Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

Nominal payments don't create any obligation for you. Myth: If a patient is sending you $5 per month toward a debt, you can't refer the matter to a collection agency. Reality: You can send a patient's debt to a collection agency -- whether or not the patient is making a token attempt to pay up, say billing and collection workers. If the patient is following a repayment schedule that you haven't approved, then you have the right to insist on a quicker repayment. How it works: If a patient is paying a small amount every month that was not approved, many practices do send them to collections, and the collection agency may or may not report them to the credit bureau. You should check your own state's laws and payers' or carriers' requirements, and make sure that your office has policies governing how it handles debts. Most offices have policies in [...]