Medical facilities, clinics, hospitals, dentists, and other health care providers face increasing challenges in today’s slow economy. These providers are experiencing substantial losses due to the rapidly increasing number of delinquent accounts. More than 47 million Americans do not have any form of health insurance coverage, while those who do have coverage often do not have enough coverage.
Before accepting a patient and providing a medical service, medical providers must obtain as much information about the patient as possible. At a minimum, the patient’s full name, home and work addresses and phone numbers, home, work and cell phone numbers, email addresses, social security number, date of birth and name of a relative must be kept in addition to any insurance. coverage that the patient may have. If the bill ever needs to be submitted for collection, this information will be essential to identify, locate and contact the patient.
Often, payment is not made simply because the patient is confused about their obligations regarding deductible amounts, co-pays, insurance coverage, etc. Make it a habit to clarify your payment policies upfront before providing any service to avoid misunderstandings later, and clearly state what the patient’s payment obligations are.
As is often the case with any debt for services rendered, past due medical bills become less important to the patient once treatment has been completed and the patient is feeling better. Other bills, like credit cards, car payments, mortgage, etc. may take precedence over an overdue medical bill. By creating clear and consistent policies, such as sending timely statements every 15 to 30 days and following up with phone calls, you’ll distinguish patients who are willing to pay their bills from “problem” patients. Patients who contact your office and demonstrate a sincere desire to pay their bills despite financial difficulties they may be experiencing should be treated differently than those who ignore their communications or simply refuse to make any payment arrangements. If a patient has not paid their medical debt or arranged for a payment plan within ninety (90) days of their treatment, the case should be referred to a medical collection agency or law firm as soon as possible to achieve better success in recovery.
Once you have determined that the patient is not going to pay the bill voluntarily, you must determine if you want to continue collection efforts or simply “cancel the bill.” the patient, as most patients will not return if their account has been placed with a collection agency or attorney.
Finally, you must determine if it is worth sending the Claim amount to a collection agency or attorney. If so, you must ensure that the services were rendered within the applicable statute of limitations and submit copies of invoices, supporting documentation of the dates and types of services rendered, and any information you have about the patient’s goods and services. employment to the collection agency or attorney.
