Ideas That Work: Call Ahead to Save Time

Patients never like to be surprised on the day of surgery, especially if that surprise is that they owe money. That is why the staff at Eye 35 ASC in Schertz, Texas, has insurance verifiers call all patients prior to their procedures. “We make at least two attempts to contact patients to let them know if they owe money or not, and how much is due on the day of surgery,” says Carson McCafferty, MSN, RN, CNOR, CSSM, CSRN, clinical director at the outpatient surgery center. “This effort helps to expedite the check-in process, because if they can pay for their procedure before coming in, that is one less thing they have to do when they are nervous or stressed out before their surgeries.”