Transform Your Patient Collections with Technology

Transform Your Patient Collections with Technology
When it comes to the technology used to manage accounts receivable, healthcare and medical billing offices lag behind many other industries. Concerns over things like HIPAA compliance and software integration have stalled software adoption – but it shouldn’t. The trick to transforming patient collections is finding compliant, multi-function software tools that are easy to implement.

Common Patient Collections Struggles

It’s overwhelming to commit to new tools that will require training, policy and procedure changes and new billing methods within your office. That’s why it’s best to look for one versatile product that can simplify office procedures in many ways. Think of the most common ways your company resolves open accounts. How can technology improve your current process?
FLOW technology for remote call center agents How To

Self-Serve Patient Collections

The easiest accounts in patient collections are those that take the initiative to pay their bills without speaking to an agent. Having a secure, easy-to-access payment portal is likely to increase your receivables with almost no extra work on the part of your office. However, patients are likely to abandon payments if the process is too difficult. There are a few measures you can take to increase the amount of patient-initiated payments your office receives.

Payment Portal - The easiest way to accept agentless payments is through a payment portal on your website. The online payment option you offer should be simple, clear and easy to use. You should also use the basics of good website design so consumers can find their way to the payment page from anywhere on your website. 

IVR System - More options mean more collected patient payments. Offering an IVR system along with other ways you accept payments gives consumers another avenue to payment, even when your office is closed. 

Electronic Payment Reminders - For patients who opt in to text message and email, payment reminders can capture more revenue than a paper bill. Sending a text or email reminder with a link to payment is the perfect way to remind patients to pay a bill without making agents put in the work to try and reach them by phone. Of course, remember to find a software that’s HIPAA compliant and offers security measures like dual authentication to keep private information safe.

Live Agent Patient Collections

Not all medical bills can be resolved without help from an agent. Some patients won’t pay without prompting. Some may have questions before they are willing to pay. However, even patients who say they will make a payment after they hang up might not follow through.

Making the job easier is the best way to ensure your healthcare collections staff succeeds. Adding software tech into the collection process is a convenient way to ensure agents capture patients payments. Text and email payment links can be used while on the phone, so your collectors can walk consumers through the process. This method can also double as a way to limit your PCI compliance responsibility – especially for remote workers.

PDCflow Recurring Payment Module Chart

Recurring Payment Plans

Oftentimes in patient collections, people with large bills – or those who don’t have enough money up front – require recurring payment plans to pay what they owe. Payment software can increase patient satisfaction and simplify compliance throughout the process of setting up a schedule. 

It’s important to pick a flexible, easy-to-use system. However, it’s just as important to comply with payment regulations. By using a payment tool that sends a text or email to capture a schedule authorization, your agents can follow compliance and make recurring payments easy for patients

Text and email notifications can also be used throughout the life of a schedule to send payment reminders, reducing failed payments along the way. Receiving a notification a few days before payment can remind consumers to update payment information if they have an expired card on file. Consumers who have lost jobs or are low on funds are also more likely to call in and change their payment dates before a declined payment goes through.

FLOW Technology for Payment Security and Compliance

FLOW Technology: Multi-Purpose Software

No matter what payment circumstances your patients are in, PDCflow’s payment software and FLOW Technology can simplify the process. Instead of finding different tools to help different types of consumers, FLOW can improve the process, no matter what types of consumers you are serving.
PDCflow Payment Hub with FLOW Technology Easier to train new employees. Simple to use for consumers. Unified reporting for all payment information makes your job easier. Reports on FLOWs give greater insight into what payments are being lost.

HIPAA Compliance
PDCflow’s software is certified HIPAA compliant. It provides security when requesting a payment or asking for a signature on a payment schedule. However, the system can also be used for secure document transfer between parties. FLOW allows you to send files to other offices through or request files to be sent to you.

Faster Workflows

The FLOW system saves time and simplifies in-office operations for both your team and consumers. Mix and match any of the actions you need to perform, and execute them all within a single FLOW. 

  • Send and receive documents
  • Request a signature
  • Request payment
  • Request photo uploads

FLOW Technology from PDCflow can transform the way your organization collects on medical debts. To learn more about the benefits FLOW can bring to your business, download the solution brief.

Download FLOW Technology for Healthcare Solution Brief:
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- ABOUT THE AUTHOR -
Hannah Huerta - PDCflow Marketing Specialist
Hannah Huerta, Marketing Specialist

Hannah Huerta is a Marketing Specialist at PDCflow. She creates content for the accounts receivable and payment industry.

LinkedIn - Hannah Huerta

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