How Can Doctors Protect Themselves from Nonpayers?
Doctors can end being left high and dry when patients do not pay their medical bills. This can happen even when patients have insurance. Health insurance does not always cover the entirety of the bills, and many require copays. Collecting money and managing payments are difficult parts of managing a doctor's office; nevertheless it's important for doctors to protect themselves from nonpayers to keep their business afloat.
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Payment at Time of Service
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Require that patients pay their insurance copay before the treatment takes place. Make this standard for every patient, not just those with a history of being late on payments. If a person does not have insurance, then require at least half the payment for the appointment upfront. Require chronic late payers to pay in full before the appointment.
New Patient Packet
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Give each new patient a new patient packet. It should provide a summary of the office policies and procedures. Ensure the packet contains a comprehensive section about financial policies. Ask new patients to sign and acknowledge that they read the information. One way that doctors can protect themselves from nonpayers is to inform patients that late and missed payments may result in being terminated as patients.
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Credit Cards
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If your office does not accept credit cards, then make that a priority. That makes it easier for patients to make copayments at the time of service. Another benefit is that the patient can actually pay over the phone. Giving the patient the option of calling in to pay bills makes it easier to collect money.
Insurance
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One way for doctors to collect payment is to follow up regularly with insurance companies. Find out the exact copay and deductible amounts for patients, and notate it in their accounts. Knowing that information helps you be proactive about collecting money. It also lets you make sure that the patient still has active insurance coverage.
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References
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