Healthcare providers are increasingly turning to text-based payment options and other revenue cycle technologies to improve patient collections, according to a survey from BillingTree, which offers technology-focused payment processing and solutions.
The survey of 56 respondents from U.S. healthcare companies, including single and multilocation providers and healthcare collection agencies, was conducted over a monthlong period in 2018.
Four findings:
1. Most respondents said they allow patient payments via point of service and mail (72.7 percent) and over the phone via a live agent (72.7 percent).
2. More than half of respondents (63.6 percent) said they accepted web portal payments, and 27.3 percent accepted payment via text to a patient. This is more than double the 10.4 percent of providers that offered text-based payment options in the 2017 BillingTree study.
3. Respondents ranked patient's inability to pay and collecting once the patient has left the facility as the top two challenges related to collecting patient payments.
4. Amid these challenges, adoption of electronic payments will continue, the survey suggests. More than half of respondents (54.5 percent) indicated their facility/practice plans to add web payments within the next 12 months. More than a quarter of respondents (27.3 percent) indicated their practice/facility plans to add text payments.
Access the full survey results here.
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