to patients' desire for price transparency, says Mr. Rush. Consider
posting average costs for procedures on your website, first making
sure they're reasonable and competitive in your market (hint: try
healthcarebluebook.com to see averages in your area).
Communicating with patients about estimated out-of-pocket costs
early in the process is also important, says Ms. Massey. She suggests
your staff do this shortly after scheduling the case, and that they set
aside 20 to 30 minutes to thoroughly explain and answer any ques-
tions.
Getting the insurance information you need for these talks can take
some work, says Mr. Lipomi. Patients coming to you likely visited a
doctor recently, possibly affecting their deductible. "Sometimes you
don't know if the deductible has been applied or not, so try to get as
much detailed information as possible," he says. "Sometimes the
patients can provide you with that information."
Training staff to talk finances with patients is also crucial. Give your
front desk staff a basic script to talk to patients about what they owe,
says Mr. Lipomi. Employees should also have scripts for different sce-
narios, including one for patients who want a payment plan and
another for those who say they can't pay. Those speaking with
patients on finances should be knowledgeable, yet offer a personal
touch. "We sought out someone friendly and outgoing," says Ms.
Massey. "You're looking for a patient advocate who also can deal with
finances."
If during this conversation you feel like the patient might cancel for
financial reasons, Ms. Massey suggests letting the patient make a dis-
counted deposit on the day-of-surgery with the rest put on a structured
payment plan. For someone who can't pay the full amount on the day
of surgery, Ms. Massey says she asks patients to deposit half of the full
amount. If that's still too high, she then asks for a deposit to cover the
basic cost of supplies and labor. "That way we know we're not losing
money," she says.
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