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Get Patients to Pay Up - May 2015 - Subscribe to Outpatient Surgery Magazine

Outpatient Surgery Magazine, providing current information on Surgical Services, Surgical Facility Administration, Outpatient Surgery News and Trends, OR Excellence and more.

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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. 5 2 O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | M A Y 2 0 1 5

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