RCM
Optimizing Patient Collections in RCM
Nov 12, 2025
5 min read
Asking for money is uncomfortable. In healthcare, it's often avoided entirely until it's too late. Optimizing collections requires a culture shift from "billing" to "financial care."
1
Pre-Service Financial Clearance
The best time to collect is before the service is rendered. Once a patient leaves, collection probability drops by 50%.
Action: Verify benefits, estimate cost, and ask for a card on file during scheduling. Netflix does it. Uber does it. Healthcare must catch up.
2
Digital-First Statements
Paper statements are costly trash. Move to SMS and Email.
Stat: Text messages with a specific "Click to Pay" link have a 3x higher conversion rate than paper mail.
3
Compassionate Payment Plans
Patients aren't refusing to pay; they just can't pay $2,000 at once.
Script: "Can we split this into 4 monthly payments of $200?" Automated recurring charges remove the need for staff follow-up.