What Is a Self-Pay Patient?
A self-pay patient is a person who pays for the cost of their medical care out-of-pocket. That means they do not rely on the health insurance company or any other third-party payers to cover their costs. In many situations, a self-pay patient will be uninsured, but some may have insurance and choose to opt out of using their policy.
If a patient is self-pay, they are taking full financial responsibility for the cost of all of their medical services, including any procedures, medications, treatments, or follow-up appointments. This means all charges for medical care are paid by the patient directly to you.
How to Improve Service for Self-Paying Patients
As noted, your patients, even those who are self-paying, need reliable support and customer service. There are several opportunities to make small changes that can make a big difference.
Have a Self-Pay Payment Policy
Before you move forward with any appointment with a patient, they should receive a copy of your self-pay payment policy. This written piece of communication states that the patient is responsible for the full cost of the services they obtain from you. Your policy needs to be thorough and include:
- When payment is expected
- How the patient can settle payment with you
- The specific payment forms accepted and any fees associated with them
This should be clearly communicated with all new patients, especially when onboarding. The policy should also be posted and then provided to the patient when an appointment is made.
Clarify Charges and Payment Methods Up Front
At the time of scheduling an appointment, communicate directly with the client about their method of payment. If they plan to pay upfront, be sure that your team knows that when they come in. It is quite common for miscommunications here to lead to trouble with collecting debts down the road. It is generally advisable to require that a self-pay patient pays at the time of service since they are more likely to make payment than if they wait and pay later.
Ensure Uninsured Patients Pay for Care
A very large obstacle occurs when there is a lack of communication between the provider and patient about when payment is expected. Those patients without health insurance may be unable to pay their full balance at the time of an appointment, though. In these situations, it helps to have a few rules and procedures in place:
- Consider asking your patients to sign a promise to pay form. This legally outlined contract will make it possible for you to collect on the debt later.
- If you plan to offer patients a payment plan, set up a process to enable that early on. Ensure your payment plan process has specific due dates and the expected amounts for each payment. Make paying those payments easy.
- Document what happens if payment is not paid on time. This includes any necessary fees to assign, timelines for taking legal action, and financial responsibility in the long term.
For more expensive services, at least a down payment is expected to be made to the provider prior to the appointment. If that is the case, be sure to communicate it early on with the patient so they know what is expected of them.
