Revenue Cycle Time Line:  Self Pay Processing (No Insurance)

This article has links to allow easy access time line content from Scheduling to Bad Debt Recovery.  Use this information as a starting point for planning, SWAT Analysis, or to review policies and procedures for gaps.  Create a time line for your facility to assure all participants share the same expectations.

Goals:

· Reduce the risk of uncollected self pay balances (registered self pay)

Activities and Considerations:

The best way to avoid collection delays and bad debt losses from self pay patients is to assure all options for possible coverage are investigated in advance of the service.

· Significant emphasis placed on estimating and collecting at the time of service

· Patients who are unable to pay should be screened for various governmental programs that assist patients in special needs

· If ineligible for governmental programs, applications can be completed for internal financial assistance programs

After determination of a self pay liability, the hospital should follow clearly communicated policies for resolution of self pay balances.  The policy statement should be in clear terms.  While options can be available, the default expectation should be Payment In Full within 90 to 120 days.

The provisions of the policy statement should include:

· Payment in full is expected within 90 days of self pay balance billing

· Partial Payment of 1/3 of the original balance owed is expected each month

· Payments received short of minimum payment will be referred for phone follow up to encourage timely resolution of delinquency or to get the account into an approved payment arrangement

· Accounts that become delinquent are subject to any collection effort that does not violate laws

· Patients with a previous history of unresolved delinquent accounts may have future accounts expedited for collection action.

Requirements

· Up front financial counseling must be effective in communicating financial expectations

· The hospital should have one or more Loan programs that offers payment options that extend beyond the hospital’s internal collection time-line

· Financial Assistance should be offered for patients who are documented as unable to pay based on financial means tests.