Billing issues are a big patient complaint
Did you know that customer service and billing issues rank at the top of the list of patient complaints? It’s not a lack of medical expertise, diagnosis or treatment, but disorganized operations and poor communication, especially regarding their bills.
A recent study of online reviews of physicians indicated that 19 of 20 patients are extremely dissatisfied with front desk operations of medical providers.
Medical billing companies can help increase positive online feedback
In today’s digital age, there’s just no way to get around making your online presence a priority for your business, and this is no different for healthcare providers. Physicians have to get in front of patient reviews, especially the unsatisfactory reviews, in order to maintain their reputations and more importantly, forge great patient relationships. Additionally, prospective patients defer to online reviews and information before deciding whether or not to become one of your patients.
Balance billing is essentially the health care provider’s ability to collect from the patient any remaining balance of their charges after third party payer responsibilities. This can include both deductible and self-pay amounts. And for a “routine” emergency room visit, for example, this often involves multiple providers with LOTS of patient balance billing. This has become particularly pronounced with today’s high deductible plans. This often leads to confusion and friction between payers, patients and providers and leaves patients with unanticipated healthcare bills that have substantial financial effects.
