Medical Collections

Although you make a patient feel better, there isn't usually anything tangible to be a reminder of your service. When it comes time for the patient to pay their bills, yours is often at the bottom of the pile. You are competing with other credit grantors that supplied a tangible product, or something they really enjoy like cable or their cell phone and therefore your medical collections problem is more difficult.

This is why it's important to learn as much as possible about your patient and make your credit policy clear before the medical service is actually given. This will help you minimize future medical collections problems. This is when the patient is most likely to be cooperative.

The information you should obtain is as follows:

> Patients full name and birth date

> The full name of the person financially responsible for the patient, full address, phone numbers for home, work, and a relative.

> Social Security number

> Present employer, job title, name of supervisor, address, & phone number

> Name and address of insurance company

You should also verify insurance information at this time if possible.

PREDICTING POTENTIAL MEDICAL COLLECTIONS PROBLEMS

Here are some things to look for that will help predict a potential medical collections problem:

Has the patient had several jobs in a short period of time?

Has the patient moved often?

Is the patient having personal problems?

Does the patient have a phone?

MEDICAL COLLECTIONS SCHEDULES AND PAYMENT ARRANGEMENTS

Some tips for billing and medical collections that have worked well for professional credit grantors are as follows:

Ask for payment at the time of the treatment, if possible. If they have insurance, ask for payment of the portion of the bill that will not be covered by insurance.

Provide an itemized statement within 30 days from their visit, if you cannot provide one at the time of treatment.

Send another statement 30 days later.

If no payment is received 14 days after the second statement has been sent, send a friendly reminder.

Call if there is no response 10 days after the friendly reminder is sent.

If there is still no response, send a final letter explaining that the account is being placed for medical collections.

WHAT NOW?

There is a limit to the amount of time and effort that you should spend trying to collect on your past due medical accounts. You will know that any further medical collections efforts on your part will be unsuccessful if any of the following occurs:

No response to your statements, letters and phone calls

Missing scheduled payments as per your arrangement, for no reason

Repeated complaints

Starts denying responsibility

Mail is returned and you don't have a valid address

Marital difficulties

Phone is disconnected and there is no new listing

Job loss

If any of these problems occur, you should place the account for medical collections immediately, the longer you wait the more difficult it is to collect or locate the debtor.

DOING MEDICAL COLLECTIONS YOURSELF

Some healthcare professionals, hospitals and clinics feel that they can collect past-due accounts themselves. This could save the fee charged by a medical collections service.

Some of the costs involved in doing it yourself are:

Salaries - A medical collections supervisor and collectors will have to be paid.

Telephones - Collectors spend a lot of time on the phone, some of these calls will be long distance.

Postage - Collectors send a lot of notices and verifications of bills and there will be a large increase in postage.

Computers, Software & Other Equipment - This could involve a big initial investment. Also, you may need to be able to do some skip tracing, and credit reporting on these patients.

Training - Collectors need to know the laws in the state you are located and also follow the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. They may need to be trained in skip tracing, collection techniques and letter writing.

Things to look out for when collecting yourself:

Make sure your medical collections staff is thoroughly trained in consumer debt counseling, state and federal credit and collection laws.

Do not spend too much time, which is money, on pursuing accounts that you don't feel you will collect on.

Have at least one collector who is familiar with small claims procedures.

Collection Agency Outsourcing offers you free information on collection agencies and debt collections issues.

---

Take Control of Your Doctor: Ten Actions To Get What You Need At Your Next Office Visit

Michael Richardson, MD has some suggestions on maximizing your next... Read More

Environmental Medicine

Our modern preservatives and other pollutants like yellow dye no.... Read More

The Importance Of Using Electric Wheelchairs To Improve Mobility

No person likes to feel housebound and dependent on others.... Read More

Food for Thought

Depression is a disorder marked by sadness, low energy, impaired... Read More

10 Steps To Detoxification

Technology. We live in a grand time of technological development.... Read More

Risperdal Side Effects: Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome NMS

Risperdal is an atypical anti-psychotic drug that balances the levels... Read More

Relafen: A New Drug with an Old Danger

Individuals who regularly take Relafen (nabumetone) or other anti-inflammatory medications,... Read More

Root Canal Therapy: Frequently Asked Questions

OverviewA diseased or injured nerve use to mean that you... Read More

Natural Vitamin E Combined with Vitamin C for Treatment of Alzheimers Disease

Checklist of Treatments for Alzheimer's DiseasePart 2 of 82. Vitamin... Read More

Chicago Drug Rehab: Long Term Help For a Real Recovery

The central location of the city of Chicago has made... Read More

Buy Electric Wheelchairs Online

Electric wheelchairs mobility for virtually any type of disability.Innovations have... Read More

Kids and Medication Part II

In continuation of mood enhancement drugs for kids and adolescents,... Read More

rX My Heart and Hope to Die

This must be a mistake! How could his drug costs... Read More

Ambien Sleep Medication And Insomnia: What Is Insomnia And How Can Ambien Help?

What's Insomnia?Identifying insomnia is a little like the old joke... Read More

Check Out The Wonders Of Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is the essential oil comes from the... Read More

Spin Control: What to Do When Youre Dizzy

Dizzy Dean, the great baseball pitcher of the 1930s-1940s, once... Read More

Vioxx and Bextra Lawsuits Could Tie Up Courts for Years

In September, 2004, pharmaceutical giant Merck voluntarily withdrew its painkilling... Read More

Generic Drug: Its Pros and Cons

A generic drug can be defined as an identical, or... Read More

Lunesta FAQ: Things To Know Before You Buy Lunesta Online

When was the last time you enjoyed a good night's... Read More

Thimerosal: Autism and Mercury Poisoning Side Effects?

Thimerosal is a preservative that is added to vaccines (has... Read More

Find a Doctor

How to find a doctor? There's no magical route to... Read More

Cold-Eeze Side Effects Lawyer: Zinc Destroys Sense of Smell!

Cold-Eeze is a homeopathic solution to the common cold. It... Read More

Protect Yourself Against the Flu Vaccine!

The vaccine industry insists that their vaccines against the flu... Read More

Benign Tumors Of The Cervix

Endocervical polypsEndocervical polyps are the most common benign neoplasms of... Read More

Doc, My Tummy Aches and My Joints Hurt! Is there a connection?

Inflammatory disease of the bowel- regional enteritis (Crohn's disease) and... Read More

How to Tell If Online Consultations Are Right For You

As computers, Internet and technology have become increasingly more available... Read More

Testosterone Therapy in XXI Century

Nowadays many people are familiar with the appellation of "low... Read More

Living Migraine Free

Don't treat your migraines, prevent them. A life without migraines... Read More

Toenail Fungus: Tips For Treatment

The medical term for toenail fungus is "onychomycosis," pronounced on... Read More

Pain in the Butt. How to Deal with Hemorrhoids?

This is very sensitive area of your body. Too private.... Read More

?Doc, my mouth is so dry all the time. What could be the problem??

Sjogren's syndrome is an autoimmune disorder ? a disorder in... Read More

Melatonin, Sleep Enhancement, and ADHD

Overview Melatonin is a natural hormone, which is produced and... Read More

Online Pharmacies and the FDA

The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is responsible for overseeing... Read More