The patient experience does not end with treatment or when the patient leaves her doctor's office. A good patient experience begins when a customer walks through the front door and continues as she consults with her doctor and receives the treatment she needs — but it still doesn't stop there. The billing process is just as crucial, since a negative experience related to billing can adversely impact patient satisfaction.
Patient Satisfaction Is Tied to Billing Practices
A survey by TransUnion Healthcare found that patients gave higher marks for their medical care when they had positive billing experiences. The survey also found that patients choose care providers based on "clarity of costs and billing."
A satisfied patient translates to a repeat customer, word-of-mouth referrals and increased revenue. Patient satisfaction scores can also impact third-party payments, however. In fact, beginning in 2019, Medicare payments will be adjusted for quality measures. Providers can lose as much as 5 percent of claims submitted or receive incentive payments for higher quality under the Quality Payment Program.
Managing the patient experience in a consumer-driven healthcare market is more important than it has ever been. Below are three ways a gynecology practice can improve patient satisfaction through its billing practices.
1. Manage Patient Expectations
It is important for any medical practice to talk to its patients about what payment is expected and when. If the patient has a copay, the office should collect it upfront. If the patient will receive a statement after her insurance is filed, regardless of whether there is a balance, the patient should know this before the statement arrives.
Statements should also be clear and easy to understand. If the insurance does not pay the full balance, the bill should state this plainly and make it clear that the patient is expected to pay the remaining balance.
2. Alert Patients of Charges Not Covered by Insurance
Patients are not always interested in how much their care will cost unless they have to pay for it themselves. But sometimes a patient prefers a particular test over another, in spite of the fact that insurance may not cover the charges. Practices should make their billers available to patients who have questions about costs and insurance coverage.
According to Becker's Hospital Review, 40 percent of patients who do not understand their medical bills are unlikely to pay them in full. This does not mean that patients are defaulting on their bills with ill intent. Rather, patients who receive a statement with a balance owed are sometimes merely confused, assuming that their insurance was supposed to cover certain charges and the bill will probably be filed again.
3. Ask for Payments and Make It Easy to Pay
When a patient returns for a follow-up appointment and she has an unpaid balance, let her know. A patient who looked at her statement balance and threw it away likely did not understand the bill. Ask the patient if she would like to take care of the balance while she is in the office.
If you expect a patient to have a large bill that her insurance will not cover, the practice and the patient might be open to a payment plan if a lump sum payment is not financially feasible. Medical practices should be ready to accept most credit cards and offer online bill pay for customer convenience.
A medical organization's billing practices can make or break a patient's experience. A patient who is satisfied with her care but dissatisfied with an unexpected bill is more likely to look for a new doctor than one who is informed and knows exactly what to expect. Providing a high level of patient care and ensuring that your billers are available, flexible and empathetic can send your patient satisfaction scores through the roof.
