Tag Archives: Customer service

Is It Time To Dismount?

5 May

My father was a wise man. He used to tell me, “If you find out that your horse has died, it is a good idea to dismount.”

I’ve found, in my experience, that many medical and dental practices are riding a dead horse, and it is definitely time to dismount.

How many things in your practice are being done the same way they were 20 years ago? 10 years? 5 years? If you are like most practices, your answer will be “nothing!” But, if you think about it, the one thing that is being done the same way it has been for a long time is the way you collect money from patients and insurance companies that owe you money.

Sending a monthly statement, and calling (when you get the time to do so) does not work any more to motivate your slow pay and delinquent patients to pay your bill. Calling, waiting on hold, and nagging insurance companies doesn’t get you paid on time either. And do you have any idea how much having employees on hold that long will cost you in a month?

Over the years, we have determined that there are four distinct types of patient payers. Each one requires a different approach to motivate them to pay you, and it is a mistake to treat all of them the same. It is hard, if not impossible, for you to determine which is which quickly and inexpensively in-house.

We have also found a much more economical and effective way to motivate the insurance companies who are dragging their feet, making excuses, and ignoring your calls to get you paid faster.

Transworld Systems can help you update and automate your A/R processes for both insurance and patients. The cost will normally be less than what you are paying now to do what you do in-house, and the results will be MUCH better than riding a “dead horse.”

Contact David Wiener at 888-780-1333 or email me at david.wiener@transworldsystems.com

10 daily practice statistics every dentist should review – DentistryIQ

24 Aug

Here is a great article to get you thinking about “the business of dentistry.”  In the financial area, it is vital that co-pays be collected at all times, and that patients be motivated to pay more, sooner, on their responsibility.

I’d be happy to show you some new ways to get that done, while actually building your relationships with patients rather than tearing them down.

10 daily practice statistics every dentist should review – DentistryIQ.

Top 10 Tips To Improve Collections (Part 6)

14 May

It’s a problem faced by virtually every business and medical practice – how to deal with customers / patients who pay their bill late, or not at all.  While customers and patients expect prompt and professional service, they don’t always meet the same standard when it comes to paying their bill.

Accounts not paid promptly can severely impact the cash flow of a business or practice.  A clearly defined and carefully communicated, yet diplomatic payment policy, may help avoid difficult collections situations.

Tip #6

MAKE SURE YOUR STAFF IS WELL TRAINED

Even “experienced” staff members can sometimes become jaded when dealing with past-due accounts.  This usually happens when the customer/patient has made and broken promises for payment.  Make sure the staff is firm, yet courteous when dealing with them.  Your business’s/practice’s collection staff may benefit from customer service training because, in effect, they must “sell” your customer/patient on the idea that your business/practice expects to be paid.  Make sure that your staff is trained to not only bring the account current, but to also maintain good will.

Contact me if you would like information on training for your staff in customer relations and asking for money.  The consultation is free.

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Top 10 Tips To Improve Collections (Part 1)

6 May

It’s a problem faced by virtually every business and medical practice – how to deal with customers / patients who pay their bill late, or not at all.  While customers and patients expect prompt and professional service, they don’t always meet the same standard when it comes to paying their bill.

Accounts not paid promptly can severely impact the cash flow of a business or practice.  A clearly defined and carefully communicated, yet diplomatic payment policy, may help avoid difficult collections situations.

TIP #!

HAVE A DEFINED CREDIT POLICY

The first step is to clearly define when accounts are to be paid.  If customers/patients are not informed that accounts are to be paid on time, chances are they will pay them late, or sometimes not at all.  Make sure that your payment terms and expectations are clearly stated in writing to each person.

To receive each of these 10 tips by email, please follow this blog by entering your email address on the right side of the page.

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