Debunking Dumb Bunnies and Fixing Front-Line Follies
Do you know about the “duh!” factor; the unfortunate things that can happen in your business office when inadequately trained employees are faced with new situations?
The success of your entire billing process rides on the how well those front-line employees do their job. If they are well-trained and experienced individuals, they will not only obtain information necessary to successfully bill the carrier and the individual, they will also leave a good impression with the patient. A businesslike encounter means the patient will respond in a businesslike way when they receive the bill. A poorly-handled encounter means the business office will be “backtracking!” throughout the life of the account.
Awhile back we were talking to a manager who was bringing us up to date on her business office. She told us she was moving her top billing clerk to admissions. In mock surprise, we asked why in the world she would do that?
“We’ve been getting lousy demographics, no deposits and the entire billing process is suffering because of the poor work done at admissions," she said. “Pat knows how important it is to do the job correctly up-front, instead of having problem after problem down the line.”
As we’ve said the medical world is a mite chaotic. Unfortunately, employees can react like dumb bunnies to new situations. It’s hare-raising! Business office employees must be armed with knowledge and ability to help them handle the complexities of the changing healthcare scene.
What to do?
The first focus should be on your policies and procedures. Have they been updated to reflect the realities of what needs to be done in your facility? Do you have realistic guidelines to help your employees collect at time of service?
Do your employees know why they are asking for deposits? How should they respond when a patient says "Oh I left my checkbook at home?”
Can your employees access records that show outstanding current accounts or bad debt accounts from a patient’s previous visits? Do your employees attempt to collect those amounts from the patient while they are in your facility?
What alternatives should you employees give a patient who cannot make payment at the time of service?
These are some of the questions which should be asked when you are reviewing your policies and procedures and when you are training your employees. Is it better for them to learn how to handle these situations sitting across from an upset patient or would your employee’s benefit form some role-playing? We’d like to help you with some of these issues.
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