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Practice Management Alert

Seven Tips for Capturing Data From New Patients

Published on Mon Jul 01, 2002

A well-designed patient registration form prevents a slew of claim-submission headaches. Not only is the form valuable for gathering important insurance information, but it also gives you a way to find patients who owe your practice money.

Follow these steps to quickly capture vital patient data:

1. Obtain as much contact information as you can. "Many forms I see used today do not ask patients for fax, cell numbers, or e-mail addresses. This is valuable information," says Kim Pollock, RN, MBA, of Karen Zupko & Associates, a physician practice management consulting company based in Chicago.

2. Limit questions to patient demographics and insurance information. Usually, the form should not include any questions related to medical conditions; its purpose is insurance and payment-related information and/or general marketing data.

3. Timeliness. Because about 20 percent of patients move every year, it's crucial that you update your form every year. It is also important to keep records up-to-date in case of an audit.

4. Watch your tone. How you request this information often determines how willing patients are to complete the form. If your request is firm and professional without being aggressive, chances are you will get your required information.

5. Key questions. Ask for basic items such as:

  • the policy name and number
  • the insured's name
  • Social Security number
  • dates of coverage
  • secondary-insurance information (Households with more than one income often have more than one insurer. The patient must designate which carrier is primary and which is secondary.)
  • guardian or responsible party name
  • the name of the person or physician who referred the patient.

    Some practices have a policy of asking for a driver's license or photo identification card to ensure that the patient is actually who he says he is, just in case the account is ever turned over to a collections agency. Some practices even ask to take a Polaroid picture of the patient and then attach it to his registration form.

    6. Go the extra mile. Although basic contact information is a good place to start, most insurers require even more information. If your practice has many Medicare patients, consider two separate forms one for Medicare patients and another for non-Medicare patients. Medicare requests different information than private carriers, so this will simplify the process. These forms could be printed on different-colored paper for easy identification.

    Remember that avoiding unnecessary contact with the carriers will reduce the costs of claims processing and hasten your payment.

    7. Assignment-of-benefits statement. You may also want to consider adding an assignment-of-benefits statement to your patient registration form because it will reduce the practice's A/R totals and collection expenses.

    An assignment-of-benefits statement says that the patient has agreed to have insurance payments sent directly to your practice and that your practice can release medical information to her insurance company. "It is not necessary to submit [the statement] with your claim, but you should keep a copy in the patient file in case of an audit," recommends Laureen Jandroep, OTR, CPC, CCS-P, CPC-H, CCS, director and senior education instructor, A+ Medical Management & Education, Egg Harbor City, N.J.

    Information Gathering Is a Two-Way Street

    The patient will be more open to sharing data with you if you openly communicate office policies and procedures. You may want to discuss:

  • basic services for the condition, and physicians' fees
  • the patient's financial responsibility for services provided during the initial visit
  • an estimate of the costs for a new comprehensive history and physical examination
  • how the patient will pay for the initial visit (HMO/PPO copay, cash, check, credit card)
  • future-visit payment policy
  • whether the patient needs financial counseling before the visit.

    Practical Formats

    Forms are typically designed on 8" x 11" paper with ample space to complete the information.

    "Some 'high-tech' or more progressive practices actually have registration forms as downloads from their Web sites," Pollock says. Patients can fill out the forms in the privacy of their homes, where they have all the necessary information readily available insurance and Social Security cards, for example.

    Web-based forms also reduce patients' waiting time in your office. If patients do not have the capability to download the forms, you can simply mail them, Jandroep says.

    Note: Having a shortened version of your form for phone registrations could also be valuable. Please go to www.codinginstitute.com/docs and enter document number "44" for a sample copy. $ $ $

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