Practice Management Alert

Role-play your way to improved collections and a healthier bottom line

You could be getting much more out of your collection calls by conducting live collections training, especially training that involves role-playing.

The challenge: -It's hard to collect from patients, period. We-ve [medical practices] traditionally been terrible at it,- says Elizabeth
Woodcock, director of knowledge management for Physician Practice Inc. in Glen Burnie, Md., and co-author of -The Physician Billing Process: Potholes in the Road to Getting Paid.-

The solution: Arm your employees with the training they need to fulfill their collection duties so they will be better prepared when they speak with an unwilling payer. Role-playing is one of the most effective ways to train billers for the issues that arise when collecting from patients, says Joyce Tessier, billing manager at HMM/CBO in Flemington, N.J.

-Part of our success depends on [billers] knowing how and when to collect,- Tessier says.

Make Sure Situations, Roles Are Realistic

Practices interested in role-playing training should make sure that the scenarios they come up with are as realistic as possible. -We use true-life experiences in our role-playing sessions. You-ll see heads nodding and smiles as [trainees] identify with the situations,- says Tessier, who tries to use volunteers in all role-playing exercises to avoid embarrassing anyone.

Consider this example of a role-playing scenario you can use in training, courtesy of Woodcock:

- Get two volunteers--one to play the collector, one to play the patient.
- Tell the collector to collect a $200 outstanding balance from the patient.
- Tell the patient to refuse to pay and stall the collector.
- See how the collector handles the situation.

Things to look for: During the role-playing, pay attention to how the collector handles the patient's protest. Then, gently critique the collector's actions, first pointing out what she did right and then discussing things she might have improved on.

What to say: In the above scenario, Woodcock encourages collectors to say things like:

- -Here is an envelope for you to use to mail your payment within three days.-
- -May I suggest payment by credit card?-
- -If you don't have the cash, do you have a check or a debit card you could use to pay?-
- -There is a convenient ATM around the corner. I would be happy to wait while you get the money.-
- -OK, let's see, today is Tuesday. How much time will you need on the $200?-

Good idea: Another effective collections training technique is -ad-libbing,- says Catherine Brink, president of Healthcare Resource Management in Spring Lake, N.J. In ad-libbing, you still need a patient and collector to play the roles.

Instruct the patient to refuse payment for any reason she chooses, and see how the collector reacts. Then, have a staff discussion on the interaction, talking about the strengths and weaknesses of the collector's efforts. If a collector is very good at getting right to the point during her role-playing, let her know that during the discussion.

Dealing with these realistic (and difficult) scenarios really benefits billers, Tessier says. -I-ve had employees call me weeks after they-ve had a session to tell me they-ve tried what they learned and that it was successful,- she says.

Note: For more sample collections training tips, see -Use These Scenarios to Gauge a Collector's Readiness- later in this issue.