Whitepaper

Medical bills can be confusing, frustrating, and stressful for patients. That’s one of those things that the common man can agree on. Whether it’s surprise charges, unclear bills, or long wait times to fix mistakes, the current billing process is not working well for anyone.

This summary gives you a quick look at what the full whitepaper covers. It explains why patients are unhappy with billing and what healthcare practices can do to solve the problem. If you’re part of a healthcare practice or just someone trying to understand the bigger picture, this information is for you.

So, what’s going wrong with billing?

Patients are often left in the dark. They get bills filled with codes and terms they don’t understand. Sometimes, they get a charge for a service they thought was covered by insurance. Other times, they’re billed by a provider they didn’t even realize was out of network. This can lead to shock, frustration, and even distrust of the provider.

A survey by Zelis and Hanover Research found that 4 out of 10 people feel frustrated just trying to fix billing mistakes. That’s not a small problem. It’s something that affects patients' experience and even whether they return to the same doctor again.

Common reasons for frustration

• Many patients don’t know what they’re being charged for. The bills are hard to read.
• Surprise billing is still common, even with new laws in place.
• Mistakes in billing happen more often than most people think.
• Patients often receive multiple bills for the same visit from different providers.
• Trying to fix an error usually means long phone calls, delays, and lots of confusion.

This leads to a big issue: patients lose trust in the system. They may leave bad reviews, switch providers, or delay future care. None of these outcomes is good for the patient or the healthcare provider.

Why it matters for your practice

When billing problems go unresolved, the damage adds up. Your staff spends time chasing claims instead of helping patients. Payment delays create a cash flow issue. Mistakes can even lead to legal trouble if they’re serious. If unhappy, patients will spread the word to others.

Healthcare billing is not the back office function anymore, it is part of the patient experience. If you don’t have a smooth billing process, your patients will take notice.

What can be done to improve things?

There are some major changes that can make all the difference. These ideas are explained in more detail in the full whitepaper, but here’s a quick preview:

1. Explain billing clearly. Patients should know ahead of time what their insurance covers and what they might owe. After treatment, send easy-to-read invoices.
2. Fix errors fast. Train your team to spot and fix billing mistakes before patients even notice them. And when patients call with questions, make sure someone is available to help right away.
3. Offer flexible payment plans. Not everyone can pay a large medical bill all at once. Giving patients options reduces stress and makes them more likely to pay.
4. Use better systems for managing billing. This involves automating your revenue cycle, starting from the moment a patient chooses to book an appointment to the last payment. The quicker and more precise this process is, the fewer headaches all around.

How Capline Healthcare Management can help

Capline is already helping over 400 healthcare providers across the U.S. with billing and revenue cycle management. Our specialists carefully review each claim, take care of any mistakes, and express themselves clearly to the patients. This means no billing mistakes, faster payment flow, and happier clients.
We also stay updated on healthcare billing laws to make sure everything is done by the book. If you want to focus more on patient care and less on billing problems, we’re here to support you.

Download the full whitepaper to get:

• A deeper look into what’s causing patient frustration
• Real survey data that supports the findings
• Steps you can take right now to improve billing in your practice
• Tools and strategies that work, backed by results

To get your copy of the full whitepaper, visit us or contact us directly at thinkgrowth@caplineservices.com.

You can also call (888) 444-6041 to talk with a billing expert and learn more about how Capline can help your practice improve patient satisfaction while boosting your revenue.