Patient Information Updates

Question: Major insurance carriers are constantly denying or delaying payment by asking for patient information to be updated. We ask patients to call the insurers and update their information; needless to say, patients don't follow up very frequently. How can we improve patient compliance, make the carrier responsible to obtain these updates, or somehow get paid?

Answer: Unfortunately, there is no magical solution to the problem - and it occurs a lot. We suggest you identify if there are certain factors that trigger this routinely - missing phone numbers, haven't visited in six months - and advise patients to call while they're in your office. Don't let them get home and forget about it.