Copay and outstanding balance reminders

Purpose

1.1. Ensure timely collection of patient copays and outstanding balances within alcoholism treatment facilities.
1.2. Reduce unpaid claims and streamline revenue cycles by sending automated reminders before, at, or after the time payment is due.
1.3. Establish a compliant and patient-sensitive communication cadence, leveraging multiple digital channels (SMS, email, calls, patient portals) to enhance response rates.
1.4. Integrate with EHR, billing, and payment systems to retrieve balances and trigger reminders without manual intervention.
1.5. Provide audit logs for every transaction and reminder sent, supporting regulatory and internal compliance.

Trigger Conditions

2.1. Copay or balance entered in billing system after client visit or insurance adjudication.
2.2. Payment remains outstanding after predetermined period (e.g., 3, 7, or 30 days).
2.3. Scheduled recurring reminders for patients with chronic outstanding balances.
2.4. Returned/failed payment detection.
2.5. Manual override by billing staff for urgent or exception cases.

Platform Variants

3.1. Twilio SMS
• Feature/Setting: Programmable SMS API to schedule and personalize patient reminders; use Messaging Service, set sender ID, configure message templates.
3.2. SendGrid
• Feature/Setting: Email API to dispatch templated copay reminders; configure dynamic templates and enforce DKIM/SPF for reliability.
3.3. Nexmo (Vonage)
• Feature/Setting: SMS/Voice API; set number pool, automate scheduling, enable delivery status webhooks.
3.4. Mailgun
• Feature/Setting: Transactional Email API; create recipient variables for balance and due date injection.
3.5. Stripe
• Feature/Setting: Payment Links API to send actionable pay-now links in reminders; use Invoice Paid webhook to suppress further reminders.
3.6. Epic EHR
• Feature/Setting: FHIR API billing endpoints to query patient balances; schedule calls via Orders API.
3.7. Salesforce Health Cloud
• Feature/Setting: Process Builder/Flows to trigger reminders when payment tasks reach due date.
3.8. Athenahealth
• Feature/Setting: Patient Communication API, set trigger on Billing Transaction object.
3.9. Zoho CRM
• Feature/Setting: Workflow Automation on Contacts with Outstanding Amount field.
3.10. Freshdesk
• Feature/Setting: Ticket automation for billing Department, trigger notification workflow.
3.11. RingCentral
• Feature/Setting: SMS and voice campaign with scheduled auto-dialer based on balance flag.
3.12. DocuSign
• Feature/Setting: API to send consent/authorization forms when financial communication is required.
3.13. Microsoft Power Automate
• Feature/Setting: Automated cloud flow triggers from Dynamics 365 Billing module.
3.14. Google Calendar
• Feature/Setting: API to place follow-up reminder appointments on patient calendar.
3.15. Slack
• Feature/Setting: Scheduled DM reminders for internal billing staff workflow.
3.16. Intercom
• Feature/Setting: Automated in-app and email messaging for users with overdue balances.
3.17. QuickBooks Online
• Feature/Setting: Payment Reminder automation on invoice due.
3.18. PagerDuty
• Feature/Setting: Escalation policy triggers for overdue payments to finance escalation teams.
3.19. Mediware
• Feature/Setting: Patient Billing module configured for API-triggered outbound reminders.
3.20. CareCloud
• Feature/Setting: Patient Engagement suite; configure auto-messaging based on outstanding charges.
3.21. WhatsApp Business API
• Feature/Setting: Session message for past-due payment, include quick reply CTA.
3.22. Zendesk
• Feature/Setting: Automated ticket notifications for outstanding balance, using Support Triggers.
3.23. TrueDialog
• Feature/Setting: Bulk SMS API with delivery reporting for healthcare reminders.
3.24. ActiveCampaign
• Feature/Setting: Automated email drip campaign for non-respondent patients with outstanding balances.

Benefits

4.1. Automates repetitive billing notification tasks, saving staff time.
4.2. Increases payment rates and reduces bad debt write-offs.
4.3. Improves patient engagement and financial transparency.
4.4. Supports HIPAA-compliant communication logging and auditing.
4.5. Provides customizable escalation, timing, and messaging to suit behavioral health sensitivities.
4.6. Integrates with existing EHR, RCM, and practice management workflows.