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​​You can register for a webinar by clicking on the webinar title
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Efficiencies in Collections (Confessions of a Lazy Collector) - Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Bill Gates reportedly said, “I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Collecting accounts can be a time-consuming process. But there are tricks and strategies that help you be more efficient. This webinar contains many of the tricks and techniques Doug learned during his 40+ years of collecting accounts. (30 minutes, $79)
 
Can you answer these questions?
 
  • Which collection tool is the most effective?
  • Are you calling people when you should be writing them?
  • When is "do nothing" the best strategy for handing some accounts?
  • Which accounts are the most important ones to handle first?
  • What is the biggest time-waster many of us are guilty of (Doug did one of these for many years)
  • Are you using your computer system to its maximum potential?


What a New Collector Needs to Know - Thursday, February 27, 2025

There is an art and a science to being a good collector. But good collectors aren’t born that way; they become good collectors through training and experience. In this webinar, we’ll talk about the things a new collector needs to know to get started. Or maybe your office doesn’t have a good collection strategy, and you’d like to review your collection procedures. This is the webinar Doug wishes he could have attended on his first day of collections! (60 minutes, $99)

Can you answer these questions?

  • What is your company philosophy about collections?
  • When should you use a phone call and when a letter?
  • Time table – when should you do what?
  • What should you say in your collection letters?
  • What should you say in a collection phone call?
  • How should you document your collection efforts?
  • Following up – how do you make sure promises kept?
  • How can you learn what you need to know?


The Dos and Don'ts of Discounts - Thursday, March 13, 2025

Discounts can get you in trouble. However, some are perfectly legal. Sometimes it's a gray area. Some are clearly illegal or unethical. Be very careful if you offer any kind of discounts. (30 minutes, $79)

Do you know which of these are allowed, which are a gray area, and which ones are prohibited?

  • Discounts for paying at the time of service
  • Giving a smaller (or no) discount for paying with a credit card than you give for other payment methods
  • Discounts for self-pay (no insurance)
  • Senior citizen discounts
  • Discounts to the doctor's friends and family
  • Discounts to referring doctors
  • Discounts to employees of referring doctors
  • Discounts to your own employees
  • Waiving a patient's deductible
  • Waiving a patient's copay
  • Not charging self-pay patients for some procedures, but charging insured patients
  • Financial hardship discount
  • Accepting less than the balance as payment in full
  • Writing off old accounts


Ask Doug Anything - Wednesday, March 26, 2025

This is our quarterly webinar of just questions and answers, focusing on HIPAA and collecting from patients. Get answers to your questions, plus hear the questions from other attendees. (Up to 60 minutes, $49)


Dealing with Divorce - Wednesday, April 9, 2025

In this presentation, we'll talk about how to handle an account when patients & clients go through divorce. We'll also talk about how to handle situations when the parents are already divorced, and a parent is bringing a minor child to your office, but wants you to collect from their ex. (Approximately 35 minutes)

Can you answer these questions?

  • Who is now responsible to pay an existing account?
  • Can a non-custodial parent authorize treatment of a minor child?
  • The divorce decree says ex-spouse has to pay the bill. Does that matter?
  • What if mom brings the child to your office, but her ex-husband carries the insurance on the child?
  • Does HIPAA allow the ex-spouse access to a child’s medical records?
  • When can you bill an ex-spouse?
  • When does a step-parent become a responsible party?
  • If an insurance payment results in a credit on the account, who gets the refund--the person who pays the insurance premiums or the person who made the original payment?


Yet Another 25 More Collection Myths - Thursday, April 24, 2025

First we had 25 Collection Myths. Then we had 25 More Collection Myths. These webinars have been quite popular, so we created a third one, where we look at yet another 25 myths about collections - things that your patients are sure are true about collections. Or things you thought were true, or wondered about, but aren't true. Includes a quiz you can use to train your staff.
 
Two of these statements are true:
 
  • It is considered discrimination if you consider a person’s immigration or visa status.
  • It is illegal to use information on a patient’s Facebook page.
  • It’s easier to collect in December than in January.
  • When a bankruptcy is dismissed, you should write off the account.
  • If colored paper is seen through the window of an envelope, the letter is more likely to be opened.
  • You must wait at least a week between collection attempts.
  • You should collect the oldest accounts first.

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Skiptracing Your Patients - Thursday, May 8, 2025

Do your patients & clients play "Hide and Go Seek" with you, and you're always "It"?  When people move, they tell their Facebook friends and their phone contact list that they've moved. But you're probably not in either list. You don't know where they are. And they don't know you're looking for them. We'll talk about 20 ways to easily find people. (30 minutes, $79)

Can you answer these questions?

  • What is the fastest way to get a new address?
  • Can you call someone at work to get their address?
  • Can you ask the missing person's friends or relatives for their contact information?
  • If you only have a work address, can you send mail to someone at work?
  • Who will happily give you contact information? This person is even better than an ex-spouse in the amount of information shared!
  • Does HIPAA prevent you from using other patient's information to locate a missing address?
  • How can social media help you find people?


​Bankruptcy: From Start to Finish - Wednesday, May 21, 2025

When a patient files for bankruptcy, that does not mean you won't get any more money. But there are ways to maximize your payments. There are steps you should take. But there are steps you are prohibited from doing. Make sure you follow the rules!  (60 minutes, $99)

Can you answer these questions?

  • If a patient doesn't list your debt in their bankruptcy, are you still included?
  • What's the difference between a Chapter 7 and a Chapter 13 bankruptcy? How long does each Chapter last?
  • When does an office need to complete a claim form, and when should you not file a claim?
  • What information are you prohibited from including on a claim? (Redacting information after filing is costly!)
  • What's the difference between a “discharge” and a “dismissal”?
  • What if the patient wants to pay after the bankruptcy is over, can you legally accept the payment?
  • If the patient had treatment just before they filed bankruptcy, how can you legally still collect this balance?
  • How should you handle the situation if the patient is still receiving treatment?
  • How can you find out the status of a bankruptcy?
  • Can you dismiss a patient who files bankruptcy?
  • What is “reaffirmation” and when should you ask the patient to request this?


Collecting after a Death - Wednesday, June 11, 2025

It's always sensitive approaching collections after a death. This could be the patient, or perhaps the responsible party or parent. What's the easiest thing to do to handle these accounts? When does the spouse assume responsibility? When do the adult children get involved? What if the patient who died was a child? What if the patient is a child, but their parent (responsible party) dies? (30 minutes, $79)

Do you know how to handle these scenarios? 
  • Statement is returned to you, with "Deceased" written on the outside.
  • Wife calls to tell you her husband (your patient) has passed away, and she does not have the money to pay his bill.
  • Patient's daughter always brought the patient to her appointments, and paid her mom's charges. After mom passes away, can you still collect from the daughter?
  • The patient is a minor child, and the parent responsible for the bill passes away. Who do you go after?

Can you answer these questions?
  • How do you file a claim against an estate?
  • What happens if the estate doesn't pay a valid debt?
  • When can you go after an adult child for their late parent's account?
  • Patient’s son has power-of-attorney. Is he responsible for the account before the patient’s death? After?


Ask Doug Anything - Thursday, June 26, 2025

This is our quarterly webinar of just questions and answers, focusing on HIPAA and collecting from patients. Get answers to your questions, plus hear the questions from other attendees. (Up to 60 minutes, $49)

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Credit balances - Thursday, July 10, 2025
There are federal and state laws regarding credit balances. Make sure you are following the rules and regulations. (30 minutes, $79)

Can you answer these questions?
  • What is the largest credit balance you are allowed to keep?
  • When are you required to send a credit balance statement?
  • If a patient requests you keep a credit on their account, do you have to send a credit balance statement each month?
  • How long can you wait before you are you required to send out a credit balance?
  • What if mom made a payment, and then the insurance (that dad pays the premium on) sends more than you planned, resulting in a credit, who gets the credit back?
  • What happens to the credit if a secondary insurance payment results in a credit?
  • Patient has two primary insurances. When both pay, patient has a credit. Does the patient get this credit?
  • What if you can't find the patient's address to mail the check?
  • What if the patient doesn't cash the check, what happens to the money?
  • Who gets the credit balance if the patient has passed away?


HIPAA Revisited - Wednesday, July 23, 2025
The privacy provisions went into effect over 10 years ago. But offices still have a lot of confusion on what they can and cannot do. We'll discuss several real-life situations and how you should handle them. We'll also talk about what has caused HIPAA fines and settlements. Includes a quiz you can use to train your staff. (60 minutes, $99)

Can you answer these questions?
  • Can you talk with parties other than the patient (e.g., spouses or guardians) regarding payment of a bill?
  • Can you report delinquent accounts to a credit bureau without the patient's permission?
  • Does the HIPAA Privacy Rule allow a non-custodial parent the right to see their children's medical records?
  • May healthcare providers place medical charts outside an exam room if patients are walking unescorted in the hallway?
  • Must a healthcare provider give a copy of its notice to everyone, or just those that ask for it?
  • Do you have to release a copy of the patient's records if they owe you a bill?
  • Can a patient restrict what information you release for Worker's Compensation purposes?
  • If you have medical records from another office, are you allowed to give copies of those to the patient?
  • Does the Privacy Rule allow covered entities to disclose protected health information to law enforcement officials?
  • Can the family members of a deceased individual obtain the deceased individual's protected health information that is relevant to their own health care?
  • When a minor becomes an adult, may they restrict the information for services provided while they were a minor?
  • If someone has healthcare power of attorney for an individual, can they obtain access to that individual's medical records?
  • Can multiple employees use the same computer login and password?