As a healthcare provider, protecting your revenue cycle is critical, but your focus should be on serving your patients, not battling with insurance companies or working to track down earned revenue. Accounts Receivable Management partners can relieve this burden and provide a much-needed service not just for you, but for your patients as well. If you’re a provider looking to get away from the stress of managing your accounts receivable process, here’s a high-level breakdown of how a partner might be able to help.

Determining the Right Approach

Accounts Receivable Management partners work directly with healthcare providers on either a first or third-party basis, or both, depending on the specific needs of the practice. The goal for both approaches is to provide account resolution that protects your revenue cycle and your patient relationships.

• In First-Party Collections, the agency acts as an extension of your business office, operating under your name and brand when interacting with your patients. In this approach, the healthcare provider guides outreach to active patient accounts. Meanwhile, the revenue recovery partner works as a hybrid customer service support and debt collector. With this strategy, both parties must collaborate diligently to follow compliance and regulation guidelines.
• In Third-Party Collections, the agency operates independently from your office, using their name when interacting with patients on your behalf. Here, your practice has a more hands-off role, and the partner takes on full efforts for recovering revenue. This approach is typically for accounts more than 90 days past due and is often centered on recovering revenue than customer service.

No matter what type of accounts receivable support you need, a good partner should work to protect your brand, and be a steward of the relationships you’ve built with your patients. They have a responsibility to offer guidance and resources that allow you to: 

• Help patients navigate the murky waters of insurance, deductibles, and copays
• Assist qualifying patients in securing financial assistance from care providers or governmental resources
• Resolve any clinical or billing issues on behalf of the patient
• Educate patients on third-party payment solutions or payment plans offered by care providers 
• Ensure care providers are credited appropriately for all insurance payments and adjustments

Whether you are looking for a resource to supplement in-house collection efforts or looking to outsource this service altogether, the right agency should be able to work fluidly as a full-service partner to meet your needs. Understanding the different ways an Accounts Receivable Management partner can support your healthcare practice is the first step.