Thanks, again, everyone. Great input. As the weekend goes on, I will think about this. It is difficult, because I have my biller and my practice consultant all throwing in ideas, laws, etc.
Mnemonic does make a lot of sense. And, I do feel that patients should pay for my services. It's just what is the best way to do it.
Yes, you have to be consistent. But your patient mix, like most things, is a bell-shaped curve. On the right tail are the patients you hope never pay you, so you can show them the door. But, there are always going to be patients you enjoy working with much more so than the ones under the middle of the curve. I have ten patients I could name off the top of my head that I would absolutely hate to lose. I would practically pay their bill for them.
I have often wondered (although I am sure there would be a great downside) what would happen if I actually brought it up in the room. As a parallel, there are times that my MA will tell me that the next patient is rather upset about the wait or fill in the blank. I go in, and they are sweet as pie. While I would likely be uncomfortable confronting patients about their bill, there is a bond there that is unmatched with others on your staff.
Here is some food for thought. I have 65% MaineCare. Hard to believe but none of them have a back bill.
But, I suppose a single payor system would solve all this while it would cause many other problems.
