Conduct new patient preregistration (and credit analysis) by phone or mail
in advance of the first office visit. This reduces time delays in the office
and gives time for a credit investigation
Secure credit bureau reports on new patients with poor credit
history; identify and solve payment problems before services are rendered
Potential "danger signals" on new patient registration forms:
Home address - transient or a P.O. box only
Telephone - none or unlisted (many debtors have unlisted numbers to
prevent collection calls)
Business address/telephone - none or same as home may indicate (1)
unemployment, or (2) self employed
Referral - none, "a friend", "yellow pages" may indicate a patient
that physician-hops for whatever reason
Marital status - divorced or separated, or a young single person
may be more likely to have financial concerns or a lack of medical
coverages
Collection ratio: 92% to 95% recovery is average to good for most types of
group practices
Special Medical Collection Call Debtor Appeals
"What bills do you have that are more important than your health?"
"I'd guess you made several thousand dollars during the last few months,
yet we have received only one small payment."
"We helped you in a time of need, and in good faith, we expected to be paid
in a reasonable time."
"I know you want to protect your credit so you can feel comfortable should
you or your family need to return."
"Add to a current loan (to pay us off), or let some other bills go as you
have ours for the past few months."
