Insurance has paid their portion leaving a balance due to the patient, now what? For most anesthesia billing companies that means initiating two to three statements to the patient followed by a final letter to close out the billing cycle and then turning the account over to a collection agency. In our 47 years of anesthesia billing, we’ve never considered this. We believe patient communication is key and while sending statements and letters in the mail is a must, it certainly is not as effective as calling the patient to discuss their balance with them.

Anesthesia billing is unique and so is the patient experience. Hospitals and other specialties have the luxury of educating the patient early on with regard to payment responsibility, often prior to services being rendered. Following our initial statement cycle we have found that initiating a phone call to patients to actually explain the balance due and discuss payment options enhances the patient experience and improves financial performance for our clients.

The older a delinquent account becomes, the less likely your practice will actually collect on it. That’s why communication is key and a good old fashioned phone call can help improve your bottom line and improve the patient experience.