It is not always easy to make patients and their insurance companies pay dental bills on time. In fact, many dental practices struggle to ensure that there is a balance between monetary collections and professional obligations to their clients. However, the following tips would guarantee excellent dental collections, and maintain the highest standards of professional conduct.
The dental service provider needs to formulate a strong internal credit policy. It is important to have a consensus on the guidelines with all members of the team. The policies should be written, easy to understand and execute. The main aim of the policy is to reinforce the procedure for collecting and reduce the time for payment. There is a need for a financial coordinator to handle the finances and ascertain the status of the patient's creditworthiness before any treatment is provided
The use of automation in preparing the documents will help with timely payments prior to releasing the patients. If the patient has already left the facility, the statement should then be sent without any delay. The payment method and date of collecting the dues must be clearly communicated to the client in writing with a copy of the bill and the original retained by the dental office. It is important to provide a contact address whether through email or your website.
The person to make a follow up on the pending bills must understand the gravity and level of professionalism needed for the delicate task. The task involves telephone follow-ups and its good to take notes as you speak to the patient on the phone. The history and accounts of the patient must be very clear. Ensure the bill is given to the right person for payment. It is important to agree on a specific date and terms of payment. It is important to remind the patient of the consequences of defaulting on the payment.
Before offering services to patients, it is necessary to get an authorization form from the insurer showing the amount the company is willing to pay. This will help you provide the correct bills to the patients before they leave your premises. You can also motivate patients to pay cash, by offering discounts.
There should be a plan on how the payments would be cleared where the patient is not able to pay the amounts at once. The plan may attract interest or not. The payments may be cleared in monthly installments. However, the duration of payment should not be too long. The contract should be clearly written and the consequences of nonpayment well stipulated.
It is important that you take steps to educate your office personnel in managing dental collections. The employees should have sufficient information of regarding the collection methods. If you do not have internal capacity, you should involve professionals in collecting the payments. Preferably, you should hire a reputable collecting agency with experience in the field. Although it has cost implications, it relieves the responsibility of dealing with bill defaulters thus saving time.
It is important to keep in mind that dentistry, unlike some medical fields, demands prompt attention to the patient. Therefore, it calls for caution to avoid sending a signal to the patients that implies you only need their money. This is why there is need to employ a financial coordinator to deal with finances.
The dental service provider needs to formulate a strong internal credit policy. It is important to have a consensus on the guidelines with all members of the team. The policies should be written, easy to understand and execute. The main aim of the policy is to reinforce the procedure for collecting and reduce the time for payment. There is a need for a financial coordinator to handle the finances and ascertain the status of the patient's creditworthiness before any treatment is provided
The use of automation in preparing the documents will help with timely payments prior to releasing the patients. If the patient has already left the facility, the statement should then be sent without any delay. The payment method and date of collecting the dues must be clearly communicated to the client in writing with a copy of the bill and the original retained by the dental office. It is important to provide a contact address whether through email or your website.
The person to make a follow up on the pending bills must understand the gravity and level of professionalism needed for the delicate task. The task involves telephone follow-ups and its good to take notes as you speak to the patient on the phone. The history and accounts of the patient must be very clear. Ensure the bill is given to the right person for payment. It is important to agree on a specific date and terms of payment. It is important to remind the patient of the consequences of defaulting on the payment.
Before offering services to patients, it is necessary to get an authorization form from the insurer showing the amount the company is willing to pay. This will help you provide the correct bills to the patients before they leave your premises. You can also motivate patients to pay cash, by offering discounts.
There should be a plan on how the payments would be cleared where the patient is not able to pay the amounts at once. The plan may attract interest or not. The payments may be cleared in monthly installments. However, the duration of payment should not be too long. The contract should be clearly written and the consequences of nonpayment well stipulated.
It is important that you take steps to educate your office personnel in managing dental collections. The employees should have sufficient information of regarding the collection methods. If you do not have internal capacity, you should involve professionals in collecting the payments. Preferably, you should hire a reputable collecting agency with experience in the field. Although it has cost implications, it relieves the responsibility of dealing with bill defaulters thus saving time.
It is important to keep in mind that dentistry, unlike some medical fields, demands prompt attention to the patient. Therefore, it calls for caution to avoid sending a signal to the patients that implies you only need their money. This is why there is need to employ a financial coordinator to deal with finances.
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