Billing technology: Transition gently to new technology

A. Automatic payment is something that providers must bring to the forefront of their businesses. This technology not only eliminates the time it takes to get paid, but it also ensures the 100% coverage model that providers so desperately need.

Automatic payments are on the rise, so why aren't providers making better use of this technology?

As it stands today, many providers are experiencing high costs related to old fashioned and expensive billing. Automatic payment eliminates those costs while freeing up time and energy spent on collecting. The days of waiting for the patient to write a check, get a stamp, put it in an envelope, and mail it are over.

How can you introduce a technology that may not be well accepted by your patient base? The important thing to remember is to be consistent, be patient and take your time. Not all of your patients will welcome this change so you will need to gently transition from the old to the new. The first step is to make sure your entire staff is aware of this new feature. They need to know when to use it and how to communicate its features to your patient base. If you make the change easier for patients, it will also be more manageable for staff.

Set standards like whether or not automatic payment should be mandatory for certain types of equipment, such as active rentals, or patients best suited for a repayment plan.

The majority of the baby boomer-aged patients moving into our industry are already familiar with online automatic payments. If you have this technology in place, those boomers will be more than likely chose to your business due to the ease of paying their bills.

Jennifer Leon is director of marketing and customer service for Strategic AR. Reach her at 913-744-3360 or jleon@strategicar.com.