Effective billing statements — ones that increase the chances for prompt, full payment — are part art and part science. Statement colors, fonts, and a straightforward design can draw a greater response. There’s also research that shows it’s important to start with the healthcare consumer in mind (after all, the future of healthcare looks increasingly more consumer-driven).
“The shift toward consumerism is huge in the healthcare industry,” says Scott Sullivan, Account Executive of Partner Enablement at Emdeon, a company that processes 50 million statements every month. “In fact, the term ‘patient’ is increasingly shifting to ‘consumer.’”
With the proliferation of high-deductible health plans, primarily driven by the Affordable Care Act, consumers now pay an increasing share of their
healthcare expenses. “Previously, the consumer’s initial exposure to the financial side of healthcare was their co-payment. Communication in both print and digital formats is clearly more important now,” Sullivan says.
Leara Wyckoff, Solution Consultant at Emdeon, says, “We have access to the latest tactics and a wealth of information on best practices.”
Emdeons Scott
Effective strategies emerging from Emdeon research into what works well include:
Best Practice #1: Send statements the way consumers want to receive them.
Ask consumers how they prefer to receive statements. Some will want a paper statement and others will respond better to e-mail. “There can be generational differences here,” Sullivan said. Perhaps not surprisingly, focus group feedback shows Millenials tend to prefer digital statements and Baby Boomers favor paper statements in the mail. Also offer an e-mail opt-in on all paper statements to convert more people to digital formats.
Best Practice #2: Be clear, concise and correct.
Clarity and simplicity are critical — any confusion and a consumer may call your staff for more information or, worse, just not pay. Create a legible statement that clearly lists doctor’s name, services performed, date of service, and other basic information. Wyckoff says, “Make sure the amount the consumer should pay is set apart in a visibly obvious way, and use unique fonts, colors, and capitalization for section headers of the statement.”
Best Practice #3. Provide a range of payment options.
People are more likely to pay when a statement offers their preferred method. “Ensure you’re displaying all of the ways a patient can pay their bill, whether
Emdeon’s Leara Wyckoff
in person, over the phone, online bill payment options, a traditional check mailed back to the office or a lockbox with icons or symbols (like a phone or computer). A picture says a thousand words!” Sullivan says. For people who prefer to pay in person at a local big-time retailer, grocery store or pharmacy, consider adding a QR code for easy bill scanning in person. Again, it’s about consumer convenience and preferences.
The Healthcare Financial Management Association states that impactful, clear, and consumer-friendly billing statements are more likely to get you paid for services sooner and can be worth the effort to optimize your medical practice’s revenue cycle.
Scott Sullivan is an Account Executive of Partner Enablement at Emdeon. Leara Wyckoff is a Solution Consultant at Emdeon.
Emdeon empowers healthcare providers through innovative revenue cycle management solutions by tapping the most complete network of payers, partners and resources in the healthcare industry. Our uniquely efficient services ‘Simplify the Business of Healthcare’ to save our clients time and money.
