By: Diana Allen Newhouse, MHA

Collecting patient balances has always been challenging, especially attempting to collect after services are rendered.  Factor in high deductible plans into the self pay mix and it takes patient collections to a new stratifier. With more employers opting for higher deductible plans, large patient balances are here to stay.  Beth Hart, Provider Relations Representative for Cigna Healthcare, states that over fifty percent of their policies are written with a deductible component of $2,000 or more annually.   Heidi Fijal from Health New England Healthcare, a local health insurance carrier in New England, sees the same trend in their employer coverage.  According to America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) 2012 census, more than 13.5 million people now have health savings accounts and other high-deductible health plans. That is an increase of more than 2 million patients in the past year. With the razor thin collection rates pressuring medical practices today, it is more important than ever to develop effective patient collection processes.

Julee Joseph, a Patient Accounts Specialist at New England Orthopedic Surgeons in Springfield, MA, has a newly created position for patient financial counseling.  Ms. Joseph, along with her teammate Maribel Del Rio, provides education to surgery patients on their health insurance coverage and their financial liability. "Patients are very appreciative for the help navigating their insurance coverage, along with discussing their deductibles, co-insurance, the surgery costs, and other payment alternatives, including payment plans.  By shifting our collection focus to patient education, we work collaboratively with patients," states Ms. Joseph.