4 Factors You Should Consider When Training Your Front Desk For Patient Collections

A poor billing experience can cause 36% of patients to switch medical practices, according to a 2023 report by Salucro.

The fundamentals of payment collections and insurance are crucial for every receptionist to learn. Your patients are primarily worried about the effectiveness of their treatment and how they can finance it. If they see that your front desk cannot facilitate the payment process properly, it can affect their perception of your practice.

To ensure that your receptionists fully understand patient payments, you must include these five key aspects:

1. Understanding the fundamental processes of patient collections
2. Being familiar with your practice’s pricing structure
3. Knowing how to verify patient insurance eligibility
4. Encouraging patients to contact their insurance provider and verify coverage to avoid potential misquotes and ensure a guaranteed amount
5. Exercising due diligence when collecting payments upfront to keep both the patient’s account manageable and your revenue cycle management smooth

2. Proactively Identifying Financing Options

A joint study between PYMNTS and Rectangle Health on healthcare payments found that 63% of patients are interested in having access to alternative payment plans.

Your receptionists should be oriented in communicating all the payment options that your clinic offers. More importantly, they must be able to coordinate with patients proactively to identify alternative options if conventional methods are beyond the patients’ financial capacity.

Some vital factors to integrate into your front desk training are:

• Maintaining a friendly, approachable tone. Facilitate a conducive environment where patients can feel open to discussing their finances.
• Collaborating with the rest of the team. Work together to identify a sustainable solution for both the practice and the patient.
• Preparing for future situations. Track and note situations involving indigent patients so that your team knows what to do with similar situations in the future.

3. Leveling With Patients About Pricing

According to Accenture’s 2019 Digital Health Consumer Survey, 65% of patients said healthcare pricing transparency had a significant impact on their decision about which provider to go to.

On the surface, many patients may feel discouraged to pursue treatment if they know the pricing is too high. On the contrary, however, the discouragement likely comes from having little to no information about the pricing of their treatment.

Thus, leveling with patients about the pricing of their treatments is ideal to ensure that they’re well-informed about what they’re paying for. Some facets you must consider are:

• Providing a pricing estimate as soon as it’s available (typically after a couple of weeks)
• Having a detailed price breakdown after the insurance provider has processed the claim
• Inviting patients to ask questions about the pricing

4. Sending Patient Reminders Routinely

The same Salucro study found that 51% of patients would pay their bills quicker if they received a text message reminder.

Patients find it convenient to receive appointment reminders, as these help them keep track of their scheduling. More importantly, they highly prefer receiving clarifications on their fees, as this lets them also plan their finances. In addition, you should include a detailed breakdown of their medical bills in the reminders. This ensures full disclosure after a balance has dropped as patient responsibility when the insurance provider has processed the claim.

Other patient reminder best practices you should consider are:

• Offering multiple means of receiving reminders (e.g., text, email, Viber)
• Asking patients for their preferred mode of communication
• Scheduling patient reminders evenly (e.g., 2 weeks, 1 week, 3 days, 1 day before the appointment)

Learn more tips and tricks for managing patient reminders on this blog!

Other Ways Your Front Desk Can Help Improve Your Revenue Cycle

Your receptionists play the fundamental role of facilitating a positive patient experience that makes patients want to return, which can significantly impact your revenue cycle in the long run.

Here are other ways your front desk can improve your revenue cycle via the patient experience:

• Promoting an uplifting environment for your patients. Receptionists can make patients feel that your practice is approachable and accommodating, encouraging them to pay their fees on time.
• Reassuring patients about their treatment. Receiving assurance from receptionists can make them feel more confident about the treatment they’re paying for.
• Encouraging patients to ask questions. Your front desk can happily answer questions from patients concerned about whether they’ll get their money’s worth from their treatment.
• Optimizing patient wait times. Sending patient reminders and using front desk solutions like WelcomeWare are some ways your receptionists can streamline wait times.

Transform Your Front Desk For Maximum Patient Collection

Your receptionists play a vital role in improving your practice’s collection rates. Thus, training them on patient collections is integral to enabling them to support your revenue cycle goals. Most importantly, however, your front desk must be well-prepared to facilitate a positive experience that keeps patients returning.

Manifest the power of a remote front desk with WelcomeWare! WelcomeWare is a virtual office receptionist solution that enables your staff to become live receptionists who cover your front desk remotely, improving availability and coverage for enhanced patient collections. Discover how you can integrate WelcomeWare as a patient intake platform for your practice!