Chances are, if you are trying to collect on an unpaid medical debt from an individual, he or she believes that the bill received from the hospital or medical provider is not accurate and has some mistakes on it.
Nearly half of respondents to a survey indicated a billing or payment issue during their most recent healthcare experience, according to data released last week by a healthcare technology company that specializes in the patient payment experience. Only one-third of the respondents felt “very confident” that the bill they received was accurate, which means two-thirds believe they do not owe what they are being told they owe.
“We tend to think first and foremost about a patient’s quality of care when we evaluate a provider but the truth is, their financial journey can have just as much of an impact on satisfaction,” said Clayton Bain, Founder and chief executive of Salucro, the technology company that conducted the survey, in a statement. “Hospitals and medical centers that do not prioritize the billing and payment process are putting themselves in a position to lose patients and erode their brand loyalty, even if their clinical care is top notch.”
More than 40% of the survey’s participants indicated they would find a new healthcare provider because of incorrect or confusing bills, which means the individual an agency is trying to reach is likely to be confused and unsatisfied, and any interactions the agency has with the individual could make the problem better or worse. This puts a lot of pressure on the agency to make sure it is collecting professionally to help the provider maintain the relationship with the patient.
A difficult or disorganize billing and payment process would lead one-third of individuals to find a new healthcare provider, according to the survey.
