It is not a “nice to have” anymore. It is a necessity.
A Private Consultant Surgeon must have the facility to take payments by card and/or over the telephone.
Consider the following real MHM clients. Surgeon A is a very forward thinking. Surgeon B can’t even update his iPhone [keeps forgetting his password]. Both performed a similar number of surgical episodes and outpatient consultations in November 2017. Every single one was invoiced.
Today is December 11th.
Client A – shortfalls/excess against his November work totaled about £1,600. Today he has £42 worth of excess and shortfalls still outstanding.
Client B – shortfalls/excess against his November work totaled about £1, 510. Today he has £967 worth of excess and shortfalls outstanding.
Both had their shortfalls/excess invoiced to their respective patients in precisely the same way. Client A saw a 98% success rate in the collection of shortfalls/excess. Client B only saw a 35% success rate.
WHY?
Surgeon A – I take online payments.
Surgeon B – I do NOT take online payments.
Surgeon A – likes technology.
You should see his website! You can see his availability by clicking on his online diary. You can’t book a consultation but you can see where and when his clinics are for the next two months.
Client B really does not like technology.
He has a website too (took me 8 months to convince him to get one). He does NOT like online payments. He doesn’t trust them. I’m not allowed to use the MHM on-line payment facility.
For Surgeon B I’m going have to chase down his patients more than Surgeon A. Doesn’t bother me. I’ll collect Surgeon B’s excess and shortfalls eventually. I get paid the same amount for both clients. It costs both of them the same. I just have to put more effort in for Surgeon B to get my fee – big deal (not). So I’ll have to make numerous reminder phone calls for Surgeon B. For client A I’ll have to make a phone call or two.
But if I were Surgeon B I’d be irritated if I were still owed £967 for my March work.
I spoke with him yesterday and came out with my “dinosaur thinking” comment (again). I described what was happening with Surgeon A. Per normal he laughed. He pointed out that whilst he was not planning on becoming extinct just yet, he still didn’t like the idea of online payments.
I give up.
If you want to use MHM to reduce the number of excess and shortfalls you have outstanding, email me at the address below:
pete@medicalhealthcaremanagement.co.uk