The Weekly RUSH - Easy Money - Just ask

Patient Registration Techniques
Would a hotel front desk person let a guest check-in without obtaining a credit card number? Not a chance. Applying the same principle to checking-in guests, I mean, patients in your medical facility can actually translate into happier customers and increased revenue.

Challenge: Patients are frequently left to review registration documents on their own. Too often they make errors in key areas--demographic and insurance information. Simple errors, such as a misspelled name or transposed identification numbers frequently cause costly delays in service and/or payment.

Bottom-line: A pivotal customer service moment, whether it’s at a hotel or a medical office, takes place at check-in. A welcoming greeting helps patients feel at ease and the rest (as they say) is in the details.

Reviewing forms and verbally reading information in key fields to patients for confirmation (i.e. name, address, date of birth, name of insurer and ID number) means fewer questions and collections down the line. Verbal confirmation of data can save minutes and possibly hours of costly follow-up because it helps the patient focus on critical information, speeds up the check-in process and increases accuracy.

And who knows, someone just might get a better night’s sleep.

Bang for the Buck: If more than 20% of charts need correction, you are most likely an insomniac. Consider re-evaluating your information collection and verification process.

The RUSH GROUP’s Front Office Series helps solidify administrative basics for those who are in frequent contact with patients and their records (i.e. Reception, Registration and Medical Records Specialists). Learn more at http://www.therushgroup.com/courseCatalog.htm.