Joelle Mark, Ridiculously Nice Compliance Officer
Americollect is working hard to change the way collection agencies are viewed, in a positive way! We do this by being Ridiculously Nice and by partnering with our clients to make sure your accounts are accurate.
After an account is listed for bad debt, a patient may send the money directly to you, the medical provider. If Americollect doesn’t know about the payment, we make calls and send letters to your patient. This may lead to the patient(s) becoming upset or confused and patient satisfaction scores may drop, file a complaint or even a lawsuit due to the collection agency attempting to collect a debt that is paid. This is not only bad news for the collection agency, but, due to vicarious liability, it could also lead to a complaint or a lawsuit against the medical provider.
We want to do everything we can to ensure we have accurate information in our office as well as keeping our clients safe from complaints. One of the steps we take to ensure accurate information is partnering with our clients to make it easier for them, too. Here are some ways that Americollect can help:
Client Connect
- Americollect offers an online portal for our clients to list, update and follow up on patient accounts. Our Ridiculously Nice Client Relations Department offers a detailed training session when access is requested for Client Connect.
System Access
- By having access to our clients’ systems, we can do all of the work and make sure payments are reported correctly and timely. This also minimizes the need for us to call or email you for information.
Automated Payment and Adjustment Files
- Most of our clients have electronic data files that are sent to us daily to automatically report and post any direct payments or adjustments made towards accounts. Please contact kellyr@americollect.com to get this started!
Reconciliation Files
- Many of our clients send us a reconciliation file weekly or monthly. A reconciliation file is similar to an automated payment and adjustment file, but instead of just focusing on payments and adjustments, it focuses on making sure what we have listed in our office matches what is listed in our client’s office in every aspect.
If any of the above options are something that you have thought about, but did not know where to get started, give us a call and speak with our Ridiculously Nice Implementation Team. They will be able to help you decide which option would work best for you.
What data would be in an ideal payment and adjustment file: Your patient account number or visit number, the date it was listed for collection, the amount of the payment or adjustment, the date it was posted to your system and your balance after the payment or adjustment was posted. The last item is wonderful to have on an “on-the-fly” reconciliation process.
In the year of 2017, we will be reaching out to our clients who do not have a systematic way to report payments and adjustment to develop a recurring process. Let us help you improve patient satisfaction scores and prevent potential complaints and lawsuits. Please contact kellyr@americollect.com to get this started!