Hebron, Neb.-based Thayer County Health Services altered its billing system to send patients two types of statements — one "regular" and one "detailed" — in an attempt to alleviate patients' billing concerns, The Hebron Journal Register reports.
Doug Wismer, CFO of TCHS, said the regular invoices will include what the patient owes after their insurer's payment. The bills will be mailed to patients in 30-day increments until 90 days have passed, after which the bill would be sent to collections.
The detailed statement will contain a list of services and their costs, and will be mailed to patients before a claim is filed with an insurer.
"We're hoping the new statements will address a lot of these concerns and … find out if there are other concerns that need our attention," TCHS CEO David Burd said during a March 29 meeting, The Hebron Journal Register reports. He said the regular payments will roll out in 30 days, and the detailed payments will be released in May.
TCHS intends to host a public forum to gauge patient satisfaction with the system. TCHS officials are also working to address patients' request for an online payment option, the report states.