script for collecting money from patients

Debt collection isn’t about bullying people. Unfortunately, many collection agencies have a bad rap due to a few that continually harass debtors. E mergency department registrars use this scripting to collect copays at the Cooper Health System in Camden, NJ: “According to your insurance benefit, you will be responsible for ($) co-payment. Script 7: Making a collection call. I was excited; more money, prestige, moving up the company ladder. BlueIQ Software I'D LIKE A DEMO Product Features Learning Resources Results Not always. Here are a few ways you can find one that’ll work for you: Refer to the Better Business Bureau. The job was a promotion from being a lowly clerk in an accounts receivable office. Ask if they are ready to pay the full balance at this time. In addition, federal requirements indicate that any refund processing should occur within a 60-day period. Having a script reduces guesswork for the staff, and establishes common procedures that should be followed consistently by all front desk personnel. Administrative costs and low collection rates make after-the-fact collections a losing proposition for most medical practices. 5.) Below are some sample scripts for our Billing Reminder Call service. Collecting amounts due from patients at the time of service, or at the point of care (POC), offers numerous benefits to practices, such as reducing accounts receivable, increasing cash flow, reducing medical billing and back-end collection costs, decreasing the administrative burdens of tracking and writing off bad patient debt and managing the growing portion of practice revenue generated from patient … Typical Collection Timetable 1. Remember: Your goal isn’t to harass them but to help … HOW TO EDIT: In order to edit them, you can copy these into the body of an email, edit and send back to us at support@1800notify.com OR, you can download the MS Word format document … Provide realistic payment options – Always start by asking for the full amount. Identify the Patient. Here are some tips for a successful medical billing collections phone call: Verify the patient's mailing address hasn't changed. Sometimes the reason a patient hasn't paid is because they haven't received the bills - simple as that! Always be respectful. Never insult the patient. 1) Always Stay Calm & Professional: Whenever you are reviewing your collection call script, keep in mind what is most important – keeping calm. One way to make the process easier is to have a script for collection calls that you can use. Set the policy and stick with it. Explain your collection policy. Don’t Judge. Collection calls aren’t easy to make especially if you don’t have any experience or if making these sorts of phone calls are difficult for you. We all know that copayments should be collected at time of service. LISTEN TO SAMPLE RECORDED MESSAGES: Check out the links at the bottom - there are some sample recorded messages for you to hear. Have patients sign an agreement so they understand that they will be asked for money … A collection call really puts you in a vulnerable position but you have … That’s why you’re going to want to find a reputable agency that will help you get your money back without resorting to unscrupulous means. State the length of time that the debt is past due. Think like a retailer and establish expectations with staff. Your ideal front desk staff should be able to ask for money with a smile and have the patient smile back as they pay their copay and/or balance due. Strive for a time-of-service collection rate of 90% or better. Patient: This is Bob Smith. This front desk staff must collect the estimated copays, co-insurance and outstanding balances. When you are itching to get paid, give them a call. However, be wise in how you approach them. The best way to be successful is to prepare. A collection call script is the key to make sure your call goes just as you need. Have each patient acknowledge acceptance in writing. You also need to have a goal for the call; your goal could be to get specific information, to get the customer to commit to taking some kind of action, etc. Step 3 – Offer Options and Solutions! Using The 8 Step Collection Process. At a minimum, explain the new policy in person to each patient. Collecting payments at the time of service—when the patient is still in your office—is the vital first step in any effective patient collections strategy. Update your practice’s operations and financial policies and look for other ways to improve the revenue cycle in your practice so that you collect 100 percent of patient time-of-service payments due every day. It should be the goal of every practice to collect 100% of copays and deductibles each day. A collection call script is the key to make sure your call goes just as you need. The last thing you want to do is make the patient angry with you - this makes it more unlikely that they will pay anything at all. There are two main ways which I deal with patient balances: in the office, and over the phone. Each one of these medical billing collection methods varies. Collect Copays Immediately. Send a billing statement 2. Make sure you stay HIPAA compliant. An example of a script requesting payment might be “Both your payment (or copayment) for this visit and your prior balance of $XX will be due at the time of service.”. Patient Checkout Script. In fact, a pattern of waived co-payments can be considered fraud.*. Send text messages to debtors instantly with our SMS software. Inform clients of debt collection laws. You have to be able to anticipate what the customer is going to say and be ready for anything, and you must remain in control of the call. Making collection calls: 4 Rules. Once the individual has verified their identity, explain that you are calling to collect on a past due debt. The higher their deductible, the less likely patients are to pay what they owe, according to an analysis of 400,000 claims by the Advisory Board, a health care research and consulting firm. Verify insurance eligibility and identify any outstanding balances. By the time your facility calls the … In order to stay focused on and maximize their collection efforts many collection agencies and independent bill collectors use a collector call script, or “dunning script.” You can be as prepared for the call as they are by considering the below phone scripts and talking points for negotiating with collectors. Collection calls are critical to your practice. When patients schedule appointments: Obtain their insurance information. ... We’d like to visit your practice to discuss the interventions and how your patients can benefit. STEP 1: Identify The Patient: You are allowed to discuss the debt with the patient, their spouse, their lawyer, and parent or guardian (if the patient is a minor). The doctor does not get paid nor receive late payments with interest. Here at Clients ARM, we pride ourselves on our success as a first and third-party collections Continue Reading In order for any call to be effective you need to have relevant supporting information readily available to ensure the call is efficient, professional, and productive. The very first step of every call is to identify that you have the correct patient … Accounts Receivable Collection Call Scripts | Lockstep Collect Use scripting to collect ED copays. My excitement lasted until the first profanity laced ‘I got no money’ tirade. Here are a few sample scripts to help you get started. While collecting a patient’s co-pay for their current date of service, make sure you collect any back-balance that they owe.