Find better fit for struggling collectors
Virtually every patient access department has at least one employee who, despite much training and effort, simply isn’t able to collect successfully.
"There are team members who, without having had a collections background, struggle to balance the patient experience and collecting financial responsibility upfront," says Ramon A. Rivera, MBA, director of patient access at Florida Hospital in Orlando.
Part of the patient access leader’s job is to hire team members who are compassionate, yet comfortable with having discussions about money in the healthcare setting, says Rivera. "Once the team member is hired, it is important to shadow and role-play," says Rivera. "Validate that all the tools needed to make the team member successful are in place."
If the team member is identified as not having the skill set to collect, says Rivera, then it might be time to discuss other areas within the department and/or the organization that might be a better fit for that employee. "Everyone contributes something to the big picture," says Rivera. "There are employees who were hired for their positive energy and ability to make a patient feel at home."
If employees are not putting all of their efforts into trying to make their collection goals and are in good standing with all other metrics, it is worth directing them into another role, he says.
Rivera has found that some employees were a better fit outside of the emergency department setting, and these excelled at customer service and accuracy on the outpatient side. "Productivity is measured, and the strongest team members who excel with service, accuracy, and speed are scheduled to follow up at the bedside with patients," says Rivera.
These employees input the data captured, scan documents, greet patients, and make sure they are taken care of throughout their entire stay. Other employees excel at interpreting benefits and catching errors on accounts.
"You cannot have an entire team of non-collectors, but there should be room for a small percentage that contribute to the goal of enhancing patient experience," says Rivera.
