Re: self pay charges/ credit card questions

April 7, 2006

Lots of information on self-pay patients at www.simplecare.com.Don IvesAlaska'Hi everyone. What does anyone know about the legalities of charging self pay patients? Do we have to officially charge what we have set as our rate per encounter type? Can we then discount it for full payment at time of service? Can we set up a charge for self pay patients that is a flat fee by the minutes? Also, how many of you use credit card/debit systems and do you really think it is needed? How much of the charge do you end up losing with this and is it the same for credit and debit? I wasn’t going to use it, but I am rethinking this as I signed up for a high-deductible insurance/HSA for myself and family and think this is really the way of the future. You get protection in case of big medical bills but have lots of control on day to day medical choices for a lot less. And you can roll the money saved in the HSA over year to year and can even take anything you haven’t used through the years once you retire. So you don’t have to feel that you are throwing $10,000/year away if you and your family are really pretty healthy and hardly use your insurance. Plus no formulary to deal with, no referrals. But we’ll see how I like it once I actually have to deal with it! I didn’t think I would be eligible for it, as it is not available to individuals and I am going into a solo practice/low overhead/no staff model, but it turns out that I could get it as a “group of one” as long as I had a legitimate business. They termed it “sole proprietor” coverage. So if you are interested in that kind of insurance, ask! I really didn’t think I would be able to get it. Thanks to all who sent websites. Looking good out there! Kerry

April 7, 2006

Lots of information on self-pay patients at www.simplecare.com.Don IvesAlaska'Hi everyone. What does anyone know about the legalities of charging self pay patients? Do we have to officially charge what we have set as our rate per encounter type? Can we then discount it for full payment at time of service? Can we set up a charge for self pay patients that is a flat fee by the minutes? Also, how many of you use credit card/debit systems and do you really think it is needed? How much of the charge do you end up losing with this and is it the same for credit and debit? I wasn’t going to use it, but I am rethinking this as I signed up for a high-deductible insurance/HSA for myself and family and think this is really the way of the future. You get protection in case of big medical bills but have lots of control on day to day medical choices for a lot less. And you can roll the money saved in the HSA over year to year and can even take anything you haven’t used through the years once you retire. So you don’t have to feel that you are throwing $10,000/year away if you and your family are really pretty healthy and hardly use your insurance. Plus no formulary to deal with, no referrals. But we’ll see how I like it once I actually have to deal with it! I didn’t think I would be eligible for it, as it is not available to individuals and I am going into a solo practice/low overhead/no staff model, but it turns out that I could get it as a “group of one” as long as I had a legitimate business. They termed it “sole proprietor” coverage. So if you are interested in that kind of insurance, ask! I really didn’t think I would be able to get it. Thanks to all who sent websites. Looking good out there! Kerry

April 8, 2006

I am in Washington state, and here you can't legally charge less than you would get from the insurance. But since you don't get 100% from the insurance, I let cash paying pt have the nl charge, and a 20% discount if paid at time of service.

I have used the debit/cc service thru Solveras, offered by the AAFP for 3 yrs, and it's really not much of a charge. You are charged 1-1.5 % of the fee, depending on the cc machine/company you use, and a monthly fee, which runs between $30-50. Compared to what I " give back to insurances" every month, for the pleasure of being preferred it is well worth it. We do anywhere form $2-5,000 a month on the cc machine. People actually often prefer to pay their copays this way, or any remaining balance left from insurance. Also helpful for the people who have a yrly high deductible of $500, or more before their insurance picks up the rest. Now that I am doing more aesthetic treatments, the cc receipts are also increasing.

Cote

Maple Valley, Washington

-------------- Original message --------------

Hi everyone.

What does anyone know about the legalities of charging self pay patients? Do we have to officially charge what we have set as our rate per encounter type? Can we then discount it for full payment at time of service? Can we set up a charge for self pay patients that is a flat fee by the minutes?

Also, how many of you use credit card/debit systems and do you really think it is needed? How much of the charge do you end up losing with this and is it the same for credit and debit? I wasn’t going to use it, but I am rethinking this as I signed up for a high-deductible insurance/HSA for myself and family and think this is really the way of the future. You get protection in case of big medical bills but have lots of control on day to day medical choices for a lot less. And you can roll the money saved in the HSA over year to year and can even take anything you haven’t used through the years once you retire. So you don’t have to feel that you are throwing $10,000/year away if you and your family are really pretty healthy and hardly use your insurance. Plus no formulary to deal with, no referrals. But we’ll see how I like it once I actually have to deal with it! I didn’t think I would be eligible for it, as it is not available to individuals and I am going into a solo practice/low overhead/no staff model, but it turns out that I could get it as a “group of one” as long as I had a legitimate business. They termed it “sole proprietor” coverage. So if you are interested in that kind of insurance, ask! I really didn’t think I would be able to get it.

Thanks to all who sent websites. Looking good out there!

Kerry

April 8, 2006

I am in Washington state, and here you can't legally charge less than you would get from the insurance. But since you don't get 100% from the insurance, I let cash paying pt have the nl charge, and a 20% discount if paid at time of service.

I have used the debit/cc service thru Solveras, offered by the AAFP for 3 yrs, and it's really not much of a charge. You are charged 1-1.5 % of the fee, depending on the cc machine/company you use, and a monthly fee, which runs between $30-50. Compared to what I " give back to insurances" every month, for the pleasure of being preferred it is well worth it. We do anywhere form $2-5,000 a month on the cc machine. People actually often prefer to pay their copays this way, or any remaining balance left from insurance. Also helpful for the people who have a yrly high deductible of $500, or more before their insurance picks up the rest. Now that I am doing more aesthetic treatments, the cc receipts are also increasing.

Cote

Maple Valley, Washington

-------------- Original message --------------

Hi everyone.

What does anyone know about the legalities of charging self pay patients? Do we have to officially charge what we have set as our rate per encounter type? Can we then discount it for full payment at time of service? Can we set up a charge for self pay patients that is a flat fee by the minutes?

Also, how many of you use credit card/debit systems and do you really think it is needed? How much of the charge do you end up losing with this and is it the same for credit and debit? I wasn’t going to use it, but I am rethinking this as I signed up for a high-deductible insurance/HSA for myself and family and think this is really the way of the future. You get protection in case of big medical bills but have lots of control on day to day medical choices for a lot less. And you can roll the money saved in the HSA over year to year and can even take anything you haven’t used through the years once you retire. So you don’t have to feel that you are throwing $10,000/year away if you and your family are really pretty healthy and hardly use your insurance. Plus no formulary to deal with, no referrals. But we’ll see how I like it once I actually have to deal with it! I didn’t think I would be eligible for it, as it is not available to individuals and I am going into a solo practice/low overhead/no staff model, but it turns out that I could get it as a “group of one” as long as I had a legitimate business. They termed it “sole proprietor” coverage. So if you are interested in that kind of insurance, ask! I really didn’t think I would be able to get it.

Thanks to all who sent websites. Looking good out there!

Kerry

April 9, 2006

: Recently read article in medical newspaper about credit card procedure to insure payment after insurance posts EOB to medical practice. The clinic has made a mandatory request from prospective patients of requiring a credit card number at the time of service. Does your practice use this method and is it useful? The practice in question cut accounts receivable by 50% and need for statements to be sent by a significant amount. This both improved timely collections and allowed a more concentrated effort to collect aged accounts. I am very interested in this approach. magnetdoctor@... wrote: I am in Washington state, and here you can't legally charge less than you would get from the insurance. But since

you don't get 100% from the insurance, I let cash paying pt have the nl charge, and a 20% discount if paid at time of service. I have used the debit/cc service thru Solveras, offered by the AAFP for 3 yrs, and it's really not much of a charge. You are charged 1-1.5 % of the fee, depending on the cc machine/company you use, and a monthly fee, which runs between $30-50. Compared to what I " give back to insurances" every month, for the pleasure of being preferred it is well worth it. We do anywhere form $2-5,000 a month on the cc machine. People actually often prefer to pay their copays this way, or any remaining balance left from insurance. Also helpful for the people who have a yrly high deductible of $500, or more before their insurance picks up the rest. Now that I am doing more aesthetic treatments, the cc receipts are also increasing. Cote Maple Valley, Washington -------------- Original message -------------- Hi everyone. What does anyone know about the legalities of charging self pay patients? Do we have to officially charge what we have set as our rate per encounter type? Can we then discount it for full payment at time of service? Can we set up a charge for self pay patients that is a flat fee by the minutes? Also, how many of you use credit card/debit systems and do you really think it is

needed? How much of the charge do you end up losing with this and is it the same for credit and debit? I wasn’t going to use it, but I am rethinking this as I signed up for a high-deductible insurance/HSA for myself and family and think this is really the way of the future. You get protection in case of big medical bills but have lots of control on day to day medical choices for a lot less. And you can roll the money saved in the HSA over year to year and can even take anything you haven’t used through the years once you retire. So you don’t have to feel that you are throwing $10,000/year away if you and your family are really pretty healthy and hardly use your insurance. Plus no formulary to deal with, no referrals. But we’ll see how I like it once I actually have to deal with it! I didn’t think I would be eligible for it, as it is not available to individuals and I am going into a solo practice/low overhead/no staff

model, but it turns out that I could get it as a “group of one” as long as I had a legitimate business. They termed it “sole proprietor” coverage. So if you are interested in that kind of insurance, ask! I really didn’t think I would be able to get it. Thanks to all who sent websites. Looking good out there! Kerry

Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

April 9, 2006

: Recently read article in medical newspaper about credit card procedure to insure payment after insurance posts EOB to medical practice. The clinic has made a mandatory request from prospective patients of requiring a credit card number at the time of service. Does your practice use this method and is it useful? The practice in question cut accounts receivable by 50% and need for statements to be sent by a significant amount. This both improved timely collections and allowed a more concentrated effort to collect aged accounts. I am very interested in this approach. magnetdoctor@... wrote: I am in Washington state, and here you can't legally charge less than you would get from the insurance. But since

you don't get 100% from the insurance, I let cash paying pt have the nl charge, and a 20% discount if paid at time of service. I have used the debit/cc service thru Solveras, offered by the AAFP for 3 yrs, and it's really not much of a charge. You are charged 1-1.5 % of the fee, depending on the cc machine/company you use, and a monthly fee, which runs between $30-50. Compared to what I " give back to insurances" every month, for the pleasure of being preferred it is well worth it. We do anywhere form $2-5,000 a month on the cc machine. People actually often prefer to pay their copays this way, or any remaining balance left from insurance. Also helpful for the people who have a yrly high deductible of $500, or more before their insurance picks up the rest. Now that I am doing more aesthetic treatments, the cc receipts are also increasing. Cote Maple Valley, Washington -------------- Original message -------------- Hi everyone. What does anyone know about the legalities of charging self pay patients? Do we have to officially charge what we have set as our rate per encounter type? Can we then discount it for full payment at time of service? Can we set up a charge for self pay patients that is a flat fee by the minutes? Also, how many of you use credit card/debit systems and do you really think it is

needed? How much of the charge do you end up losing with this and is it the same for credit and debit? I wasn’t going to use it, but I am rethinking this as I signed up for a high-deductible insurance/HSA for myself and family and think this is really the way of the future. You get protection in case of big medical bills but have lots of control on day to day medical choices for a lot less. And you can roll the money saved in the HSA over year to year and can even take anything you haven’t used through the years once you retire. So you don’t have to feel that you are throwing $10,000/year away if you and your family are really pretty healthy and hardly use your insurance. Plus no formulary to deal with, no referrals. But we’ll see how I like it once I actually have to deal with it! I didn’t think I would be eligible for it, as it is not available to individuals and I am going into a solo practice/low overhead/no staff

model, but it turns out that I could get it as a “group of one” as long as I had a legitimate business. They termed it “sole proprietor” coverage. So if you are interested in that kind of insurance, ask! I really didn’t think I would be able to get it. Thanks to all who sent websites. Looking good out there! Kerry

Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

April 9, 2006

RE credit card posting AFTER EOB

This is just like an "automatic billing" from a bank, debiting your account.

Think of it this way-- do you let the bank, utilities, etc, automatically debit your accounts for services?

I don't but I'm sure others do.

I also have a merchant credit card account-- many of our "unpaid accounts" pts do not even have a credit card; I would definitely have this, if only to collect on unpaid accounts as an option.

My opinion.

Dr Matt Levin

FP, Pittsburgh, PA

Re: self pay charges/ credit card questions

:

Recently read article in medical newspaper about credit card procedure to insure payment after insurance posts EOB to medical practice. The clinic has made a mandatory request from prospective patients of requiring a credit card number at the time of service. Does your practice use this method and is it useful? The practice in question cut accounts receivable by 50% and need for statements to be sent by a significant amount. This both improved timely collections and allowed a more concentrated effort to collect aged accounts. I am very interested in this approach.

magnetdoctor@... wrote:

I am in Washington state, and here you can't legally charge less than you would get from the insurance. But since you don't get 100% from the insurance, I let cash paying pt have the nl charge, and a 20% discount if paid at time of service.

I have used the debit/cc service thru Solveras, offered by the AAFP for 3 yrs, and it's really not much of a charge. You are charged 1-1.5 % of the fee, depending on the cc machine/company you use, and a monthly fee, which runs between $30-50. Compared to what I " give back to insurances" every month, for the pleasure of being preferred it is well worth it. We do anywhere form $2-5,000 a month on the cc machine. People actually often prefer to pay their copays this way, or any remaining balance left from insurance. Also helpful for the people who have a yrly high deductible of $500, or more before their insurance picks up the rest. Now that I am doing more aesthetic treatments, the cc receipts are also increasing.

Cote

Maple Valley, Washington

-------------- Original message --------------

Hi everyone.

What does anyone know about the legalities of charging self pay patients? Do we have to officially charge what we have set as our rate per encounter type? Can we then discount it for full payment at time of service? Can we set up a charge for self pay patients that is a flat fee by the minutes?

Also, how many of you use credit card/debit systems and do you really think it is needed? How much of the charge do you end up losing with this and is it the same for credit and debit? I wasn’t going to use it, but I am rethinking this as I signed up for a high-deductible insurance/HSA for myself and family and think this is really the way of the future. You get protection in case of big medical bills but have lots of control on day to day medical choices for a lot less. And you can roll the money saved in the HSA over year to year and can even take anything you haven’t used through the years once you retire. So you don’t have to feel that you are throwing $10,000/year away if you and your family are really pretty healthy and hardly use your insurance. Plus no formulary to deal with, no referrals. But we’ll see how I like it once I actually have to deal with it! I didn’t think I would be eligible for it, as it is not available to individuals and I am going into a solo practice/low overhead/no staff model, but it turns out that I could get it as a “group of one” as long as I had a legitimate business. They termed it “sole proprietor” coverage. So if you are interested in that kind of insurance, ask! I really didn’t think I would be able to get it.

Thanks to all who sent websites. Looking good out there!

Kerry

Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

April 9, 2006

RE credit card posting AFTER EOB

This is just like an "automatic billing" from a bank, debiting your account.

Think of it this way-- do you let the bank, utilities, etc, automatically debit your accounts for services?

I don't but I'm sure others do.

I also have a merchant credit card account-- many of our "unpaid accounts" pts do not even have a credit card; I would definitely have this, if only to collect on unpaid accounts as an option.

My opinion.

Dr Matt Levin

FP, Pittsburgh, PA

Re: self pay charges/ credit card questions

:

Recently read article in medical newspaper about credit card procedure to insure payment after insurance posts EOB to medical practice. The clinic has made a mandatory request from prospective patients of requiring a credit card number at the time of service. Does your practice use this method and is it useful? The practice in question cut accounts receivable by 50% and need for statements to be sent by a significant amount. This both improved timely collections and allowed a more concentrated effort to collect aged accounts. I am very interested in this approach.

magnetdoctor@... wrote:

I am in Washington state, and here you can't legally charge less than you would get from the insurance. But since you don't get 100% from the insurance, I let cash paying pt have the nl charge, and a 20% discount if paid at time of service.

I have used the debit/cc service thru Solveras, offered by the AAFP for 3 yrs, and it's really not much of a charge. You are charged 1-1.5 % of the fee, depending on the cc machine/company you use, and a monthly fee, which runs between $30-50. Compared to what I " give back to insurances" every month, for the pleasure of being preferred it is well worth it. We do anywhere form $2-5,000 a month on the cc machine. People actually often prefer to pay their copays this way, or any remaining balance left from insurance. Also helpful for the people who have a yrly high deductible of $500, or more before their insurance picks up the rest. Now that I am doing more aesthetic treatments, the cc receipts are also increasing.

Cote

Maple Valley, Washington

-------------- Original message --------------

Hi everyone.

What does anyone know about the legalities of charging self pay patients? Do we have to officially charge what we have set as our rate per encounter type? Can we then discount it for full payment at time of service? Can we set up a charge for self pay patients that is a flat fee by the minutes?

Also, how many of you use credit card/debit systems and do you really think it is needed? How much of the charge do you end up losing with this and is it the same for credit and debit? I wasn’t going to use it, but I am rethinking this as I signed up for a high-deductible insurance/HSA for myself and family and think this is really the way of the future. You get protection in case of big medical bills but have lots of control on day to day medical choices for a lot less. And you can roll the money saved in the HSA over year to year and can even take anything you haven’t used through the years once you retire. So you don’t have to feel that you are throwing $10,000/year away if you and your family are really pretty healthy and hardly use your insurance. Plus no formulary to deal with, no referrals. But we’ll see how I like it once I actually have to deal with it! I didn’t think I would be eligible for it, as it is not available to individuals and I am going into a solo practice/low overhead/no staff model, but it turns out that I could get it as a “group of one” as long as I had a legitimate business. They termed it “sole proprietor” coverage. So if you are interested in that kind of insurance, ask! I really didn’t think I would be able to get it.

Thanks to all who sent websites. Looking good out there!

Kerry

Talk is cheap. Use Yahoo! Messenger to make PC-to-Phone calls. Great rates starting at 1¢/min.

April 9, 2006

The article was in the 12/1/05 issue of Family Practice News and was

written as a guest editorial by Dr. ph Eastern under the title

" Slash accounts receivable: stop extending credit " . I requested and

received a copy of the letter/notice Dr. Eastern gives to his

patients. I thought it was a good idea but have modified it for my

own practice to make it voluntary instead of mandatory. Below are

both Dr. Eastern's letter and mine for comparison. I haven't been

that consistent in giving the form out to every patient so far. I'd

guesstimate that 1/3 of new patients are choosing to sign up with it

since I started including it with my registration packet about a

month ago.

Dr. Eastern's letter below:

To Our Patients:

As you know if you have ever checked into a hotel or rented a car,

the first thing you are asked for is a credit card, which is

imprinted and later used to pay your bill. This is an advantage for

both you and the hotel or rental company, since it makes checkout

easier, faster, and more efficient.

We have implemented a similar policy. You will be asked for a credit

card number at the time you check in and the information will be held

securely until your insurances have paid their portion and notified

us of the amount of your share. At that time, any remaining balance

owed by you will be charged to your credit card, and a copy of the

charge will be mailed to you.

This will be an advantage to you, since you will no longer have to

write out and mail us checks. It will be an advantage to us as well,

since it will greatly decrease the number of statements that we have

to generate and send out. The combination will benefit everybody in

helping to keep the cost of health care down.

This in no way will compromise your ability to dispute a charge or

question your insurance company’s determination of payment.

Co-pays due at the time of the visit will, of course, still be due at

the time of the visit.

If you have any questions about this payment method, do not hesitate

to ask.

Sincerely yours,

The Belleville Dermatology Center, PA

---------

My version of the letter:

To Our Patients:

As you know if you have ever checked into a hotel or rented a car,

the first thing you are asked for is a credit card, which is later

used to pay your bill. This is an advantage for both you and the

hotel or rental company, since it makes checkout easier, faster, and

more efficient.

We have implemented a similar policy. We are asking for a credit

card number and the information will be held securely until your

insurances have paid their portion and notified us of the amount of

your share. At that time, any remaining balance owed by you will be

charged to your credit card, and a copy of the charge will be mailed

to you.

This will be an advantage to you, since you will no longer have to

write out and mail us checks. In addition, you will be given a 5%

discount off any fees that are charged to you. It will be an

advantage to us as well, since it will greatly decrease the number of

statements that we have to generate and send out. The combination

will benefit everybody in helping to keep the cost of health care down.

This in no way will compromise your ability to dispute a charge or

question your insurance company’s determination of payment. This

policy is completely VOLUNTARY. If you do not submit a credit card,

you will continue to be sent a bill in the usual manner for any

outstanding charges.

Co-payments will still be due at the time of the visit and are not

subject to the 5% discount.

If you have any questions about this payment method, do not hesitate

to ask.

Sincerely,

Seto, MD

> :

>

> Recently read article in medical newspaper about credit card

> procedure to insure payment after insurance posts EOB to medical

> practice. The clinic has made a mandatory request from prospective

> patients of requiring a credit card number at the time of service.

> Does your practice use this method and is it useful? The practice

> in question cut accounts receivable by 50% and need for statements

> to be sent by a significant amount. This both improved timely

> collections and allowed a more concentrated effort to collect aged

> accounts. I am very interested in this approach.

>

> magnetdoctor@... wrote:

> I am in Washington state, and here you can't legally charge less

> than you would get from the insurance. But since you don't get

> 100% from the insurance, I let cash paying pt have the nl charge,

> and a 20% discount if paid at time of service.

> I have used the debit/cc service thru Solveras, offered by the AAFP

> for 3 yrs, and it's really not much of a charge. You are charged

> 1-1.5 % of the fee, depending on the cc machine/company you use,

> and a monthly fee, which runs between $30-50. Compared to what I "

> give back to insurances " every month, for the pleasure of being

> preferred it is well worth it. We do anywhere form $2-5,000 a

> month on the cc machine. People actually often prefer to pay their

> copays this way, or any remaining balance left from insurance.

> Also helpful for the people who have a yrly high deductible of

> $500, or more before their insurance picks up the rest. Now that I

> am doing more aesthetic treatments, the cc receipts are also

> increasing.

> Cote

> Maple Valley, Washington

April 9, 2006

Yes about 1 yr ago we implemented a voluntary policy of just this. It is

mentioned in our clinic financial policy, not as a separate letter. We call it

quick pay, and I would say only about 10% of our pt do it. We don't push it,

and it's in with all the rest of the first day paperwork. I like the idea of

incentivizing it with a 5% off the remainder of the bill. After reading these

posts, think I will change to separate letter, like this, and add the %5

incentive. This idea originally came from a billing seminar I sent staff to in

a big notebook of other things. Included was a CD with letters to send to

insurances and all the state laws regarding how long an insurance can dink

around before paying the bill. After using the letter, backed up with a copy of

the state laws I now rarely have any claims hanging in limbo.

-------------- Original message ----------------------

> The article was in the 12/1/05 issue of Family Practice News and was

> written as a guest editorial by Dr. ph Eastern under the title

> " Slash accounts receivable: stop extending credit " . I requested and

> received a copy of the letter/notice Dr. Eastern gives to his

> patients. I thought it was a good idea but have modified it for my

> own practice to make it voluntary instead of mandatory. Below are

> both Dr. Eastern's letter and mine for comparison. I haven't been

> that consistent in giving the form out to every patient so far. I'd

> guesstimate that 1/3 of new patients are choosing to sign up with it

> since I started including it with my registration packet about a

> month ago.

>

> Dr. Eastern's letter below:

> To Our Patients:

>

> As you know if you have ever checked into a hotel or rented a car,

> the first thing you are asked for is a credit card, which is

> imprinted and later used to pay your bill. This is an advantage for

> both you and the hotel or rental company, since it makes checkout

> easier, faster, and more efficient.

>

> We have implemented a similar policy. You will be asked for a credit

> card number at the time you check in and the information will be held

> securely until your insurances have paid their portion and notified

> us of the amount of your share. At that time, any remaining balance

> owed by you will be charged to your credit card, and a copy of the

> charge will be mailed to you.

>

> This will be an advantage to you, since you will no longer have to

> write out and mail us checks. It will be an advantage to us as well,

> since it will greatly decrease the number of statements that we have

> to generate and send out. The combination will benefit everybody in

> helping to keep the cost of health care down.

>

> This in no way will compromise your ability to dispute a charge or

> question your insurance company’s determination of payment.

>

> Co-pays due at the time of the visit will, of course, still be due at

> the time of the visit.

>

> If you have any questions about this payment method, do not hesitate

> to ask.

>

> Sincerely yours,

> The Belleville Dermatology Center, PA

>

> ---------

>

> My version of the letter:

> To Our Patients:

>

> As you know if you have ever checked into a hotel or rented a car,

> the first thing you are asked for is a credit card, which is later

> used to pay your bill. This is an advantage for both you and the

> hotel or rental company, since it makes checkout easier, faster, and

> more efficient.

>

> We have implemented a similar policy. We are asking for a credit

> card number and the information will be held securely until your

> insurances have paid their portion and notified us of the amount of

> your share. At that time, any remaining balance owed by you will be

> charged to your credit card, and a copy of the charge will be mailed

> to you.

>

> This will be an advantage to you, since you will no longer have to

> write out and mail us checks. In addition, you will be given a 5%

> discount off any fees that are charged to you. It will be an

> advantage to us as well, since it will greatly decrease the number of

> statements that we have to generate and send out. The combination

> will benefit everybody in helping to keep the cost of health care down.

>

> This in no way will compromise your ability to dispute a charge or

> question your insurance company’s determination of payment. This

> policy is completely VOLUNTARY. If you do not submit a credit card,

> you will continue to be sent a bill in the usual manner for any

> outstanding charges.

>

> Co-payments will still be due at the time of the visit and are not

> subject to the 5% discount.

>

> If you have any questions about this payment method, do not hesitate

> to ask.

>

> Sincerely,

> Seto, MD

>

> > :

> >

> > Recently read article in medical newspaper about credit card

> > procedure to insure payment after insurance posts EOB to medical

> > practice. The clinic has made a mandatory request from prospective

> > patients of requiring a credit card number at the time of service.

> > Does your practice use this method and is it useful? The practice

> > in question cut accounts receivable by 50% and need for statements

> > to be sent by a significant amount. This both improved timely

> > collections and allowed a more concentrated effort to collect aged

> > accounts. I am very interested in this approach.

> >

> > magnetdoctor@... wrote:

> > I am in Washington state, and here you can't legally charge less

> > than you would get from the insurance. But since you don't get

> > 100% from the insurance, I let cash paying pt have the nl charge,

> > and a 20% discount if paid at time of service.

> > I have used the debit/cc service thru Solveras, offered by the AAFP

> > for 3 yrs, and it's really not much of a charge. You are charged

> > 1-1.5 % of the fee, depending on the cc machine/company you use,

> > and a monthly fee, which runs between $30-50. Compared to what I "

> > give back to insurances " every month, for the pleasure of being

> > preferred it is well worth it. We do anywhere form $2-5,000 a

> > month on the cc machine. People actually often prefer to pay their

> > copays this way, or any remaining balance left from insurance.

> > Also helpful for the people who have a yrly high deductible of

> > $500, or more before their insurance picks up the rest. Now that I

> > am doing more aesthetic treatments, the cc receipts are also

> > increasing.

> > Cote

> > Maple Valley, Washington

>

April 10, 2006

Can your share your version of the letter to the insurance companies?

Thanks,

> Yes about 1 yr ago we implemented a voluntary policy of just this.

> It is mentioned in our clinic financial policy, not as a separate

> letter. We call it quick pay, and I would say only about 10% of

> our pt do it. We don't push it, and it's in with all the rest of

> the first day paperwork. I like the idea of incentivizing it with

> a 5% off the remainder of the bill. After reading these posts,

> think I will change to separate letter, like this, and add the %5

> incentive. This idea originally came from a billing seminar I sent

> staff to in a big notebook of other things. Included was a CD with

> letters to send to insurances and all the state laws regarding how

> long an insurance can dink around before paying the bill. After

> using the letter, backed up with a copy of the state laws I now

> rarely have any claims hanging in limbo.

>

> -------------- Original message ----------------------

>

>> The article was in the 12/1/05 issue of Family Practice News and was

>> written as a guest editorial by Dr. ph Eastern under the title

>> " Slash accounts receivable: stop extending credit " . I requested and

>> received a copy of the letter/notice Dr. Eastern gives to his

>> patients. I thought it was a good idea but have modified it for my

>> own practice to make it voluntary instead of mandatory. Below are

>> both Dr. Eastern's letter and mine for comparison. I haven't been

>> that consistent in giving the form out to every patient so far. I'd

>> guesstimate that 1/3 of new patients are choosing to sign up with it

>> since I started including it with my registration packet about a

>> month ago.

>>

>> Dr. Eastern's letter below:

>> To Our Patients:

>>

>> As you know if you have ever checked into a hotel or rented a car,

>> the first thing you are asked for is a credit card, which is

>> imprinted and later used to pay your bill. This is an advantage for

>> both you and the hotel or rental company, since it makes checkout

>> easier, faster, and more efficient.

>>

>> We have implemented a similar policy. You will be asked for a credit

>> card number at the time you check in and the information will be held

>> securely until your insurances have paid their portion and notified

>> us of the amount of your share. At that time, any remaining balance

>> owed by you will be charged to your credit card, and a copy of the

>> charge will be mailed to you.

>>

>> This will be an advantage to you, since you will no longer have to

>> write out and mail us checks. It will be an advantage to us as well,

>> since it will greatly decrease the number of statements that we have

>> to generate and send out. The combination will benefit everybody in

>> helping to keep the cost of health care down.

>>

>> This in no way will compromise your ability to dispute a charge or

>> question your insurance company’s determination of payment.

>>

>> Co-pays due at the time of the visit will, of course, still be due at

>> the time of the visit.

>>

>> If you have any questions about this payment method, do not hesitate

>> to ask.

>>

>> Sincerely yours,

>> The Belleville Dermatology Center, PA

>>

>> ---------

>>

>> My version of the letter:

>> To Our Patients:

>>

>> As you know if you have ever checked into a hotel or rented a car,

>> the first thing you are asked for is a credit card, which is later

>> used to pay your bill. This is an advantage for both you and the

>> hotel or rental company, since it makes checkout easier, faster, and

>> more efficient.

>>

>> We have implemented a similar policy. We are asking for a credit

>> card number and the information will be held securely until your

>> insurances have paid their portion and notified us of the amount of

>> your share. At that time, any remaining balance owed by you will be

>> charged to your credit card, and a copy of the charge will be mailed

>> to you.

>>

>> This will be an advantage to you, since you will no longer have to

>> write out and mail us checks. In addition, you will be given a 5%

>> discount off any fees that are charged to you. It will be an

>> advantage to us as well, since it will greatly decrease the number of

>> statements that we have to generate and send out. The combination

>> will benefit everybody in helping to keep the cost of health care

>> down.

>>

>> This in no way will compromise your ability to dispute a charge or

>> question your insurance company’s determination of payment. This

>> policy is completely VOLUNTARY. If you do not submit a credit card,

>> you will continue to be sent a bill in the usual manner for any

>> outstanding charges.

>>

>> Co-payments will still be due at the time of the visit and are not

>> subject to the 5% discount.

>>

>> If you have any questions about this payment method, do not hesitate

>> to ask.

>>

>> Sincerely,

>> Seto, MD

>>

>>> :

>>>

>>> Recently read article in medical newspaper about credit card

>>> procedure to insure payment after insurance posts EOB to medical

>>> practice. The clinic has made a mandatory request from prospective

>>> patients of requiring a credit card number at the time of service.

>>> Does your practice use this method and is it useful? The practice

>>> in question cut accounts receivable by 50% and need for statements

>>> to be sent by a significant amount. This both improved timely

>>> collections and allowed a more concentrated effort to collect aged

>>> accounts. I am very interested in this approach.

>>>

>>> magnetdoctor@... wrote:

>>> I am in Washington state, and here you can't legally charge less

>>> than you would get from the insurance. But since you don't get

>>> 100% from the insurance, I let cash paying pt have the nl charge,

>>> and a 20% discount if paid at time of service.

>>> I have used the debit/cc service thru Solveras, offered by the AAFP

>>> for 3 yrs, and it's really not much of a charge. You are charged

>>> 1-1.5 % of the fee, depending on the cc machine/company you use,

>>> and a monthly fee, which runs between $30-50. Compared to what I "

>>> give back to insurances " every month, for the pleasure of being

>>> preferred it is well worth it. We do anywhere form $2-5,000 a

>>> month on the cc machine. People actually often prefer to pay their

>>> copays this way, or any remaining balance left from insurance.

>>> Also helpful for the people who have a yrly high deductible of

>>> $500, or more before their insurance picks up the rest. Now that I

>>> am doing more aesthetic treatments, the cc receipts are also

>>> increasing.

>>> Cote

>>> Maple Valley, Washington

>>

April 10, 2006