Your patient access professionals routinely walk the fine line between customer-friendly billing and up-front collections. Trapeze artists they are not, but effective patient resources and cash machines they must be if your organization plans to survive and thrive in the consumerism age.

Clear threats, subtle threats, clever persuasion, or compassion and understanding-which stance should your organization and front-end personnel take when dealing with patients who cannot or refuse to pay their copays or bills?

The right answer is complicated and multilayered and depends on a number of variables, such as the relationship that you have with your community and the size of the bills you're dealing with.

The customer is always right

One thing that is clear, according to T.T. "Mitch" Mitchell, president of T.T. Mitchell Consulting, Inc., in Syracuse, NY, is that you should keep the consumer's opinion of your organization in mind.

"Unless you happen to be exclusive, you're going to have some competition. And all it takes is one little thing and people will go elsewhere," Mitchell says. "In today's world, people are not hesitant to drive 15 minutes to a different facility if they feel they aren't being treated right."

You shouldn't take this prospect lightly, he adds. "All it takes is a 5% decrease in patient activity" to take a big bite out of your bottom line. With pricing transparency imminent-and in some states, thriving-you must make and maintain allies in your community. Even if you're located in a rural area, the slightest nick in your public relations image could have long-lasting effects.

Pick and choose your battles

This is not to say that you should forget about the hundreds of outstanding $10 accounts or that you shouldn't consider up-front collections one of your top priorities, Mitchell says. Consider finding a convenient balance between serving the financial needs of your organization and valuing your customer base.