payment plan should be referred to a higher staff member, such as the ASC manager, who has authority to grant a longer payment plan.
5. Few extra tips. Staff should be able to explain to patients the difference between what the ASC charges and what is actually paid. If the patient undergoes more than one service, such as a series of visits for pain blocks, staff needs to make sure payments keep up-to-date.
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