When the patient comes in to the office you must collect
information needed for medical billing. You will see what that information does
in the next section. If the patient information is not accurate the doctor will
not be paid for the office visit. Since people move and change jobs frequently,
you can not confirm the information too often. Some patients get a little
annoyed by this but they are even less happy when they get a bill because you have incorrect information on file.
To follow is a list of information you will need:
·
Patient name, accurate spelling is imperative
· Patient insurance card(s)
·
Patient date of birth
·
Patient gender
·
Patient address (street, city, state, zip)
·
Patient Phone number
·
Patient social security number. Some patients
are not comfortable providing this information. That’s ok. If they refuse, get a
copy of their driver’s license. Be sure that the copy is clear and you can read
the drivers license number. If the patient’s account becomes delinquent, you
will need this information to refer the patient to a collection agency.
Most practices have the patient complete a patient
registration form to obtain all of the information necessary for billing. Follow the link for an example of a patient
registration form: Patient Registration Form
