Ask your patients about collection efforts
February 1, 2013 3 minutes read
Ask your patients about collection efforts
Terminology is important
Before a patient liability estimator tool was implemented at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, a focus group of patients offered some valuable opinions.
At that time, inability to provide patients with the total picture of costs was the biggest obstacle to point-of-service collections in the emergency department and for scheduled services, according to Mela Gant, director of patient access services.
“We have had no way to provide patients with an accurate estimate of what the total charges will be, what their insurance benefits will pay for the service, and ultimately what their total out-of-pocket cost will be,” says Gant.
The department recently purchased price estimation software to provide patients with their out-of-pocket costs for hospital, professional, and anesthesia charges. “We have also re-engineered our front-end processes around delivery of the estimate to the patient, as well as pre-collection of the patient’s estimated amount due,” says Gant.
Patients in a focus group were asked what they thought about the letter they were provided, which gave an estimate of their out-of-pocket responsibility.
“They loved the fact that they could get an estimate of services prior to service delivery and be able to see what things cost,” says Gant. “They were impressed with the sophistication of the estimator we chose.”
Patients suggest different terms
Patients suggested using the term “professional services” instead of “clinic,” because patients assumed that “clinic” referred to the hospital.
“The focus group felt like the terminology we use to discuss the estimate with the patient, and the ability to negotiate, were very important,” says Gant. For example, patients liked it when staff stated, “This is your estimate. If you can pay this now, great. If not, here are some other options for you.”
“We do plan to provide scripting for the staff to use,” says Gant. “We will carefully select words that will help patients feel comfortable having an open discussion about their ability to meet payment obligations.”
The focus group told patient access leaders that asking for 100% of the amount due was too much. “Fifty percent of the amount due was felt to be more manageable, depending on the amount, and how much advance notice they would be given to pay,” says Gant. “We have adjusted our expectation that the patient pay 50% of the anticipated out-of-pocket charge prior to or the day of the service.”
Customer service
More than ever, patient access leaders are challenged to balance good customer service and still be effective collecting a patient’s financial obligation, according to Richard L. Gundling, FHFMA, CMA, vice president of healthcare financial practices for the Healthcare Financial Management Association.
“Our Patient Friendly Billing Project Reports have shown that high-performing revenue cycle organizations have used focus groups to highlight areas of improvement in their access management,” Gundling notes. (To view case studies, go to: http://bit.ly/UUjGRI.)
“Providers are under the microscope to ensure that they are providing community benefit, particularly through the emergency department,” he says.
Many organizations are achieving high patient satisfaction and high point-of-service collections, however, says Gundling. “We’ve found that patients want to know the amount they owe as soon as possible. In many ways, POS [point-of-service] collections help in that,” he explains.
Patient access leaders must ensure that revenue cycle professionals are notifying patients of the organization’s financial assistance policy and charity care requirements, emphasizes Gundling. (For more information on this topic, see “Do you tell patients about charity care?” HAM, September 2012.)
Patient access employees need to be empathetic when discussing payments, especially in light of growing copays and deductibles, advises Gundling. “In many ways, the interaction between the registration and the patient is a lightning rod for media attention,” he says. “Aggressive POS collections can create a public relations problem through negative stories by local and national media. It could leave patient access bearing the brunt of this problem.”
Before a patient liability estimator tool was implemented at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, a focus group of patients offered some valuable opinions.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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