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Once a resident is admitted, it is vitally important to maintain accurate and timely records on their payment history. If you see any deviation from past payment patterns, and especially if payments become unusually slow, immediate follow-up is warranted. This not only gives you an early alert to impending payment problems, it also gives you the chance for early intervention if there is an outside influence (i.e. responsible party withholding payment, etc…)

5] Contact Past Due Accounts More F

The following nursing home collections report outlines 11 guidelines you can follow to increase the amount of in-house long term care collections your facility collects.

1] Have A Defined Long Term Care Collection Policy

One of the major causes of delinquent nursing home receivables is that the facility has not clearly defined to its residents/responsible parties and business office staff when the accounts are to be paid. If you are currently 'playing-it-by-ear', and have no consistent guidelines for your business office to follow - you are inviting bad debt. These guidelines should be made clear to both your business office and admissions staff. If you consistently apply your collection policy to every nursing home account, you will enjoy a large decrease in delinquent accounts.

2] Educate Residents/Responsible Parties On Your Policy Before Admission

If residents/responsible parties are not educated that their nursing home accounts need to be paid on time - then chances are they'll pay late or sometimes not at all. Make it crystal clear what day of the month that you bill, and when their payment is expected. Let them know the consequences of non-payment up front - not after they become delinquent. This eliminates potential future misunderstandings from your residents/responsible parties. Statement of your payment policy when payment is overdue is a strong first step in facilitating payment.

3] Invoice Promptly and Bill Regularly

If you don't have a systematic invoicing and billing system - get one. Many times the resident/ responsible party hasn't been re-billed or reminded to pay in a timely manner. This situation regularly occurs in homes where there isn't enough billing staff in your business office, or the staff is spread to thin to invoice or bill on a timely basis. It is amazing how much money is often left uncollected because the resident/ responsible party was never billed or contacted a second time.

4] Keep Accurate And Timely Payment Records

Once a resident is admitted, it is vitally important to maintain accurate and timely records on their payment history. If you see any deviation from past payment patterns, and especially if payments become unusually slow, immediate follow-up is warranted. This not only gives you an early alert to impending payment problems, it also gives you the chance for early intervention if there is an outside influence (i.e. responsible party withholding payment, etc…)

5] Contact Past Due Accounts More Fr

elines for your business office to follow - you are inviting bad debt. These guidelines should be made clear to both your business office and admissions staff. If you consistently apply your collection policy to every nursing home account, you will enjoy a large decrease in delinquent accounts.

2] Educate Residents/Responsible Parties On Your Policy Before Admission

If residents/responsible parties are not educated that their nursing home accounts need to be paid on time - then chances are they'll pay late or sometimes not at all. Make it crystal clear what day of the month that you bill, and when their payment is expected. Let them know the consequences of non-payment up front - not after they become delinquent. This eliminates potential future misunderstandings from your residents/responsible parties. Statement of your payment policy when payment is overdue is a strong first step in facilitating payment.

3] Invoice Promptly and Bill Regularly

If you don't have a systematic invoicing and billing system - get one. Many times the resident/ responsible party hasn't been re-billed or reminded to pay in a timely manner. This situation regularly occurs in homes where there isn't enough billing staff in your business office, or the staff is spread to thin to invoice or bill on a timely basis. It is amazing how much money is often left uncollected because the resident/ responsible party was never billed or contacted a second time.

4] Keep Accurate And Timely Payment Records

Once a resident is admitted, it is vitally important to maintain accurate and timely records on their payment history. If you see any deviation from past payment patterns, and especially if payments become unusually slow, immediate follow-up is warranted. This not only gives you an early alert to impending payment problems, it also gives you the chance for early intervention if there is an outside influence (i.e. responsible party withholding payment, etc…)

5] Contact Past Due Accounts More F

hey'll pay late or sometimes not at all. Make it crystal clear what day of the month that you bill, and when their payment is expected. Let them know the consequences of non-payment up front - not after they become delinquent. This eliminates potential future misunderstandings from your residents/responsible parties. Statement of your payment policy when payment is overdue is a strong first step in facilitating payment.

3] Invoice Promptly and Bill Regularly

If you don't have a systematic invoicing and billing system - get one. Many times the resident/ responsible party hasn't been re-billed or reminded to pay in a timely manner. This situation regularly occurs in homes where there isn't enough billing staff in your business office, or the staff is spread to thin to invoice or bill on a timely basis. It is amazing how much money is often left uncollected because the resident/ responsible party was never billed or contacted a second time.

4] Keep Accurate And Timely Payment Records

Once a resident is admitted, it is vitally important to maintain accurate and timely records on their payment history. If you see any deviation from past payment patterns, and especially if payments become unusually slow, immediate follow-up is warranted. This not only gives you an early alert to impending payment problems, it also gives you the chance for early intervention if there is an outside influence (i.e. responsible party withholding payment, etc…)

5] Contact Past Due Accounts More F

voicing and billing system - get one. Many times the resident/ responsible party hasn't been re-billed or reminded to pay in a timely manner. This situation regularly occurs in homes where there isn't enough billing staff in your business office, or the staff is spread to thin to invoice or bill on a timely basis. It is amazing how much money is often left uncollected because the resident/ responsible party was never billed or contacted a second time.

4] Keep Accurate And Timely Payment Records

Once a resident is admitted, it is vitally important to maintain accurate and timely records on their payment history. If you see any deviation from past payment patterns, and especially if payments become unusually slow, immediate follow-up is warranted. This not only gives you an early alert to impending payment problems, it also gives you the chance for early intervention if there is an outside influence (i.e. responsible party withholding payment, etc…)

5] Contact Past Due Accounts More F

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Once a resident is admitted, it is vitally important to maintain accurate and timely records on their payment history. If you see any deviation from past payment patterns, and especially if payments become unusually slow, immediate follow-up is warranted. This not only gives you an early alert to impending payment problems, it also gives you the chance for early intervention if there is an outside influence (i.e. responsible party withholding payment, etc…)

5] Contact Past Due Accounts More Frequently

There is no law prohibiting you from contacting a resident/responsible party more than a month. The old adage 'The squeaky wheel gets the oil' has a great deal of merit when it comes to collecting delinquent accounts. It is an excellent idea to contact late payers every 14 days. Doing so will enable you to diplomatically remind the resident/responsible party about your terms of payment and give you more chances to discover the real reason why they are late.

6] Develop A Systematic Plan To Follow Up On Past Due Accounts

Determine ahead of time what actions you will take and a defined time frame when the actions will take place. For example, at 15 days delinquent - make a phone call. Your business office can start with a 'courtesy' call to make sure the statement was received. At 30 days delinquent - send another statement with a message, "This balance is 30 days delinquent, please remit immediately." At 45 days your business office can call and make a stronger demand for payment. Having a plan and adhering to it makes both you and your residents/ responsible parties aware of the fact you expect to be paid on a timely basis.

7] Use Your Aging Report - Not Your "Feelings"

Many well meaning business offices have let an nursing home account age beyond the point of ever being collected because they 'felt' that the resident/responsible party would eventually pay. While there certainly are a few isolated cases of unusual payment situations, the truth is that if you aren't being paid, usually someone else is. So stick to your systematic plan of follow up. You'll soon know who intends to really pay and who does not. You can then take appropriate measures once you know where you stand.

8] Make Sure Your Business Office Is Trained

Even experienced business office members can sometimes become jaded when dealing with debtors. This usually occurs when the residents or responsible parties: have made and broken promises for payment, did not file information at th