Your Patient Statement Doesn't Have to be Generic: A Guide to Design Best Practices

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POS Professional Office Services educates practices about the importance of effectively communicating with patients. The patient billing and payment process is a critical part of patient communication.

The typical billing process is to send a statement from the practice management system, but many practices don’t know they can make changes to the statement design. Many practices discovered the labor saving technology of “electronic statement processing” in the 1990’s. This service as offered by vendors such as McKesson, Emdeon, Zirmed, POS Professional Office Services and others was a welcome change to stuffing envelopes in a break room. However, this technology has continued to evolve without practices changing with it.

One analogy that fits best is, “although we all loved our first cell phone, I doubt you can find anybody that hasn’t replaced it”. Statement formats today are completely open for customization, yet many implement design formats from 20 years ago.

PRACTICE INTAKE

Ask yourself the following questions about your patient statement:

Branding

1. For practices with brand logos…why don’t you include your logo?
   Your brand should be on the #1 document leaving the office.

The Due Date

1. If your current statement does not have a due date, why not?
2. Why show a due date 30 days out when you can arbitrarily make it a shorter period?
   Speed up the A/R cycle by ‘creating a due date’ within 15 days of the statement date. Our studies have shown that if no specific due date is listed, the bill often becomes less of a priority (especially given it’s a medical bill).
3. Are your payment terms ‘upon receipt’ or ‘net 30’? If they are net 30, why even show aging like 30, 60, 90 days?
   Remove aging and indicate amount due or better yet, the term “Patient Responsibility” versus “Amount Due”.

Billing-Related Patient Calls

1. Why do patients call with questions?
   • Insurance confusion?
   • Services covered?
   • When to pay?
   • How to pay?
2. How could you proactively educate patients to eliminate future calls?
3. What else could your billing staff be spending their time doing if not answering calls?
4. If you have a direct billing number, what percentage of patients call the main number instead?
   Try increasing the font and changing the color of the billing number on your statement.

Simplify the Statement Format

1. Why do the columns appear as they do?
2. Which columns aren’t necessary?
3. How are the credits applied to the services?
4. Why are provider identification numbers listed?
5. Why is CPT/ICD coding information listed?
6. How do you use the back side of the statement?
   1. If you don’t, why not?
   2. How could you envision best using the back – FAQ’s, maps, education purposes, new procedures, ancillary products (optical shop, skin products, etc.)?
      It’s a best practice to clearly indicate on the front of the statement that there is important information on the back. And put some of these callout items in a 2nd ink color.

Going Beyond the Statement

1. What else is mailed with your statement?
   Inserts are a great solution. Share patient education or other important practice information such as new providers, new services, new location, etc.
2. How many of your patients would like to receive their statement electronically?
   Offer an e-statement in concert with an online pay strategy that includes automated payment plans?
3. Do you have trouble collecting past-due balances?
   Implement customized past due and final notice statements with verbiage chosen by your practice. 

In Summary, your statement is owned by your practice, not by the vendor or practice management system. It’s a tool to be maximized by your practice at a time when collecting patient owed balances is becoming increasingly difficult.