Patient Payments Blog

A lot is being written and discussed about Healthcare Consumerism. With the likes of Apple, Amazon, Walmart, Google, and others entering the healthcare market, the sparks of discussion are becoming a bonfire. And that spells difficulty for an industry that moves as deliberately as healthcare.

Topics: New Healthcare Consumer, Patient Satisfaction, Patient Experience, Retail Healthcare

Do your patients love the doctor but hate to deal with the front desk staff? Many practices make the mistake of putting the employee with the most seniority (or fewest back office skills) at the front desk, regardless of their people skills. Patient satisfaction and retention can be permanently damaged when the wrong person or people occupy your front desk.

Topics: healthcare payments, patient retention, medical practice management, Patient Engagement, Patient Centered Practice, Patient Payments, New Healthcare Consumer, Patient Centered Care, Medical Office Administration, Front Desk Tips, Front Office

So, what's the big deal about card-on-file? What magic happens if you start asking patients to give you a credit or debit card to place on file? We've created a simple graphic to show you. 

Topics: medical practice management, Credit Card On File, Patient Centered Practice, Healthcare Reimbursements, New Healthcare Consumer, Medical Office Administration, Medical Billing

Who wouldn’t take that deal? No strings attached – You give me $3 and I’ll give you $30 back. It’s a completely legitimate, proven offer. I have witnesses that have given me their $3 and received the $30 in return – some much more than $30. But I have professionals just like you turn me down every day. It used to puzzle me why smart people would turn this offer down but I think I understand better now.

Topics: healthcare payments, medical practice management, Credit Card On File, Patient Centered Practice, New Healthcare Consumer, Medical Office Administration, practice management, Free Offer

 

Picture your day at the Spa. How does the staff at your favorite day spa make you feel special, or help you feel renewed?

Topics: healthcare payments, medical practice management, New Healthcare Consumer, Medical Office Administration, practice management, Front Desk Tips, Medical Billing, Front Office

Taking note from their experiences as consumers, patients have changed the way they make healthcare decisions. Rather than blindly follow a healthcare provider's advice, many patients will opt to shop around for alternative services if it becomes an issue of cost. 

What does that mean for you? You likely already know the answer-- you're less likely to get paid.

Topics: Credit Card On File, Patient Payments, New Healthcare Consumer

Retail businesses know that the best marketing is word of mouth. Prospective buyers today choose products and services based on recommendations from trusted friends more readily than they listen to advertisements. In fact, consumers are now going to their social media sites and asking friends for recommendations on everything from their furnace repair guy to the best neurosurgeon.

The modern health organization today is no different. Healthcare consumers expect to receive care that aligns with the same principles of many of their consumer-related experiences. Successful healthcare organizations recognize the need to change their business operations to better fit these needs.

Topics: patient retention, New Healthcare Consumer

As patient deductibles increase and patient collections become an ever-growing percentage of the overall yearly revenue of your practice, new strategies must be applied to meet these challenges.

It's surprising the number of healthcare providers that haven't yet reassessed their patient collection protocol. A practice that thrives builds collection strategies which not only meet the revenue cycle management needs, but also achieve customer satisfaction. Billing doesn't sound like something that can prompt patient satisfaction, but handled properly it can do just that.

Topics: Patient Collections, New Healthcare Consumer

Patients are not alone in feeling that the physician-patient relationship is strained. Physicians are well aware that patients feel disconnected from their healthcare experience and want to be more involved. That is more true today than ever before as the role of the passive patient has turned into the proactive healthcare consumer.

Physicians are identifying new ways to bridge the gap between patient care and patient satisfaction. The results have identified several categories that healthcare consumers are most concerned with.

Topics: Patient Engagement, New Healthcare Consumer

It is no big secret that the cost of healthcare grows year over year. Increased complexities in the industry like the Affordable Care Act and the resultant healthcare consumer continue to drive costs.

It will also come as no surprise that these complexities continue to impact your bottom line. Healthcare providers of all sizes and specialities have been feeling the pinch for years now, primarily in the increased portion of patient revenue.

Topics: Patient Collections, New Healthcare Consumer, Healthcare Trends