On Thursday, the Biden administration revealed its intention to eliminate medical debt entries from Americans’ credit reports, aiming to put an end to what it views as coercive debt collection strategies affecting a wide swath of consumers. The proposed measures are designed to extend a financial lifeline to families grappling with medical crises, curbing the […]
Inflation and pressing household expenses are forcing some people to postpone health needs, an emerging trend that has health experts worried that conditions may only worsen. Megan Swanson has warily watched the erosion of her family’s savings as inflation chips away at a reserve for emergencies. She often postpones any regular doctor’s appointments, including her […]
Patient financial assistance with hospital bills was sought out at a higher rate in 2021 compared to 2020 partly due to hospital billing practices, according to new data from TransUnion Healthcare. Patients may receive financial assistance from hospitals to help them understand all the options available to them when it comes to paying their medical […]
Device agnostic digital patient intake; buy now, pay later; compassionate billing; and AI-enabled customizable payment plans are four trends that rev cycle leaders should watch as the pandemic rages on. Despite promises of a “hot-vaxxed summer,” the COVID-19 pandemic is raging on, more forcefully in some places than ever before. It’s also continuing to take […]
Payment collection continues to be a challenge for healthcare providers. As we previously reported for Physician’s Practice, studies have indicated that doctors only collect 12% of what they are owed at the time of service, and in two out of three visits they collect nothing upfront at all. This means that physicians are sending bills to collect […]
Suggestions for conducting peer-to-peer appeals for denials management. Claims Automation has been a part of the workers’ compensation and auto casualty industries for years, but today, a large opportunity still remains to increase in the claims automation process. The future of automation in the Property and Casualty industry is not to replace jobs but instead […]
The entrepreneurs behind Sift Healthcare are using predictive analytics (AI) to crack the code on unpaid medical bills, helping health facilities work smarter when managing budgets. Last month, Alabama’s Georgiana Medical Center closed its doors, making it the 13th Alabama hospital to close in eight years. Seven of the 13 shuttered hospitals served rural communities. In […]
Every business not only wants to attract new customers but to keep its existing ones, and hospitals and health systems are no different. Unfortunately, surprise medical bills can be the element that drives patients away from one hospital and into the waiting arms of the competition. New research published this month in Health Affairs provides hospitals with […]
Even as health systems confront rising healthcare costs and declining margins, they are under pressure to improve the patient experience, retain customer loyalty and collect patient payments. But while two-thirds of patients said cost strongly influences their overall satisfaction with their hospital or physician, nearly 60% of health systems do not discuss costs with patients, […]
In the midst of a medical recovery, the last thing you want to deal with is an unexpectedly high medical bill. As Americans continue to pay an estimated $3.4 trillion yearly in health care costs, it’s likely that at some point we’ll all encounter a big bill from a trip to the doctor’s office or an unscheduled […]