Tools to use when patients can’t or won’t pay your practice

Article Overview

This article is aimed at medical practice managers, billers, and administrative staff who need practical guidance on responding to unpaid patient balances while avoiding patient-abandonment concerns. It focuses on broad office policies for self-pay accounts, communication steps when a patient is discharged, and the operational issue of applying late charges or penalties selectively within billing systems. The discussion is framed around general practice finance management and mentions legal and payer considerations at a high level.