A patient statement is a medical bill. They can be sent to the patients by regular mail or electronically. Patient statement is extremely important to collect timely payment from the patient. Most of the times, due to less focus on collecting patient payment, practices are having significantly higher balance to be collected from the patients.
Ignorance of patient bucket increases not only mentalstress, but also admin costs and dependency on collection agencies. Sending patient statement after every regular interval and gentle reminders is very important and it helps to clear the patient due on timely manner.
What is the information a patient friendly statement should include?
➢ Patient information: Name, Address, Date of birth, and any additional patient details.
➢ Practice details: Name, Address, contact details, and Rendering provider information.
➢ Service breakdown: Detail description of service/s. Such as treatment dates, and procedure codes.
➢ Charges: Cost of each service, Fees, Deductible, Copayment, co-insurance, and other patient responsibilities.
➢ Clear payment instructions: Payment due date, indicate preferable payment method, and contact details for any assistance.
If the above-mentioned information is clearly indicated on a patient statement, then patient would get clear cut idea regarding why the statement amount is owed by the patient. In addition to that, we can also attach the insurance explanation of benefits (EOB).
At ingenious, we are sending statement to the patient for following:
- Co-payment
- Deductible
- Co-insurance
- Non-covered charges under patient plan
- Sometimes, if patient does not respond to us in timely manner to resolve the denial. For example: claim is denied or pending due to coordination of benefit details and even after multiple follow up, we are not able to reach patient, then we are dropping that balance to the patient and sending statement for the same (in the hope of response).
What we are offering?
Underneath patient statement and follow up services, we are offering help with several aspects to collect outstanding patient balance quickly. Below are those services:
A. Generating patient statement (generally on monthly basis):
After collecting payment from the all of the possible payer and still there is a patient responsibility, then we are changing status of such claim to bill to patient. And then during the next cycle we are sending statement to the patient for the money they owed. We are sending statement according to provider’s requirements, but usually we are sending statements on monthly basis.
B. Sending it to the patient (via text, mail, email):
We are making sure that the mode of statement is clearly indicated on patient account. So, whenever we send statement, we checked patient’s demographic details and according to the preference we are forwarding statements. In addition, if we are not sure whether the mailing address or email details are correct or not? In that case (with the permission of doctor), we are reaching out to the patient for cross verification or accurate details.
C. Regular follow-up with the patient (over the phone, text messages):
We are also providing patient calling service. This is done only after getting permission from the doctor. We are thinking that if we are sending statement only, it does not work to collect payments from the patient on timely manner. So, after sending statement, if we call them personally to clear their dues, then the chances of collecting outstanding patient payment on time are doubled.
D. Collecting patient payment:
We are also help providers to collect patient payment. If patient wants to pay bill online (credit/debit cards), then we are using online payment gateway to do that on behalf of provider/front office. If we receive call from the patient and wants to make payment offline, then we assist them to write a check to our pay to address or give them office address to make cash payment.
E. Applying patient payment to settle the claim:
Once we have confirmation of payment, we are forwarding those receipts to the posting team to apply the same into the system to settle the claim.
How often should patient statement can be sent to the patient?
Well, the frequency of sending statement is clearly depending upon practice requirements. However, to reduce time in between payments, consider sending statement soon after the patient acquire a balance. For the patient who has outstanding balance, a usual frequency of sending statement is once in every month until the outstanding balance is cleared.
Here are some steps we can take to collect patient payment on timely manner:
➢ Sending emails for balance reminder
➢ Text messages to clear outstanding balance
➢ Regular follow up with the patient until their due is cleared
As per our research we observed that there are two thinks which creates delay in collecting patient payment. First unclear billing statements and inconvenient delivery methods. Due to this, patient is getting window to escape. However, it can be fixed by evaluating some or the more details. Provider should try to simplify patient statements to enhance chances of collecting patient payment on timely manner. So, to make patient friendly statement, provider should keep in mind following points:
– Statement should be clear and concise: Patients should be able to understand their bill at a glance. Provide an itemized bill that clearly explains each charge and breaks down complex medical jargon into simpler language.
– Statement should be easy to read: Use different fonts and colors to highlight important details such as their outstanding balance, due date, and accepted payment methods.
– Verify patient balance: To ensure transparency and promote trust, always double-check patient bills for accuracy before sending them out.
– Try to delivered statement electronically: Provide patient statements electronically whenever possible to improve efficiency and promote digital payments. This will reduce time delivery time. The sooner patient gets the statement, sooner we collect.
– Offer various payment options: Provider should provide wide range of payment options. This way, patient can use their preferrable method to make patient. It helps to increase collection ratio.
We Ingenious Outsourcing already done all of the research to help providers to collect their outstanding patient payment. We are here to reduce your burden related to collection of patient payment. Just reach out to us to be free from all of your worries related to clear outstanding patient balance