One of the first steps to increase your up-front collections is education. When patients schedule their appointments over the phone, tell them that copays are due at time of service. There's no reason to limit the strategy to copayments. N.C. To help educate patients, put patient payment responsibilities in writing. It can also be a separate sheet given to all new patients and posted in a prominent place in the office.
Physicians often try to cut costs by reducing salaries and benefits.
But Jan Porubsky, senior health care consultant with Physicians HealthCare Advisors in Atlanta, said that skimping in the area of collections is a mistake. If you have enough staff to get the job done, educate them. One tip is to give front-desk people a script of how to ask for payments. They need to be taught it can be done in a friendly, nonconfrontational manner. A good front-desk person can make a world of difference.