A highly efficient front office can improve collections, reduce claim denials, and drive practice productivity. Invest in training and fine tuning the process. Here are 5 tips for achieving success.

1. TIPS FOR
FINE-TUNING
THE FRONT DESK
5

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Amy’s expertise comes from 15 years of working in
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4. THE FRONT DESK IS KEY
The front desk is the entry point and first
impression of the practice. It is a critical
step in the revenue cycle and impacts
most areas of the practice. A highly
efficient front office can improve
collections, reduce claim denials, and
drive practice productivity. Invest in
training and fine tuning the process.
4

5. 5
A receptionist distracted by a ringing
phone cannot give full attention to the
patients in front of him or her. For large
practices, create a service center to
answer incoming calls, manage referrals,
and schedule appointments. Flex staff
between the front desk and the service
center to adjust for times of increased
patient volumes or peak phone calls.
1. CREATE A SERVICE CENTER
TO ANSWER THE PHONE

6. 6
For small or solo practices, designate
a primary phone operator away from
the front desk for busy clinic days.
This could be a billing team member
or office manager.
ANSWERING PHONES

7. 7
Collect all demographic information,
including insurance information, during
the new patient scheduling call. Enter the
information into the computer system.
 Name of carrier
 Group name/number
 Policy number
 Policy holder name & DOB
 Phone number and address for claim
submission (from back of the card)
2. FULLY PRE-REGISTER PATIENTS

8. Please confirm your insurance.
8
PRE-REGISTRATION
Sample scripts for collecting insurance information:
Established patient
What type of insurance do
you have? Do you have your
insurance card available?
Would you please read to me
some information from the
insurance card?
New patient
Using an open-ended question
compels a patient response.

9. PRE-REGISTRATION
9
NO
Makes it too easy for the
patient to say “no,” even if
something has changed.
Has anything changed?

10. 10
During the scheduling call, attempt
to collect any past due balance on
the account.
Sample script:
3. COLLECT PAST DUE BALANCES
Mrs. Lee, you have a balance of $50.00
from your prior visit. I can take a credit
card payment today over the phone to
settle your balance.

11. 11
If the patient cannot pay over the
phone, ask him or her to bring the
past due balance at the time of the
appointment. If they are having
difficulty paying the balance, offer
payment plan options, such as
automated, recurring monthly
payments by credit card that settle
the balance within 3-4 payments.
PAST DUE BALANCES

12. 12
At least two days prior to appointments,
perform batch eligibility to ensure
patients scheduled have active insurance
and to obtain co-pay information.
Most practice management systems
can be set up to run the eligibility
check automatically. Ensure any required
referrals/authorizations are on file.
Failing to do so may result in
uncompensated clinic visits.
4. PERFORM BATCH ELIGIBILITY

13. 13
There is a saying that:
Use billing system and clearinghouse
reports to measure and report the
volume of claim denials.
This information is essential to assessing
front-end registration performance.
5. MEASURE AND HOLD ACCOUNTABLE
Staff respect what managers inspect.

14. 14
Denial Category Sample Denial Reasons
$
Value
Number
of Denials
Eligibility or
Registration
Denials
• Patient not eligible on
date of service
• Can’t identify patient
Referral or
Pre-Certification
Denials
• No referral (office)
• Not pre-certified
MEASURE AND HOLD ACCOUNTABLE

15. 15
Ask the front desk staff, not the billing
office, to correct registration errors that
cause claim denials. For example,
demographic inaccuracies or transposed
numbers. Doing so allows the front desk
team to understand the importance of
their role in the claim creation process,
and will improve their accuracy.
MEASURE AND HOLD ACCOUNTABLE

16. 16
Run a report of month-to-date
adjustments that relate to front-end
processes (lack of referral, authorization,
and medical necessity) to show the
ultimate financial loss to the practice.
MEASURE AND HOLD ACCOUNTABLE

17. 17
The front desk staff often feel
underappreciated for their efforts.
Acknowledge their hard work when
they meet goals. Affirm their efforts.
An engaged and high-performing
front desk staff sets the stage for a
healthy revenue cycle.
BONUS TIP: CELEBRATE SUCCESS!

18. KZA helps physicians
solve and manage
business problems.
• Practice Evaluation
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• Coding and Documentation Review
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• Hourly Coding and Management
Guidance
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• Administrator Recruitment and
Onboarding
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Our Services

19. Tell us your needs and we’ll provide a
quote.
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How can we help your practice?
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information@karenzupko.com
www.karenzupko.com
312.642.5616