By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    An Expert’s Guide To Building and Improving Endurance
    June 30, 2022
    medical assistants
    What Do Medical Assistants Do On a Day to Day Basis?
    April 5, 2022
    superfoods to help with prostate health
    10 Healthy Foods That Can Help Protect Your Prostate
    August 29, 2022
    Latest News
    Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
    July 20, 2025
    How Probate Planning Shapes the Future of Your Estate and Family Care
    July 17, 2025
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    pfizer and clinical data transparency
    Pfizer to Expand Clinical Trial Data Access, Takes Step Toward Transparency
    December 6, 2013
    Improving Healthcare Services And Management Through Tech Integration
    June 9, 2020
    obamacare and the uninsured
    Why Hospitals Are Still Gouging the Uninsured
    January 7, 2014
    Latest News
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
    How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
    July 17, 2025
    How communities and healthcare providers can address slip and fall injuries with legal awareness
    July 17, 2025
    Let Your Lawyer Handle the Work Before You Pay Medical Costs
    July 6, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: When Patients Don’t Pay the Bill: Increase Your Revenue with a Collection’s Strategy
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Finance > When Patients Don’t Pay the Bill: Increase Your Revenue with a Collection’s Strategy
BusinessFinance

When Patients Don’t Pay the Bill: Increase Your Revenue with a Collection’s Strategy

BHG360
BHG360
Share
6 Min Read
Image
SHARE

In addition to caring for your patients and clients, a normal day in your healthcare business includes collecting copays, coding claims, billing patients, processing incoming payments and, unfortunately, asking some patients to pay a bill that is overdue.

In addition to caring for your patients and clients, a normal day in your healthcare business includes collecting copays, coding claims, billing patients, processing incoming payments and, unfortunately, asking some patients to pay a bill that is overdue.

We asked the CEO of Capital Collections Management, Jacob Corlyon, about the delicate task of collecting payments from patients, especially overdue payments and bad debts. A wholly owned affiliate of Bankers Healthcare Group, CCM specializes in consumer, commercial, secured, unsecured, pre default and post default collections, and collects monies owed on everything from credit card portfolios to secured and unsecured commercial loans.

“It’s tricky to approach your patients about unpaid bills,” says Corlyon. As a practitioner, you may have provided care to certain patients and families for years, and feel emotionally invested in their situation. At the same time, your medical, physical therapy, dental or other healthcare business needs revenue to keep the lights on and pay staff salaries. You need patients, but you also deserve to be paid for your work.

More Read

hospital marketing sniff test
The Marketing “BS Detector” for Doctors and Hospitals
Coronary Stents Show Clinical and Economic Staying Power
5 Steps to Achieving URAC Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation
Welcome New Interns and Residents
In Times of Change, HealthCare Leaders Turn to Internal Communications

Request Payment Upfront

“Make sure you have a good chargemaster and coder on staff, this will help you get insurance reimbursements sooner,” he says. Let patients know how much of the bill is their responsibility at the time of service, if possible. If they are unable to pay their balance upfront, you may want to offer different financing options. Consider how much you want to extend payments from your healthcare business, what terms you should offer and how these options fit with your revenue cycle.

Image

Your Collections Program

If a patient ignores the initial past due notices you’ve sent in the mail, it’s time to make a phone call. You’ll want to act fast—but before your staff makes that first call, have you provided them with the infrastructure they need to be effective? Having a collections program and training in place ensures that your staff is ready to ethically and legally collect payments on your behalf.

“Practitioners need to be concerned about HIPAA rules and guard the privacy of their patients,” adds Corlyon. Staff should only speak about overdue patient bills with the right person, always verifying an identity before starting the conversation.

Image

Tools, Training and Timelines

Make sure that you are up to date on new rules and regulations. Good sources of information are the office of your state’s attorney general, your healthcare association or a regional medical association. If you ultimately outsource your collections, you will also want to be familiar with the requirements of the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Take advantage of the resources available, including seminars and information on best practices. “You’ll want to have scripts,” says Corlyon. “If you follow one that is generally available, make it your own.” For example, if your policy of charging late fees or interest on overdue balances is used to bring in payments, include the specific details in your training script. Role-play, so that staff members know how to handle rebuttals and stall tactics, remaining confident, respectful and persistent during difficult calls. “Don’t let them be caught off guard,” he says.

Set up quality control as part of your collections program and regularly monitor the calls made to patients. This provides an opportunity to fine-tune important skills and strategies. “Pull recordings and listen to your staff talking to delinquent patients,” says Corlyon. “Coach them and make suggestions for how they should handle these calls. Tell them if they are being too harsh or not representing you properly.”

Follow a Standard Protocol

Develop a chronology for your collections efforts and include a cut-off date. After making collections phone calls and mailing late notices for 90 days, it’s time to either charge off the debt or send it to a third-party collection agency. It’s no longer cost effective to keep using your staff’s time on older, unpaid accounts. By discontinuing these collections efforts, you allow your staff more time to provide patient care, as well as accurate coding and billing on current patient accounts.

“If you do consider a collection agency,” says Corlyon, “look for one that works off a contingency fee, so that you will only make payments to the agency if they collect on some or all of the amount owed. This saves time and cost to the practitioner.”

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

botox certification
Help Improve People’s Skin Health Via Botox Certification
Skin Specialties
July 22, 2025
Telemedicine Apps
Why Custom Telemedicine Apps Outperform Off‑the‑Shelf Solutions
Health
July 20, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
Global Healthcare Policy & Law
July 17, 2025
paramedics in surgical gloves and masks
How Health Choices and Legal Actions Intersect After an Injury
Health care
July 16, 2025

You Might also Like

Google Adwords, Campaign Optimization, SEM Marketing, PPC
BusinesseHealth

Choose Carefully: Keyword Match Type Tips for Medical Search Marketing

March 19, 2014
Sequestration
FinanceHealth ReformPolicy & LawPublic HealthSpecialties

Cancer Patients Seeing the Ripple Effects from Sequestration

April 25, 2013

The 80-20 Rule and Disruptive Healthcare Professionals

July 6, 2015
Business

How You Can Take Your Supplement Brand To The Next Level

November 28, 2018
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?