“If I receive medical care from one health system, why do I get multiple billing statements?”
It’s a common question and one with lots of merit. In this era of increased healthcare consumerism, patients are looking for simplicity and clarity regarding payment of their medical services. They want to see statements with concise recaps of care and easy-to-read “amount due” totals. Yet all too often, patients who have encounters within a single healthcare organization receive multiple billing statements in the mail. Separate bills for a variety of services such as emergency room charges, outpatient, inpatient and lab fees come due in fractured pieces and parts based on how the healthcare organization’s billing systems are structured, not on what makes sense for those who must pay the bills.
When patients receive multiple statements, the results can be negative for all parties involved. It’s not unusual for recipients to presume multiple statements are redundant, leading them to disregard new bills that need attention. In some instances, patients arbitrarily pick and choose what statements to pay, since they’re unsure how to prioritize the various bills. The confusion for patients means providers may not receive payments promptly or in full, slowing provider organizations’ cash flows while costing them more time, labor and resources to collect.
Responsively, our industry is experiencing a ground swell of interest in enterprise statements (also known as consolidated statements) that include all of the charges generated within a health system presented in one concise statement. Consolidated statements are logical and patient-focused solutions, yet they’re not necessarily simple to generate. Organizations often operate with disparate billing systems from department to department and facility to facility which makes it hard to track patients throughout every point of care. Nonetheless, it’s imperative that healthcare systems find ways to answer patients’ billing needs rather than defaulting to past procedures just because they’re easier to accomplish. Especially in this age of healthcare consumerism where patients are responsible for paying for more of their care, unified billing statements are increasingly important.
Enter Emdeon ExpressBill Services
With advanced printing and electronic mapping capabilities, Emdeon can work with you to create consolidated statements. In addition, the level of charge consolidation can be customized to fit your organization’s preferences.
Emdeon is equipped with the advanced systems to help you deliver simplified patient communications. And when patients can read, understand and respond to their statements, they are more likely to pay, alleviating your staff of customer service calls and extended collections efforts.
Ready to offer your patients all-in-one statements? Contact 877.EMDEON.6 (877.363.3666) to discover more about the consolidated statement capabilities though Emdeon ExpressBill Services.
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Patient Statements: When Less Really is More
