Before the visit
Checking coverage one patient at a time is the most expensive way to get an answer that is available in bulk — and the manual checks are where denials originate.
Pillar 05
Collect
Coverage verified before the visit and balances collected after it.
Collecting is where front-office work turns into money that actually arrives. Eligibility decides whether a visit gets paid; balances decide whether it gets paid in full.
Practices track staffing cost carefully and uncollected revenue almost never, despite the second number usually being larger.
What this covers
After the visit
Aged patient balances are usually written off by default rather than by decision.
In depth
Before the visit
Insurance Eligibility Verification
Confirming active coverage, copay, deductible and referral requirements before the patient arrives.
At the visit
Point-of-Service Copay Collection
Collecting the copay while the patient is in front of you.
After the visit
Aged Patient A/R Recovery
Recovering patient balances that have aged past 90 days.
After the visit
Patient Balance Reminders
Reminding patients about outstanding balances before they age.
Denials
Reducing Front-Desk-Caused Claim Denials
The denials that trace back to registration rather than coding.
Balances
Patient Payment Plans
What to offer when the balance is larger than the patient can pay at once.
Balances
Talking to Patients About Money
The conversation staff avoid, and why avoidance costs more.
Balances
When to Write Off a Patient Balance
Deciding deliberately instead of by neglect.
What we solve, and what we don't
Billing questions and payment calls
Available nowHandled on the call, with the specifics captured and routed so a callback resolves it in one pass.
Aged patient A/R recovery
In developmentAutomated outreach and payment capture against aged patient balances. In active development.
Real-time eligibility and benefits checks
In developmentCoverage, copay, deductible and referral-requirement checks ahead of the visit. In development; a clearinghouse covers this well today.
Card-on-file, payment plans and payment processing
We don't solve thisWe do not process payments and do not intend to. Stripe, Square, or your PM system's payment module is the right answer.
Where does this rank for your practice?
The Front Desk Opportunity Scan estimates the staff hours and revenue behind each of the six pillars using your own numbers, then tells you which to fix first. Your score appears before we ask for anything.
The other five
Answer
Every call picked up, triaged, and routed — including the ones outside office hours.
Schedule
Slots filled, cancellations backfilled, and recalls that actually go out.
Intake
Demographics, insurance, consents and history captured before the visit, not at the window.
Process
Faxes, referrals, records and prior auth — the paperwork nobody sees and everybody drowns in.
Grow
The digital front door: getting found, getting booked, and getting reviewed.