How to collect money with great customer service

In your ophthalmology practice, the business office and front desk staff are likely responsible for requesting and processing payments. Regardless of your position, as an eyecare professional you will have patients ask you questions about the costs of services. Although the concept of discussing money can feel daunting, exploring the reasons behind your discomfort and implementing the strategies below can help alleviate your hesitation, enhancing patient value and customer service.

 Gain comfort around payments. Everyone wants payment for their work, and the ophthalmology business is no different. So, while asking for payment may initially feel uncomfortable, remember that the practice is a business and must receive compensation to succeed. Also, the company must earn money to pay its expenses, including paying you! Though a few patients may ask questions or resist paying, most healthcare consumers expect to pay something toward their bill and will not think twice about discussing payment when the time comes. Knowing this can help you confidently ask for payment without feeling awkward.

 Meet patient-care expectations. No matter the patient’s cost to receive treatment at your clinic, patients must feel that you care about them. The best way to mitigate questions or discomfort about price is to offer stellar customer service before asking for payment. For example, offering prompt service throughout the patient’s visit and treatment can help patients recognize the outstanding experience your practice provides. Placing patients first and offering compassionate care is essential to resolving financial questions and concerns with minimal pushback.

 Set the patient’s expectation for payment. To ensure patients understand their out-of-pocket costs for their treatment(s), educate them about the services you perform and their financial responsibility. If possible, aim to share the same information with each patient at least three times. For example, a cataract patient seen under their medical insurance may owe their co-pay and a refraction fee. This patient may become upset if the first time they hear about these fees is at the checkout counter. Ideally, they would’ve learned about their refraction fee from the scheduling staff, via an email notification, on a signed consent form at the front desk, and possibly even from the technician or doctor performing the test. Setting correct expectations and offering that information throughout multiple touchpoints can reduce awkwardness at best (and angry patients at worst).

 Leverage technology. The great thing about technology is the number of new systems available to improve customer service and collections. Even if your practice caters to a more senior population, it can still use tech to increase patient awareness of the monies owed for their visit. Many of today’s older patients still expect to have a credit card on file, apply for financing for expensive procedures, or receive a text message to pay a co-pay during online check-in. Regardless of where your practice is in adopting newer technology, you can use these services to educate patients, set payment expectations, and streamline their treatment in the office.

 Improve your collections knowledge. If it feels embarrassing to ask for payments, consider ways to increase your knowledge about collections. For example, requesting payment is sometimes a legal part of accepting insurance contracts. You can also learn more about insurance payers and what they cover to better anticipate patient’s out-of-pocket expenses. If your practice accepts vision insurance, understanding the difference between the plans and what they cover can help you better communicate with patients about their bills. For technicians, studying the Advanced Beneficiary Notice and knowing when and why you might need it is also useful. Regardless of your position, knowledge is power, and it can give you the confidence to respectfully ask for payments.

 Practice the conversation. As part of your learning process, consider incorporating role play into your training by acting out a scenario where you are collecting payment from a patient. While you may inwardly groan at the thought of this exercise, it can build confidence, listening skills, and creative problem-solving. To add to this, your peers may also have tips, tricks, or feedback that can help you communicate more effectively. By troubleshooting productive payment conversations with colleagues, you can learn from constructive criticism rather than awkward patient interactions.

 Create scenarios. If you need help creating role play situations, consider working as a team to outline a recent patient issue that was challenging. Discuss why the case was complicated, share what you did, and ask your colleagues what you could have done differently. Be honest with yourself and your role in why things might not have gone smoothly. From there, write a script for the ideal exchange, and then role play the scenario with your colleagues playing the upset patient. Afterwards, discuss as a team how you can offer stellar customer service to resolve issues before they escalate, and develop a plan to address the uncomfortable situations of upset or angry patients moving forward.

Customer service counts

Discussing payments with patients does not need to be an awkward or uncomfortable process. Above all else, remember that your customer service is as valuable as the treatment or surgery offered by the doctor. When customer service is done well, patients are generally more than happy to pay for their services. If the customer service is less than stellar, disgruntled patients may resent paying for a taxing experience. By educating yourself and the patient about the payment process, you can help elevate your customer service and keep patients coming back to your practice — regardless of cost. OP

Ms. Monroe is a senior consultant with BSM Consulting in Phoenix, AZ. Ms. Monroe specializes in helping practices with operations, planning, customer service, and HR.