Since then, I’ve trained patient account representatives to use my empathetic communication principles while collecting balances from patients. That experience, coupled with the lessons I learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, have led me to create the Compassionate Framework for Healthcare Collections.

This framework is a step-by-step guide for training patient account representatives to use empathy, emotional intelligence, and critical thinking to effectively collect medical debts.

The framework has four key pillars:

1. Understanding the patient experience
2. Investing in top skill sets
3. Creating connection
4. Establishing credibility in the new normal

I wholeheartedly believe that we’re entering a paradigm shift brought on by the pandemic, and healthcare providers across the country will need to find new ways to collect on accounts — ways that involve communicating with empathy.

All of that starts with the compassionate framework, so let’s dive into the first pillar – understanding the patient experience.

Patient account representatives have a unique role because they’re having conversations with patients who are experiencing a great deal of stress due to their medical needs, and likely because of their finances.

In fact, according to a 2014 report published by the Commonwealth Fund, 75 million Americans reported problems paying their medical bills or are working on paying off medical debt. And that number is on the rise every year.

An empathy training program will help patient account representatives develop empathy for the potential challenges patients are facing when they speak with them about their medical expenses. If patients don’t feel like their unique circumstances are being considered, they will be less likely to reach a solution with the patient account representatives.

When representatives understand the patient experience, it’s easier for them to practice empathetic communication when speaking with patients, which will in turn allow them to collect balances easier.

Once representatives have a greater understanding of the emotional and psychological toll patients with medical debt experience, the next step is to boost their emotional intelligence so they know how to demonstrate empathy in these difficult conversations with patients.

If we don’t focus on emotional intelligence, our patient account representatives could become overwhelmed with sympathy, which could cause their collection practices to be too passive, landing them in the “friend zone” with the patient.

When representatives are in the friend zone, it’s unlikely that they’ll collect the account balances because they’ll be too afraid to ask for payment.

When we focus more on the representative’s emotional intelligence, we’re able to teach them how to collect balances without being too aggressive or too passive. They’re able to utilize empathy skills to handle conversations from start to finish without triggering the patient (while still collecting money).

It’s truly a win-win situation. Let me explain how this works.

Something important to know when learning empathy in communication is that all humans have a universal need: To feel heard and understood.

When a representative is emotionally intelligent, they can meet a patient’s need to feel heard and understood with active listening. The patient will feel more comfortable moving on in the conversation to reach a solution.

The truth is, emotional intelligence is only one part of the equation. Representatives need additional empathy training to handle other roadblocks that may come up during their conversations with patients.

And that’s where the second pillar, investing in top skill sets, comes into play.

Being empathetic includes effective communication training. Communication is one of the most important skills a patient account representative can have. After all, the conversations with patients can be extremely challenging, and being able to communicate, show empathy, and build trust will make or break the outcome.

Additionally, when representatives are trained to communicate, you’ll notice more consistency across the board. When representatives are consistent, it gives the patient more confidence in your office’s ability to help them reach a solution.

Combined with the other skills outlined in this section, empathetic communication training will really put representatives on the next level and will equip them with the confidence they need to have those challenging conversations with patients.

Sometimes, representatives might notice that conversations go in a direction they weren’t expecting, and they aren’t sure what to do next.

For example, maybe the patient is refusing to pay, and the representative isn’t sure what to say next to move the conversation forward. A representative without critical thinking skills may end the conversation immediately. A representative with critical thinking skills will be able to problem-solve, practice empathy, and reverse-engineer the roadblock until they reach a solution.

One way to promote critical thinking is to pre-script solutions to any common roadblocks that come up during conversations with patients. That way, the representative already has the tools they need to move the conversation forward. Even if the first solution they present doesn’t work, they’ll feel more confident and equipped with empathy communication skills to navigate the conversation and offer alternative solutions.