A recent Kaiser Health News article http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org * noted: “The recent economic downturn and the increasing use of high-deductible insurance plans “has driven patients to want to put off paying their bills…,” Whether it’s for a hip replacement or a broken bone, he frequently sees patients on the hook for a $3,000 to $5,000 deductible.”
‘Between 2008 and 2012, multispecialty practices saw their bad debt go up 14 percent, according to a survey by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), a trade organization for doctor practices. That’s money that practices were owed but couldn’t collect. Some of them have begun to change their billing strategies to combat those debts…”
“In the past someone at the front desk would say, ‘Would you like to pay today?’ Because the simple answer to that is ‘Well, no! If I can walk out without paying, I’m walking out without paying!…Today, it’s more of ‘Mr. Smith you have an outstanding balance. How would you like to pay for that?’ ”
“One option for the doctors is to send patients who don’t pay their bills to collection agencies faster. Practices generally used to wait a full 180 days before taking action. But that could mean patients who were well past the treatments didn’t feel the import of settling the debt…
“Another option is to collect the payments before a procedure even happens – an approach that’s proved particularly effective…”
“Patients who still can’t make it work are advised to seek treatment instead at the local safety-net hospital. Hospitals usually offer some sort of charity program to help low-income patients pay for care but that’s not the case for most private physicians practices.
* to read the full KHN articleWith Medical Debts Rising, Doctors Are More Aggressive About Payments “ by Jenny Gold, highlight and click on open hyperlink http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2014/April/30/With-Medical-Debts-Rising-Doctors-Are-More-Aggressive-About-Payments.aspx?utm_campaign=KHN%3A+Daily+Health+Policy+Report&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=12602330&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8_VPy9BqmLWl_uIkE7JB-_pewZAaIxWO8ozB86lVuLgLKvlmT3k1UjtSFjWvcf0qtBkYZ0s_9Rgkp6cQaebrTJXexlQFME2tFgzj1x95OCIsxC9Yc&_hsmi=12602330
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Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H., is Clinical Professor, Preventive Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and Adjunct Professor, Baruch College ( C.U.N.Y.), Rutgers School of Public Health, and Rutgers School of Public Affairs and Administration.
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