Staff - Be Prepared

• Your staff should call the day before the appointment or use the web to check on eligibility and benefits. You can find out if the patient has a deductible for your specially/service planned, and/or if they have paid it yet this year.

• If the patient’s deductible is not paid up - your staff should attempt to collect the deductible prior to the patient going back to the doctor. Many patients know they have to meet their deductible. What a great opportunity! Once the patient sees the Doctor, your power of collecting the money goes almost to zero.

• Many patients have a benefit through their employer called Health Plan Incentive, Cafeteria plan that they can use for health care benefits. It can occasionally look like a regular insurance card. But you must call on the benefits beforehand to be sure what you are dealing with so no surprise. The amount is limited and they have to meet specific guidelines. It is more difficult to collect from the patient once they are gone.

Staff – Work Together

• All of your staff must be on the same page or it will not work. Nurses and technicians should NOT call a patient back until it has been verified that all financial issues have been met (copays paid, deductibles paid, past balances paid).

• Let your patients know you take Visa, MasterCard, Discover, personal checks, and cash. If you can at least get half, get half.

• If the patient still will not pay their deductible, you can call the insurance company to inform them that the patient has refused to pay the copay/deductible due. The insurance company should make a note so they can have the patient pay their deducible as required by their plan.

About EYE Bill FOR YOU

Based in Virginia with 54 years of combined experience and a broad range of medical billing knowledge, EYE Bill For You offers HIPAA compliant medical billing for many specialties. Our medical billing outsourcing solution is offered in the Virginia, Washington DC and Maryland areas.

Cathy Boddie (owner) has an established reputation for helping doctors lower their accounts receivables by examining super-bills and improving them to increase reimbursement levels. Cathy has taught students in medical billing and coding at Northern Virginia Community. Cathy has provided lectures and training sessions on medical billing and coding, Self Pay Issues, and working with Embassies accounts at Georgetown University Hospital and Medical Center.

http://www.eyebillforyou.com

EYE BILL FOR YOU
Cathy Boddie, Owner
email: cathy@eyebillforyou.com
phone: 877-EYE-BILL or 877-393-2455

For permission to republish the above article, please contact Cathy Boddie.