Payments > Patient Billing
Polite / Nasty / Collections
rdmoore2003:
Why do you not send the accounts for collections? My invoices are sent every month with notes like account seriously past due, etc. After invoices are sent, a letter is sent out with information concerning the account being sent for "special handling" and it is sent. In my state, as long as it is documented on the monthly invoices about special handling process which incurrs an additional fee, once the account is sent, the fee is added to the account that patient is responsible for. Ex. account owed is 100.00 and when sent to collections the amount sent is $135. Our state allows a 35% collection fee.
PMRNC:
Interest charges and collection fees generally don't work when you just have patients ignoring statements. You can try a few "soft collection methods" such as stickers, try the official looking envelopes they seem to get opened. Also your PM software should allow you to place dunning messages on patient statements. Self addressed stamped return envelopes seem to work too and sometimes we will include a small form for them to sign a payment plan by using their credit card. Keep in mind that adding those interest charges and collection fees can sometimes backfire. A patient can actually pay JUST the amount they were supposed to and you'll be writing off anyway because they would win if fought. Laws are mostly for the consumer.
If you are writing off every year you should run a report to show the provider what's being lost. I had to do this a few years ago and now my clients REGULARLY follow a pretty strict procedure and we send it. If it's 500 a month or 5000 it's still $$.
DMK:
Thanks for all the responses. It's good to know I'm doing it the best I can without resorting to collections. The reason we DON'T send to collections is that this is a small town and the rumor mill can kill your business. ("That rich doctor sent me to collections!") The reason I rarely call is that I'm the doctor's wife. It looks like I'm a money grubber. I do call and verify that I have the correct address (playing dumb) or to explain that they have a co-pay or deductible (you'd be amazed how many people say "I have good insurance" and that's supposed to mean that they don't have to pay anything out of pocket.
It's a sticky situation and I'm trying to remain professional. It's not a lot of money each year, but it's the principle. I pay my bills, why don't others pay their bills?
gurumedbill:
Our software has a collections wizard that will allow you to filter a certain group of people and send them to collections. I don't bother with the people that owe less than $50 but if you owe me more than that then I send them to collections. Fortunately it isn't a lot of people for most practices I bill for. When I do send them to collections they still don't get everyone but they get more than half of the people and it is certainly worth it for me.
PMRNC:
--- Quote ---The reason I rarely call is that I'm the doctor's wife. It looks like I'm a money grubber. I do call and verify that I have the correct address (playing dumb) or to explain that they have a co-pay or deductible (you'd be amazed how many people say "I have good insurance" and that's supposed to mean that they don't have to pay anything out of pocket.
--- End quote ---
YOU cannot make that an issue. That fact actually has to account for ZERO when it comes to the practice collections.
--- Quote ---Our software has a collections wizard that will allow you to filter a certain group of people and send them to collections. I don't bother with the people that owe less than $50 but if you owe me more than that then I send them to collections. Fortunately it isn't a lot of people for most practices I bill for. When I do send them to collections they still don't get everyone but they get more than half of the people and it is certainly worth it for me
--- End quote ---
Software has ZERO to do with dealing with the federal and state regs. ANY software can produce a collections report. it's not up to the software to deal with state and federal collection practices.
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