Author: Brian Eggert
Price transparency: Will it boost your revenues?
Physicians and other healthcare providers want the same thing for their patients: better outcomes and a higher quality of life. To many patients, cost is a barrier to accessing that quality care. And when they do seek it, high bills can undermine their trust in their physician. In 2008, an extensive survey by the NIH showed that
Is your practice preparing for value-based healthcare?
Value-based healthcare seems to be in a holding pattern, thanks to shifts in healthcare policy in Washington. At the same time, many physicians and healthcare executives expect this idea to one day become reality. Even if the change is slow. Some 82 percent of 450 physicians and health plan executives surveyed expect the transition to value-based
David Gunderson Selected among VHEDC’s 2018 Rising Stars
On Wednesday, March 21, the Vadnais Heights Economic Development Corporation (VHEDC) honored local business leaders and presented awards to several outstanding individuals for their excellence in business and their valuable contributions to the community. At the ceremony, the Rising Stars Award was presented to three emerging professionals in the Northeast Metro area. IC System, whose
Does your practice have the right procedures for patient billing disputes?
Over the past decade, you may have noticed your patients are becoming much more aware and savvy when it comes to this aspect of their healthcare: what it says on the bill. More Americans do have health insurance, but they are also responsible for paying deductibles that can add up to several thousand dollars a year. That
Dental offices: Reduce your accounts receivable
Obviously, no dentist would start drilling without consulting the patient. Yet, a patient caught unaware by a higher-than-expected bill can feel just as betrayed. In 2016, the average dental practice had $47,000 worth of accounts receivable at 90 days or greater, according to a study by Sikka Software. If these are patients that walked out the door
IC System Celebrates 80th Anniversary
Throughout 2018, IC System will celebrate its 80th Anniversary. Ruth and Jack Erickson (picture below with the early IC System crew) founded IC System in 1938 on the guiding principle of giving their customers ethical, honest service. Eight decades and three generations of family ownership later, IC System is still devoted to our niche—being the
When is it time to write off patient balances?
Has a bill ever arrived in your mailbox with a balance so small, it was laughable? There are myriad reasons behind the balances on the books, which is why well-managed practices establish a hierarchy and create procedures. It’s important to bring clarity to which past-due accounts need pursuing, and when you should write off patient balances. Moreover,
5 strategies to contact unresponsive consumers
You pride yourself on building a good rapport with your consumers, while providing a superior service or product they can’t get anywhere else. So when it’s been more than a month and the client still hasn’t responded to the invoice you sent, it can be a touchy situation. On the one hand, you need cash
How dentists can build trust, even with patient debt
When patients learn they need expensive cosmetic or restorative dental work, it can—if you’ll forgive the bad pun—leave a bad taste in their mouth, especially if costs reach hundreds or thousands of dollars. Then, when dentists take a hands-off approach to costs, leaving it all to the billing office, they might unintentionally come off as
IC System Jumps into Freezing Lake for Charity
Upon the publication of this blog, temperatures around IC System’s home office in St. Paul, Minnesota, have averaged anywhere from 0° to 10°— often dropping below zero when you factor wind chill. Perhaps that’s why IC System has a particular admiration for our employees who participated in the 2018 Polar Plunge. Getting bundled up just
