Providence’s Revamped Billing Statements Led to Quicker Payment

Providence Health System limits the lag time between billing date and payment with a revamped patient billing statement.

Billing statements that clearly communicate information can encourage patients to reconcile their accounts more quickly and reduce patient frustration that mounts as they try to decipher a confusing bill. If patients have to call the billing office to clarify a statement, that increases the lag time between the billing date and when the payment is received.

Providence Health System used testing and focus groups to develop an effective patient billing statement . The health system consists of 32 hospitals, as well as clinics and senior service centers, located across the northwestern region of the United States.

Providence includes the following key features that expedite payment and limit follow-up calls from patients:

• Clearly stated customer service hours
• Prominently placed payment due date
• Notice to uninsured patients that they may qualify for free or reduced cost medical care
• Notice that a discount is available for paying the balance in full on the Web or by phone
• Identification of which account the payment will be posted to, which is helpful to patients with multiple accounts at the facility
• Answers to most commonly asked questions on the back of the statement

Access the patient statement:  Providence Health System’s Patient Billing Statement