Billing for the Consumer

I have become more of a “consumer” of healthcare over the past two years, as I’ve delivered and cared for two little ones. The article “Steps to Building a Consumer-Centric Payment Network”[1] resonated with me on a personal level, and I wanted to call out two points in particular:

• “Simplify billing statements” rings true – I can get a bill for $150-$200 for a sick visit from the pediatrician (because we have a high deductible plan), and the bills list CPT/ICD-10 codes. Luckily, I work with expert coders, who have explained the different coding levels to me so that I can understand the charge before I pay it. But what if I didn’t have access to a CPC to explain the charge? How could I verify that my child’s visit was coded correctly? A few levels can make a big difference in the amount charged. And providing more descriptive detail can benefit the provider, because it reminds the patient of all of the services that were delivered during that visit (thereby reinforcing the monetary value of the visit for the consumer). It might take away the sting of $200 for a visit to confirm an ear infection, as this has been a new concept for me…I grew up with a $20 copay for any office visit.

• “Consolidate bills” – another personal example – wouldn’t it be nice to know how much, in total, was paid to deliver a child at the hospital? When I have delivered my children, I had several different EOBs and bills to keep track of. When planning for the delivery of my second child, I wanted to plan for the delivery cost. But I found, in going back through my paperwork, that it was harder than I expected to arrive at the “grand total.”

The high deductible landscape is leading to more consumer-minded patients, so it is important to think about the format of the bills, what is shown on them, and how the process can be streamlined. This will improve patient satisfaction and improve the providers’ collection process.

[1]http://www.hfma.org/Content.aspx?id=59031&utm_source=Real%20Magnet&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=121860182