• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Inform your patients of payment options up front

Patient Access Weekly Advisor, December 5, 2007

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Patient Access Weekly Advisor!

Many patients do not understand how financial assistance works, and when and if they should apply.

UNCHCS officials realized how important it is to educate patients about this option early in the process.

To accomplish this, UNCHCS officials trained staff members in each clinic to offer financial counseling to every patient.

"We want to encourage [the patients] to ask questions, so it was important to train clinic staff to interact better with them," says Karen McCall, UNCHCS' vice president of public affairs and marketing.

UNCHCS also offers patients the ability to enroll in a no-interest payment plan not to exceed 36 months. In some instances, UNCHCS sets patients up with collection agencies that offer longer payment plans.

UNCHCS officials strongly believed that many of its patients who needed financial assistance the most were unaware of this option, so they decided to create a hotline for patients to call with their questions from 7 a.m.-9 p.m. UNCHCS trained call center staff members to complete the first quick fix, which is to determine whether the patient may qualify for assistance. If they do qualify, the call center staff members transfer the patient to a financial counselor.

UNCHCS officials have placed advertisements in local newspapers, publicizing this feature and plastering the facility's phone number wherever they can, including on bill statements.

Want to receive articles like this one in your inbox? Subscribe to Patient Access Weekly Advisor!

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive