4 key thoughts on point-of-service collections & patients following through with payments

Many hospitals and facilities spanning the nation are asking patients to pay at the time of service as high deductibles may prevent some patients from following through with payments, according to an article published by contributing columnist Michelle Andrews in Kaiser Health News. Ms. Andrews writes the series "Insuring Your Health" for KHN, which covers areas such as healthcare coverage and costs.

Here are four key thoughts:

1. An Advisory Board analysis evaluating 400,000 claims found patients are less likely to pay what they owe if they have a higher deductible. The study found only 36 percent of patients with deductibles exceeding $5,000 were likely to pay a portion of what they owed.

2. Comparatively, more than 66 percent of patients with deductibles of less than $1,000 were likely to pay at least some portion of what they owe.

3. Almost 75 percent of healthcare facilities and hospitals are engaging in "point-of-service collections," or asking patients for money at the point of services, estimates Richard Gundling, a senior vice president at the Healthcare Financial Management Association, an industry group.

4. Many providers contract with companies that help hospital secure payments from patients upfront. These companies give providers scripts on how to talk with patients on their payment obligations and go over various payment scenarios.

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