Last week's email focused on the importance of your practice understanding the changing insurance landscape and patient responsibility as well as the need for a process for collections. The purpose of this email is to focus on the tone your practice carries as you communicate with your patients in the midst of change and how you can maximize the opportunities your practice has for collections. Watch Your Tone
The natural tendency here is to get frustrated because so many things are happening that impact us, but are also out of our control. While it may be impossible to completely get rid of this frustration, it cannot surface in front of the patient. Perhaps the single best way for you and your staff to successfully navigate these difficult waters is by staying calm and keeping the patient first. A helpful approach here is to establish this tone when an appointment is scheduled in order to help patients understand the benefits their insurance provides and subsequent financial responsibilities. Helping patients better grasp the benefits of their insurance plan will be key as your practice adjusts to the changing landscape. The patient does not know what happened before they got to the office or what will go on after they leave. They see the practice as an individual and they should be treated as such. That means that we will often have to explain the same thing to, or hear the same complaint from, patients over and over again each day. With regard to patient communication philosophy, VisionAmerica Center Director, Paul Batson states, "I want us to be able to carefully and compassionately help patients understand their financial obligations and then help them to find ways to meet them". Being mindful of the patient's uncertainties before, during and after the visit will put your practice in the best position to serve them well. Maximize Collections Opportunities You essentially have four opportunities to collect payment from your patients. The goal here is to capitalize on those opportunities that occur within the office and, if need be, follow up on money owed through effective billing. We have outlined these four unique opportunities for collections and suggest a simple process for you and your staff to effectively facilitate certain types of transactions.
There is no perfect plan for collections for your practice. We do, however, hope this article served as a reminder of the impact upfront collections can have on your practice or encouraged you to think through implementing systems and processes to maximize the efforts of your staff. If you have any additional thoughts or questions on the subject, reply to this email and let us know. We would love to hear from you!
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AuthorThe staff and doctors at VisionAmerica are committed to providing relevant information for you, your patients and your practice. We hope you find the information in our blog post helpful. Archives
August 2019
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