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BUSINESS ADVISOR
communicated tactfully and completely.
2. Set patient expectations
Speak to patients before their arrivals and be up front about their co-pay responsibilities, so they have a level of comfort in knowing when and how they'll pay for their care. Assign champions in each part of the process: the business office, nursing staff and front desk. It's nice for patients to hear from the interdisciplinary team — the biller who's verifying insurance, the nurse who's telling them what they'll experience on the day of surgery and the front desk worker who's collecting payments — so they're not shocked by any segment of the experience.
• Front desk personnel conduct pre-op insurance verifications and note patients' co-pay amounts in the electronic medical record. Utilizing an electronic medical record platform allows up-to-date communication to occur among front desk personnel, nursing staff and our patients.
The front desk staff play a vital, and often thankless, role in the entire process, because they're the ones who actually collect co-pays.
The front desk staff must communicate clearly, and offer the same payment options patients have been informed of over the phone. Consistency in message is essential when patients check in for surgery.
Tell front-desk workers to speak in hushed tones so personal financial info isn't broadcast to the entire waiting room. Assure the staff that patients have been informed of their financial responsibilities several times before arriving. If your entire staff has fulfilled their responsibilities, collecting money on the day of surgery should be a straight-
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"Telling patients what they owe, giving them payment options and enough time to make necessary arrangements makes all the difference."
