Collections: Reward employees for job well-done

A. Last month we talked about encouraging your patients to pay their bills.  What about encouraging your employees to collect on those bills? Do you have an incentive program in place for motivating your  billing staff? Many DME providers have implemented incentive programs with great results. This is something to seriously consider as a little stimulation can motivate your staff to go the extra distance in helping collect those balances.

Incentives don't have to be as extreme as a massive quarterly bonus. Remember: If your incentives start big, they have to grow as your employees come to expect them. Something small can go a long way in an environment of "sameness" that your employees might come to find in their office job. Mixing things up adds a sense of excitement to an otherwise ordinary day at work. A simple "thank you" to your billing staff shows them you appreciate the work they're doing.

If you are operating a larger facility, friendly competition is also an excellent way to motivate your staff.  Break them off into groups and allow them to work and think creatively as a team. Take the winning team to a nice lunch or give them an extra vacation day. This will help boost office morale and enable your billing staff to invent creative, successful ways of collecting patient balances.

Commission incentives are also a great motivator. If your staff cares about collecting patient balances as much as you do, productivity will most definitely increase. Your employees will no longer be simply doing the work required of them but instead they will try harder and they will be excited about the work they're doing. An individual's salary is often based on experience but a commission incentive will allow an employee to be rewarded for their job performance. A pat on the back for a job well done makes you feel good. Encourage your billing staff and reward them for exceeding your expectations and the results will pay off in the end.