Outstanding medical bills always come with their own complex situations. As these bills pile up, so do the emotions of those responsible for not only the bills, but the continued care of the individual.
It’s important to take a step back as we look at medical bills and at the receivables of a hospital or medical facility. The bills they process can range from small to large; they can range from medications, crutches or casts, procedures, ambulance rides, or even longer stays. As invoices are created, they can rarely all be managed by the medical facility’s teams. Therefore, many of the bills go directly to a collection agency to handle.
Then a call is made to the person responsible, who may not even know about the amount due. They may also question the amount, ask for verification or even verify insurance was processed properly. All of this while they are also recovering themselves or managing extended care and all the stressors that go with it.
As a result, these calls should be made with compassion, patience and care. Most patients know they owe and want to pay their balances. Some may just need payment options. Some just need to know the amount of the bill as they haven't seen it yet. They may have even already thought of and are likely stressing over, how they can repay the bills
Along with the emotions involved, don’t forget there are issues with minors who may be listed on bills within collections as well as medical privacy. In other words, the collection agent shouldn’t know specific medical information. Instead, the collections agency should only know the identification number of the patient for the visit, the date of the visits, the balance owed, and nothing more.
Again, the accounting teams in medical facilities are often overworked themselves. It is why these small and large bills end up with collection agencies from the facility. We have worked with dozens of hospitals over the years. We understand the importance of having bills paid but also maintaining a community reputation for the medical facility as they provide care. It is a fine line to balance as a collection agent.
Just always remember to approach these situations differently than someone behind payments on a credit card or an auto loan. It takes care and empathy as you work with the responsible party, some of whom would rather communicate over email or SMS as their time is likely limited with all the responsibilities since the medical intervention.
We are always willing to talk about the challenges of debt collection, medical or not. Feel free to reach out to me as listed below.
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