Patient out-of-pocket financial responsibility represents an ever-growing portion of a healthcare provider’s revenue. Telling patients early on how your billing and payment processes work can help ensure that you’re paid in a timely manner while also reducing the potential for patients’ feeling frustrated about their financial experience.
Clear communication is key, especially when implementing new payment policies. Before rolling out a new process your staff needs to be knowledgeable about the new process and how it works. Your staff should also be prepared to answer common questions patients are likely to have about the new policy.
You’ll want to train your team on what to say, so that they can feel confident and comfortable when talking to patients about the new payment protocol. This includes knowing how to resolve instances where a patient may not want to adhere to the change.
For instance, a best practice for pre-service and point-of-service financial engagement is to securely save payment cards on file. You can use these saved payment methods to cover balances once claims are adjudicated or to collect recurring payments. However, your patients may have questions when this policy goes into effect.
This staff training guide includes scripts for on-site conversations, phone calls and voicemails for your staff to use when responding to patient questions about both current and new payment experiences.