Should I collect deductibles while patients are in the office?

Yes, you should collect deductibles at check out, once you know what the patient owes for the visit. The trick is in knowing what a patient’s deductible is and whether the patient already is over his deductible, meaning the bill should go to the payer. More and more payers are moving to real-time adjudication and other Web-based tools to help your staff figure this out. You’ll need to review your payers’ Web sites to see what you can do. At the very least, start collecting those deductibles the moment you know what they are. Patient collections fall sharply the further you get from the day of the visit.