Patient advocacy helps practice provide free care

Some charges don’t go on the books

The only pediatricians in Lewiston, ID, practice with Valley Medical Center. That means that the practice often treats patients who are underinsured or whose families can’t afford medical care.

"We are a major source of charity care. We budget a certain amount for charity care and usually end up writing off 2% to 3% of our charges," says John Houser, chief executive officer of the multispecialty practice.

The physicians who serve on the practice’s credit collection policy committee help the rest of the staff be realistic about what they can expect from their patients, Houser says. "The physicians also help us to be realistic about what we can expect from our patients."

Identifying needs

The practice has set up a patient advocacy program. As soon as a patient is identified as a collection problem, the physician immediately notifies the credit collection staff who try to get the patient on some type of state or federal program to help pay for the care.

When a physician chooses to treat a patient who the collection department has determined is unlikely to pay, the physician sees the patient at no charge. If a patient’s inability to pay is identified upfront, the treatment charges are never entered into the system.

"There’s no sense in having an accounts receivable unless you have a chance of collecting it," Houser says.