In an effort to help you maximize all your services, Dr. Daniel Dahan has identified 7 departmental areas in your practice, which need to be addressed. Each of these areas is being dealt with sequentially in The American Chiropractor. By following the suggestions given, your office will not only maximize its potential, but also delineate areas of weakness that need your attention.
4. The Collection Department: Where it counts!
The Bottom Line: Every doctor knows that, even with the most accurate and appropriate billing codes, it is in the collection department where the final decisions are made. Irrespective of the volume of patients or the type of care rendered, regardless of the location or type of marketing, the monthly collections show the “bottom line” of an office.
Consistency and Organization: The collection department requires constant attention and detail-orientated information. Data must be gathered consistently and in an organized fashion. The information must be logged in by patient account and followed up regularly and consistently. A good collector needs to be aggressive, but understanding, direct, professional, determined and, especially, focused.
Break It Down: Account audits need to be done weekly and broken down by alphabets (Part I: A-F; Part II: G-M, etc.) Each week you should be concentrating on a separate section, to insure a comprehensive and thorough knowledge of where the money is. The collection department needs to be evaluated by its total efforts; goals need to be set up weekly, monthly, and quarterly. Bonuses are a must and should be clearly spelled out. Remember, the “best doctor/office” in the world cannot keep its doors open, unless money keeps coming in.
Dr. Daniel H. Dahan is the founder and CEO of Practice Perfect, one of the nation’s largest management and consulting firms for multidisciplinary centers. For more information, call 866 67-DAHAN, (866) 673-2426 (Toll Free #), email [email protected] or visit www.dahan.com.