Encourage Patients to Get Needed Services Before the End of the Year October 15, 2024 Increase fourth quarter billing and help your patients pay less out-of-pocket for services and procedures they may be delaying. After your patients have satisfied their insurance plan’s annual deductible, health care becomes much more affordable when they only pay a copay or coinsurance for needed services. Additionally, if they have also met their out-of-pocket maximums for the year, most covered services will be paid 100% by insurance companies like ours. Remind patients that — for most plans — deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums reset on January 1 each year. Emphasize the next few months are a great opportunity to schedule services you’ve discussed but that they may have been putting off for affordability reasons. Making sure a patient has followed up on a referral to a specialist is particularly important since the specialist will likely require testing or procedures to treat the condition — all of which will cost less before the end of the year if their deductible has been met. Also discuss the fact that many screenings and preventive services are covered by insurance whether or not they have met the deductible. These services include mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure screenings, and some immunizations. If your patient doesn’t know the status of their deductible or out-of-pocket maximum, they can log on to their insurance provider’s website or call the customer service number on the back of their insurance card to find out. Ensuring these appointments get made prior to the end of the year is a good thing for both your practice and your patients.
