Communication at the front desk is vital to patient collections

Front desk personnel are the face of the organization that set the tone of the relationship between practice and patient.  How you communicate and interact with patients will make a lasting impression, including when it comes to patient collections.  Establishing credibility and clarity on the payment process is important.

No matter how small or insignificant, patients don’t want to be surprised by bills or fees especially in situations where they are being charged at a later date after the insurance claim is submitted.  If surprised, they are going to feel like someone is trying to pull one over on them and slip in a few extra fees or perhaps believe that the claim was filed wrong.   It is vital that a patient understands their insurance plan and what their portion of the responsibility might be.  Assume they are not familiar with their plan or even what the adjudication process is.

Here are 3 areas to focus on to ensure patients don’t feel resentment or resist paying balances:

Take it upon yourself to educate the patient.  This will not only establish credibility for you and the practice but the patient will now know what to expect.  Briefly explain the process and what you anticipate their responsibility to be based on their insurance plan.  If you have a tool that checks eligibility or estimates payments this can come in very handy.

Be assertive when asking for payment.  Don’t be afraid to address payment.  Whether you are collecting a copay, past due balance or capturing a card on file; be assertive.  Your communication and sense of urgency will set the tone with regard to patient responsibility.  If the patient knows you mean business they will tend to not let balances linger. 

Encourage questions.  You want patients to interact with you at the front desk or with your billing person as soon as they are unsure of a bill or charge on their card.  The more time elapses, the more tensions and past due balances will rise.

Whether payment is due at the time of service or a later date, the front desk personnel play a vital role in ensuring patients treat your practice like the business it is.  Educate, be confident and encourage dialog with patients.

Nick Bennett is Head of Sales for Easy Pay Solutions.  Easy Pay is a payment software that is helping Practices avoid redundant billing and past due balances by establishing how Patients will be paying for their responsibility at the time of service.  To learn more check out www.easypaycollect.com.