The administrative side of healthcare is challenging for patients and staff. Patients struggling with health issues do not want to spend valuable time interpreting paperwork, complicated insurance policies and incoming bills. Staff members may be frustrated by late or unpaid payments, misunderstandings and patients’ confusion over their insurance. Fortunately, you can significantly reduce these obstacles with robust technology that supports, educates and guides patients through the billing process. 

Though billing can be tricky, improving patient engagement remains the most promising solution. Here are three of the most common patient payment issues in healthcare administration, plus practical solutions you can implement to increase healthcare revenue.  

1. Patients Don’t Know How Much They Owe

While it may seem counterintuitive, many patients don’t pay on time if they can’t figure out how much they owe. It can be challenging for people dealing with a health crisis to keep track of financial records on top of everything else. 

Insurance can be confusing and patients may be uncertain about what their insurance will cover versus what they are responsible for paying out of pocket. You can support your patients, improve their experience and earn a consistent revenue flow by being transparent about payments before and after appointments. 

The Benefits of Precise Payment Estimation

By clarifying payments early in the process, you can relieve the anxiety patients may feel about covering medical services. 

Depending on their insurance, they may still have trouble paying their medical costs. However, they’ll no longer feel the stress of anticipating medical bills without knowing how expensive they’ll be. Transparent communication can significantly reduce this stress, empowering patients to plan for health expenses.

Here are several things that may help patients understand their medical costs: 

• Patient payment estimates 
• Education about insurance coverage
• Payment plan options 

Another compassionate way to support your patients and increase revenue is to hire a dedicated employee who can concisely explain these topics, answer insurance questions and help patients choose the best payment plan.

Unfortunately, many patients feel stuck when they realize how much they owe in medical bills. They’re responsible for paying, but they may have no idea how to accomplish that — and frustration over the cost can create friction in covering the bill in full. 

When you clear up patient confusion, they will feel supported instead of frustrated.

2. It’s Too Hard to Keep Track of Payments

Patients don’t always pay their bills in full because they cannot keep track of payments. Medical bills often arrive by mail long after medical procedures and visits have occurred. 

They may assume they have paid already, only to receive additional bills weeks or months later. It can be challenging to identify all the different aspects of care and what expenses are due after a medical event or even a regular appointment. 

On the flip side, it can be equally hard for healthcare staff to oversee patient payments. Staff have many responsibilities, and keeping tabs on late payments may feel like the least urgent task during a busy day of working with new patients and fulfilling other administrative duties.  

Why You Should Invest in an Integrated Patient Payment Portal

An integrated patient payment portal eliminates this hurdle by streamlining billing and providing patient-friendly payment options. This technology monitors payments and eliminates confusion about how much patients owe and when bills are due.

Advanced portal systems can even send patients emails and reminder messages so they have multiple opportunities to pay their bills. For simplicity, people can pay through an online portal, reducing friction and making the payment process as seamless as possible. 

Here are a few benefits of using an integrated patient payment portal: 

• An easy-to-navigate interface
• Quick access to all bills and financial records
• Resources to clarify each step of the process
• Easy options for making digital payments

Setting up an integrated patient payment portal can save your staff time answering common patient questions. A payment portal with a live chat feature helps even more by allowing people to speak with live support specialists without calling your office. It gives patients a resource to learn more about their payments, track unpaid bills and feel informed about their medical care costs. 

3. Patients Did Not Budget for Unanticipated Costs

Sticker shock is a third reason patients may not pay their medical bills on time. In a 2023 survey by Payroll.org, 78% of Americans reported living paycheck to paycheck. When families receive unexpected medical bills, they often can’t make payments on schedule. 

Part of the problem is that many patients don’t fully understand what their insurance does and does not cover. Unfortunately, they may not realize they are ineligible to have a specific procedure or exam covered until the bill arrives in the mail. This issue can cause excess patient stress and unpaid bills for healthcare facilities. 

How an Insurance Eligibility Tool Can Help 

A patient insurance eligibility tool is one of the best ways to eliminate unforeseen medical expenses. Eliminating confusion over insurance coverage allows people to anticipate their bills. Your administrative staff can explain upfront what patients must cover out of pocket. 

Here are the top advantages of using an insurance eligibility tool: 

• Insurance verification so there are no surprises
• Policy details so patients understand their coverage
• Reduces human error when manually verifying coverage

Insurance plans are complex and sometimes baffling. An insurance eligibility tool gives your staff and patients high-level transparency while providing your team with a supportive patient intake solution. 

Going the extra mile for your patients builds trust. An insurance eligibility tool benefits your healthcare facility by meeting patient needs, ultimately increasing revenue. Your employees and patients will appreciate the extra simplicity around understanding medical costs. 

Request a Consultation With Millennia

At Millennia, we provide a one-stop solution for your healthcare facility, engaging your patients from pre-visit to final payment. We know about the challenges of healthcare administration, so we created features that improve the patient experience, reduce administrative burden and costs and help you collect more money. 

When you partner with us, you can streamline your patients’ healthcare financial experience, reducing stress and increasing satisfaction for your employees and patients. At Millennia, we are here to perfect patient payments — so you can get back to improving people’s health.

Request a consultation with one of our experts today to learn more!