As a medical practice, you may not be well-equipped to handle the collection of unpaid medical bills. However, you may have resorted to handling your medical bill collections and are finding yourself in a hole. An in-house collection usually involves trying to get the payments fulfilled while the patient is still on the premises and from there, the bills are sent over to them via email. You should know the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) was enacted to protect consumers from unfair debt collection practices. Therefore, if you want to employ strategies that will make your patients pay up faster, then it is time to learn a few facts about basic debt collection.
For most people, taking a call at work is improper, whether because of the nature of their job or company policies. And when your patient lets you know that you cannot call them at work because of a debt, then you cannot do so legally.
Under no circumstance can you use threatening language or profanities when you are contacting your patient regarding a debt. Furthermore, it is improper to mislead a patient into thinking that they are committing an offense by not paying up.
In order for you to track down your patient if you have misplaced or lost their address or phone number, you are allowed to make contact with the people close to them such as colleagues, friends, and family. However, it is vital that you take care not to mention the debt.
It is inappropriate to call your patient over and over again within a day to talk about an unpaid debt. According to The Fairtrade Collection Act, it is considered to be harassment. Besides, if your patient has challenged the bill or has gone ahead to do so in writing, then you are not allowed to contact them until the debt has been verified.
You are allowed to text, call or send emails to your patients concerning unpaid bills. However, if you prefer calling, you need to be careful about the time you make the calls. Unless your patient has given you the green light, it is not acceptable to call before and after certain times.
If you’re facing challenges collecting unpaid medical bills, or if you simply need help with the entire medical billing process, Advanced Reimbursement Solutions is here to help you. Contact us today at our office in Phoenix or Wilmington for further inquiries about medical bill collections.