Healthcare system in United States is under going drastic changes which are leading to new challenges for both providers and patients. Patients with financial difficulties have tough time paying their medical bills. Patient copays account for about 20% of a provider’s office revenue.

Patient collections are not something that can be ignored in medical billing.

Reminding patients defaulting payments need to be done regularly without harassing them.

Tips to improve patient collections in medical billing: –

• Standard payment policy – Practice should have clear payment policy that is informed to patients in advance.
• More payment options – Patients should be able to pay by cash, check, credit card or through an online payment portal.
• Inform patients about prices – Patients should be aware of procedure costs beforehand.
• Check your patients’ coverage before the consultation – Remind patients who are on high-deductible plans.
• Use a Medical billing software system – Medical billing software can track patient collections process by looking up past due bills, automatically check patient insurance eligibility and has system integrated payment processing method.
• Regular reminders – Send out patient statements on a regular basis.
• Using a collection agency – Notification from a third-party agency prompts patients to pay their dues.

With so much work and attention to detail required for successful medical billing and ensuring proper payment from patients it is good to outsource medical billing to a reputable company. This enables providers to focus more on patient care rather than on getting reimbursed.