It might be asking consumers too much to pay a bill that they do not understand. That problem is especially acute in the medical world, where only half of the participants in a study conducted by TransUnion recently admitted they fully understood the financial responsibility that was being placed on them in the medical bills they had received. Between how much is being covered by health insurance, to how much was covered by a deductible, co-pay, or was paid at the time of service, knowing how much needs to be paid is an important component of being able to repay a debt.
Interestingly enough, younger generations were less likely to be able to understand their medical bills than older generations, according to the survey. Only 37% of members of Generation Z said they fully understood their bills, compared with 55% of Baby Boomers. Score one for the kids of the Greatest Generation.
There is a lot of money being poured into helping consumers understand their healthcare bills. Cedar, a platform that helps consumers pay their medical bills online, recently announced it had raised an additional $200 million, bringing the total amount it has raised to more than $350 million. The company’s objective is to make the healthcare billing and collection process more like the process that consumers get when they buy something online from sites like Amazon or Walmart.
It is not exactly a slam dunk to expect someone to pay a bill they do not understand. Expecting that bill to be paid is more akin to making a half-court shot when you are facing away from the basket. Healthcare providers must be able to easily convey how much a patient must pay if they expect to be repaid. A confusing bill is an unpaid bill.
While everyone would likely agree with the statement that healthcare providers are not making bills confusing on purpose, and there is a lot of information that often must be conveyed, doing it in the clearest manner possible is in the best interest of patients and providers. Not only will it likely result in more money coming in the door, but it will also likely make patients happier and more satisfied with their doctors and hospitals. It is the very definition of a win-win scenario.
Bills are an essential part of a healthcare providers practice and providers need to look at the bills they send through the eyes of a patient. Would you understand what you are sending out? Would your mother or grandmother? If the answer is no, you are not doing yourself any favors.
PPMS is a management system for recovery agencies based upon developing, implementing and adhering to a set of strict industry-specific professional practices and policies.
PPMS certification, much like a SAS-70 audit, requires independent CPA attestation that an agency has in place written policies, procedures, and work processes that ensure regulatory compliance and adherence to industry best practices. The agency must also demonstrate that it has procedures in place to identify and remediate any variance from these. PPMS certified agencies are subject to annual surveillance and must re-certify every five years.
An agency that has voluntarily undergone the PPMS application and certification process is, quite simply, a better business partner than one which has not. This rigorous process results in:
This strict accreditation insures that you as HCI clients, receive the very best service.
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— Christian Lehr, VP/COO
