Urology Coding Alert

A firm letter can catch a patient's attention

Getting a difficult patient to pay his account can get nerve-wracking for your urology Practice , especially if someone has already called the patient and politely requested payment. For these patients, seeing is believing--and they likely won't cough up that payment until they've seen a collection letter or two.

Practices approach collections with various combinations of statements, calls and letters. Your group's tactic depends on what works best for your patient base and billing/collections office. Improve your collections success rate by making room for the two collection letter templates below, provided by Maggie Mac, CMM, CPC, CMSCS, consulting manager with Pershing, Yoakley & Associates in Clearwater, Fla.

Hint: Print these letters on your office letterhead. Use the first letter when you've sent one or multiple statements and received no response from the patient. Break out the second letter as a last-ditch effort when you've already sent statements and made a phone call and still haven't heard from the patient.

Collection Letter Template--First Attempt

Date
Patient Address
Account Number
Dear [Patient Name],

Our policy is to contact patients who have received a billing statement from us but have not responded. Please write or call us at [billing department phone number] to settle your bill or to ask any questions about your account. Your balance is [dollar amount] for services rendered on [date of service]. We accept all MasterCard and Visa credit cards, cash or personal checks. We are also happy to work with you on a mutually agreeable payment plan.

Sincerely,
[your name]

Collection Letter Template--Final Attempt

Date
Patient Address
Account Number
Dear [Patient Name],

We contacted you on [date of contact] regarding your outstanding balance of [dollar amount] but have not heard back. Please call us immediately at [billing department phone number] to settle your bill or to ask any questions about your account. We accept all MasterCard and Visa credit cards, cash or personal checks. We are also happy to work with you on a mutually agreeable payment plan.

If you fail to respond to this request and full payment has not been received by [final payment date], we will refer your account to a collections agency.

Sincerely,
[your name]