Improve office collections by making it easy and convenient to pay

Give your patients the ability to pay by cash, check, and credit/debit card in the office or online. Teach staff to be compassionate without letting patients walk all over them. Ask for the payment politely after handing the patient a statement with the estimated amount owed. Don’t ask if the patient would like to pay today; ask how the patient would like to pay. If a patient indicates they forgot their checkbook, remind the patient that you accept credit and debit cards. If the patient cannot pay at the time of service, use a system for processing credit cards that allow you to keep a patient’s credit card on file to charge later, after insurance has paid it portion in order to guarantee payment. In addition, the option to pay bills online is becoming more prevalent in medical practices as consumers become more accustom to making payments on line. If using an online payment system, make it easy for the patient to understand what actions you want them to take when they receive their statement. The more options patients have, the more likely they are to pay in full.