Most people simply pay their copays and expect their insurance to pick up the rest only for the insurance to pick up the rest. But, then they haven't reached their deductible, and we don't get paid by the insurance leaving a balance.
This is why insurance sucks.
And, like some, I don't feel comfortable going through and finding out what their deductibles are online and then asking for the total amount to be paid for that visit.
The nice thing about ACPM is it allows you to get the live eligibility check, and it will show you deductible balances - you don't have to go online for every patient.
We made the change in our office, and it was uncomfortable at first, that if a patient has a deductible, I collect the whole allowable UP FRONT. If they decline to pay what they will owe for that visit, I try to collect minimum 50% and if that's a no-go, I offer to reschedule them - sounds cold, I know, but it's working. Let me say, our patient AR Report has shrunk down CONSIDERABLY and very few people actually reschedule. But I also try to review their benefits with them before I even book their appointment, especially for new patients. I try to be as up front about the money side as I can. Most patient's seem to appreciate that I take the time to inform them of their responsibility to the office and they are more willing to pay if they know what they will owe.
Using the tools available in ACPM really has made my life easier as the only office employee - I'm not spending nearly the same amount of time and effort chasing people over money - I spend that time being proactive about collecting it in the first place.
It also helps that you can notate the account in ACPM for easy reference. For example, if a patient doesn't have a specialist deductible, the live check shows me and I can add a Patient Note, it's color coded and pops out at you when you open the chart. For Nerve Conduction Studies/Electromyographies, I log into the actual insurance website to check and see if they have a Diagnostic Machine Test copay/coinsurance/deductible. I created a Patient Note type for that too.
Giving your front office staff an incentive to collect the money is really generous and laudable and seems like it should be all the more reason that they would want to pursue every patient that owes a balance.
