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To provide dentists with an easy-to-use, straightforward process that will glean 98% of their collections, the five consultant members of the MOSAIC Management Group (of San Francisco and Chicago)�Debbie Castagna, Jody Catalanello, Pam Bringman-Gorrell, Virginia Stockinger Moore, and Linda Wooton Valencia�combined their in-office expertise to write GET PAID FOR YOUR SERVICES: Simple, Sensible Payment Arrangements That Work!
The three-ring binder book with accompanying floppy disk (for IBM/compatible or Macintosh computers, in Word, Word Perfect, or Rich Text) costs only $100�less than one stray payment!�and is now available. The book is also available for $90 as an email attachment.
What�s it like? Take a quick look at the table of contents and two sample chapters that follow.
In addition to a 98% collection rate, what other benefits can a solid payment arrangement and collections process bring?
- Patients will be clear about their financial responsibility to the practice.
- Your accounts receivable will be healthy.
- Your case acceptance rate will be higher.
- You�ll have fewer �difficult� accounts, bad debt write-offs, or accounts sent to the collection agency.
- You�ll have an improved cash flow, for things like facility enhancements, the best dental supplies, a salary increase for the doctor and team, and better employee benefits.
- You�ll be able to know, with confidence, that your written credit policy can be communicated with integrity and care so that patients understand that their health is your priority.
- You�ll have consistent win-win payment arrangements that support your office credit guidelines.
The five authors provide 35 processes, sample letters, and forms in standard operating procedures (SOP) format that can be read in print, opened on the disk, modified to fit your practice needs, and printed right then�or used as is! In fact, every word of the book is reproducible in office, to customize the MOSAIC collection concepts to other steps already working well for you, to create a super collection process that leaves your patients pleased; your staff informed and consistently applying a sensible, straightforward system, and you PAID virtually every time FOR YOUR SERVICES!
Table of Contents
Dedication / Acknowledgment
How to Best Use This Book and Disk
Introduction, 1
1. Payment Arrangements are a Team Effort! 3
2 Developing Credit Guidelines, 15
3 Preparation for the Payment Arrangement, 26
4 How to Negotiate a Payment Arrangement, 33
5 Paperwork, 46
6 Collecting Past Due Accounts, 51
7 Monitoring Success, 65
8 Congratulations! 77
Appendix
Forms, 78
About the Authors, 85
INDEX, 87
Table of Contents of the SOPs, Letters, and Scripts
[Chapter / SOPs Titles or Sample Letters and Scripts / (File Name) / Page]
1 / Job Description: Financial Administrator /
(finadmjd.1) / 4
1 / Performance Statement: Financial Administrator
(psfinadm.1) / 5
1 / Editing a Simple Job Description / (editjob.1) / 9
1 / How to Make Payment Arrangements a Team Effort /
(teameff.1) / 10
2 / Creating Your Own Credit Guidelines / (creditgd.2) /
16
2 / Office Credit Guidelines Questionnaire / (creditqs.2)
/ 17
2 / Sample: Office Credit Guidelines / (sampcred.2) / 22
3 / Payment Arrangements Without a Consultative Appointment
/ (paywout.3) / 27
3 / Payment Arrangements With a Consultative Visit /
(paywith.3) / 28
3 / Payment Arrangement for Emergency Procedures /
(payemer.3) / 31
4 / How to Negotiate a Payment Arrangement / (negopay.4)
/ 33
5 / Payment Agreement System and Risk Management /
(pay-risk.5) / 46
6 / Collection Follow-Up System Using the Telephone
(followup.6) / 51
6 / Sample Telephone Reminder Script / see (chap.6) / 52
6 / Sample Solution Call Script / see (chap.6) / 53
6 / Sample Urgency Call Script / see (chap.6) / 54
6 / Delinquent Accounts Routine / (delinqt.6) / 56
6 / Sample First Delinquency Call Script / see
(delinqt.6) / 56
6 / Sample Reminder Collection Letter / see (delinqt.6) /
57
6 / Sample Solution Collection Letter / see (delinqt.6) /
58
6 / Sample Final Notice Collection Letter / see
(delinqt.6) / 60
6 / Sample Dismissal Letter / see (delinqt.6) / 61
6 / Sample Collection Follow-Up Schedule / (sampsche.6) /
63
7 / Monitoring Success / (msuccess.7) / 65
7 / Completion Instructions for New and Existing Patient
Monitors / (complete.7) / 66
7 / Completion Instructions for Calculating Month End
Totals... / (calculat.7 ) 70
7 / Completion Instructions for the Month End Finance Monitor
/ (mthend.7) / 71
Forms / Payment Arrangement / (parrange.5) / 79
Forms / Payment Plan Follow-Up / (payplan.5) / 80
Forms / Sample: Patient Dismissal Letter / (sampdism.6_)
/ 81
Forms/ New Patient Monitor / (newpatmr.7) / 82
Forms / Existing Patient Monitor / (existmon.7) / 83
Forms / Month End Finance Monitor / (mthendmr.7) / 84
A S.O.P. on the Best Way to Use
Get Paid for Your Services:
Simple, Sensible Payment Arrangements That Work!
Desired Outcome: Fullest utilization of the information in this book and the accompanying disk.
Measurement: Realization of the nine benefits listed in the Introduction.
1. Browse through the book, front to back.
2. Then read closely those areas of prime interest.
3. If you simply want to share that information with others on the staff, let
them read it too.
4. If you wish to incorporate the information into your collections program,
install the computer disk into your hard drive. (It is self-installing: follow
the instructions.)
5. You will probably want to print out the information you most wish to use, so
you can modify it to more closely match your practice needs.
6. If the information you want to copy is chapter text, that will appear under
the chapter title, i.e., Chapter 3. Open to that chapter and print it out.
7. If it is a standard operating procedure (SOP), it will have its own file.
That file name will appear in brackets under the SOP�s title; you can also find
it in the SOPs Table of Contents. Open that file and print it out.
8. Then hand write any changes you wish to make on that printed copy. Let others
involved in the collection process read and comment on those changes too.
9. Go to or open the computer file that you wish to change. Type in the changes
to match your hand written copy. Print out the new, changed file. Save it to
your hard drive with a new name (thus preserving the original copy should you
wish to return to it later.)
10. If you are creating your own three-ring binder about collections, simply
three-hole punch the printed copy and insert it in your new binder�or replace
that page in Get Paid for Your Services. That customizes our binder for your
needs and keeps all related information in one location.
11. Remember to duplicate the copy on your hard drive, saving it on a back-up
floppy disk.
12. Also put the Get Paid for Your Services computer floppy disk in a safe
place should you wish to use it at some later date.
A final thought. If the SOPs process works well for your collections, remember that Dental Communication Unlimited offers other SOPs books, reports, and both audio and video cassette programs that might also be of assistance.
Two sample segments from the book: the Introduction and Chapter 5
INTRODUCTION
During the Persian Gulf War, a man and his wife visited their son in Tokyo, Japan. He worked as a jet fighter mechanic on the aircraft used in the war missions.
The son took his parents on a tour where the mechanics repaired the multi-million dollar aircraft. His father was amazed that his boy and the other young men he observed, all in their early twenties, could be entrusted to do such vitally important work. He didn�t want to offend his son by commenting on their youth, so he asked him, �What happens when one of these guys gets transferred?� The son replied, �It doesn�t matter Dad, we have systems. You don�t have problems when you have systems.�
When we heard this story, trumpets blared and the angels were singing! Hallelujah! For years we have been teaching that systems�systems well thought out and executed�bring success and consistently superior service. Without them, the dental practice is in chaos.
Webster�s Dictionary defines the word �system� this way: �a set of facts, principles, rules, etc., classified or arranged in a regular, orderly form so as to show a logical plan linking the various parts.�
This is a book on payment arrangements, a system so important to the dental practice that it warrants an entire book on the subject! These are some of the benefits that the patient, the practice, and you can achieve with a rock-solid payment arrangement system.
� Patients are clear about their financial responsibility to the practice.
� Healthy accounts receivable.
� 98% collections.
� Higher case acceptance.
� Fewer �difficult� accounts.
� Less bad debt write-offs or accounts sent to the collection agency.
� Improved cash flow allowing for things like facility enhancements, the best
dental supplies, a salary increase for the doctor and team, and better
employee benefits.
� The confidence of knowing that your written credit policy can be
communicated with integrity and care so that patients understand that their
health is your priority.
� Win-win payment arrangements that support the office credit guidelines.
Take this �set of facts, principles, and rules� and create your own �logical plan.� In the pages that follow, you will find practical theory, step-by-step standard operating procedures (SOPs), and exceptional communication skills that can make your payment arrangement system sing. We hope this information makes your job easier. Apply it and you�re on your way to receiving all of the good things that this system can bring.
Doctors and team members, you�ll never have to worry about what will happen if someone �transfers� out of your office again!
Chapter Five: PAPERWORK
The financial administrator and the patient have come to a verbal agreement about how the patient will pay for the dental expense. Now the agreement must be put in writing.
What is documented, how it�s documented, and where it�s documented are vitally important for these reasons:
� The patient feels well cared for because they are clear about their
financial commitment to the practice.
� The written payment arrangement serves as a reminder to the patient to make
timely, accurate payments.
� Written payment arrangements that include payment amounts and due dates help
the financial administrator follow up on current and past due accounts.
� Written payment arrangements provide legal recourse to the practice
attempting to collect past due accounts.
The proper paperwork also provides a valuable form of risk management! Payment arrangements forms can protect you from some forms of liability. There is a federal truth-in-lending law which requires a practice to use a �truth-in-lending� form every time it assesses a finance charge and/or when a patient agrees to pay their charges in four or more installments�that�s installments, not months!
This SOP is designed to help you improve patient relations, your payment arrangement system, and risk management.
PAYMENT AGREEMENT SYSTEM AND RISK MANAGEMENT [pay-risk.5]
Desired Outcome: To ensure complete and accurate payment plan documentation on all treatment plans. To be able to effectively and promptly monitor and follow up on accounts receivable based on the documented information contained within your paperwork.
Measurement: Written payment plans signed by both the patient and the financial administrator for all treatment plans that have been discussed with the patient. Completion of payment arrangement follow-up cards with due dates for receipt of payment, for use in the accounts receivable monitoring program.
After verbally negotiating a payment arrangement, do the following:
1. Document the arrangements on either a two-part NCR Federal Truth-in-Lending form or a Payment Arrangement form. (For a blank form, for later use, see Sample A in the Forms Section.)
A. Use a Federal Truth-in-Lending form if there will be four or more
payments in the payment plan and you will be assessing a finance charge.
B. Use a Payment Arrangement form for other payment plans than those listed in
A.
2. Include the following documentation on all forms used for payment arrangements:
A. Fee for total treatment plan or phase
B. Initial payment amount
C. Payment plan for the balance
D. Number of payments
E. Due dates
F. Amounts due and how they will be paid
3. Both the financial administrator and patient sign the form.
A. The financial administrator says, �To acknowledge what you and I have agreed upon, please review and sign this information.�
4. Give the patient the second copy for their records.
Example: �I�m giving you a copy of this agreement, along with my business card. You may wish to keep this copy with your monthly bills. If you need to discuss anything about this agreement, my name and number is on this card. Please don�t hesitate to call me.�
5. File the original signed agreement in a separate accordion-style file or hanging file.
A. File in alphabetical order by patient�s last name.
B. This file is to contain all payment agreements for patients in your
practice.
(Book includes a Payment Arrangement form not transferable to the website.)
6. After dismissing the patient
A. Complete the Payment Plan Follow-Up form. (For a blank form, for later
use, see Sample B in the Forms Section.)
B. Designate a tickler file to be used for payment plan follow-up only.
C. File the �Payment Plan Follow-up� form
1) Chronologically, by the payment due date,
2) In the tickler file for subsequent monitoring. (See Follow-up section.)
D. Enter the patient�s specific information on either the
1) New Patient Monitor or
2) Existing Patient Monitor
7. If the patient does not close on a payment arrangement, do the following:
A. Ensure follow-up by completing a Lost and Found card.
B. File this card in a chronological tickler behind the date you want to
follow up, usually about one week. (If you have a computer tickler, document
this information there instead of a manual tickler.)
C. Designate a particular time each week to follow up on open payment plans.
- - - - - - - - - -
Patients may delay commitment to a payment arrangement for various reasons, i.e., check with spouse, timing, think about it. Let the patient know you will follow up with them to see where they are with making a decision.
Example: �Mary, let me know your decision after you talk with your husband. If for some reason I don�t hear from you, I�ll give you a call in about a week.�
You have now successfully completed the steps of a payment arrangement. Congratulations! This thorough approach will serve as an asset to the practice. It can be one of the important reasons patients appreciate your care�they are fully involved and informed before treatment is rendered! (Book includes a Payment Plan Follow-Up form not transferable to the website.)
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Carl G. Kline, MBA
copyright 1997-2005