Most in-house collection and accounts receivable departments focus their collection call efforts on one day each month. Unfortunately, this practice might be insufficient. Some clients are still having cash flow problems in today’s economy, and because of this, contacting a delinquent client every 10 to 15 days may be a more effective plan, albeit a more time-consuming one. After all, the squeaky wheel often gets the grease, or in this case, the provider who is polite yet persistent often gets the cash. By contacting past-due accounts in a more frequent manner, a provider is showing that attention is being paid to the accounts consistently. This attention should mirror the attention that was given at the time of service. When the provider is attentive to both the services rendered and to the payment of the account after service, it can reinforce the idea that your practice is a well-functioning business. This has the potential of showing the client that there are no holes to fall through in the billing cycle. This may result in the client feeling more obligated to complete a payment or that client simply viewing your practice with a higher regard. Either way, your medical billing solutions will help you come out ahead.
Saying you should contact a delinquent customer is great in theory and all, but exactly how often should your office contact customers in order to get the best return on their time? According to industry best practices, two or three times a month is suggested in order to maintain a presence in the client’s mind, without becoming too much of a nuisance. Contact can switch between past due invoices, phone calls, and statements, each reminding the client of what the terms of the account are, what services were provided, and what the balance is due on the account.
Having an efficiently run AR and Collections Department will allow you to tighten your own cash flow and be able to provide the best administrative services to the rest of your clients. You are in the business of helping people, but, again, it is a business, so you need to be compensated fairly for your time and efforts.
To find out how we might be able to help keep your billing accurate, so that you can focus on keeping your patients (and their accounts) healthy, please feel free to contact us at any time about your medical billing needs.
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