patientsSome patients expect to be able to leave your practice without paying until you send them a statement or for the practice to automatically offer financial arrangements. Allowing patients to leave without paying for the treatment they received is synonymous with extending credit to patients. This has the potential to create the usual credit-related issues, such as patients ignoring statements that are sent to them or the "check is in the mail" syndrome.

The worst case scenario for a small number of patients is a balance that never gets paid and must be written off or sent to collections. When this happens, you can "write off" the patient as well since they are unlikely to return to the practice knowing of the financial issue that they created. Even if the balance is resolved, the embarrassment of the collections process will result in losing them as patients.

In our new team meeting, Controlling Accounts Receivable, Imtiaz Manji teaches you how to shift your financial policies to allow patients to take financial responsibility for the cost of treatment on the day of service and prevent issues with accounts receivable and collections.

After viewing this team meeting on controlling accounts receivable for patients, you'll have a better understanding of:



  • The factors that cause accounts receivable to escalate out of control

  • Creating a financial policy that encourages patient financial responsibility while supporting case acceptance


Log on now to begin learning about controlling accounts receivable. If you're not yet a Spear Online, Click here to learn more.

Denise Prichard is the Editor for Spear Education.