Follow-ups on outstanding patient balances

Purpose

1.1. Ensure timely communication with patients about overdue payments, increase billing transparency, accelerate cash flow, and reduce accounts receivable in alcohol addiction recovery clinics.
1.2. Automate personalized reminders and enable escalation workflows (voice, SMS, email) for outstanding balances, integrating with EHRs and payment portals for seamless follow-ups.
1.3. Track status, reschedule reminder frequency, log all interactions, and maintain full compliance with medical billing regulations (e.g., HIPAA).

Trigger Conditions

2.1. New outstanding balance recorded in EHR/billing system.
2.2. Balance surpasses specified overdue period (e.g., 7, 14, or 30 days).
2.3. Patient's current contact method(s) validated and available.
2.4. Payment not received or no response to previous reminders.
2.5. Automated workflow completion for prior step (e.g., insurance claim denial or adjustment finalized).

Platform Variants

3.1. Twilio — Programmable Messaging
• Feature: Automated SMS;
• Setting: Create flow to send SMS on balance update, using patient contact retrieved via EHR API.
3.2. SendGrid — Transactional Mail API
• Feature: Automated billing reminder emails;
• Setting: Configure dynamic templates for overdue invoices, triggered by API call.
3.3. DocuSign — eSignature API
• Feature: Payment agreement e-sign requests;
• Setting: Trigger agreement after second missed invoice notice.
3.4. Stripe — Billing API
• Feature: Payment link generation and tracking;
• Setting: Generate new invoice link and embed in communications.
3.5. Salesforce Health Cloud — Flow Builder
• Feature: Automated patient interaction record updates;
• Setting: Configure process automation for overdue accounts, updating records after each outreach.
3.6. Zoho CRM — Workflow Rules
• Feature: Task and reminder automation for billing agents;
• Setting: Rule triggers notification and assigns follow-up tasks when outstanding balance is flagged.
3.7. QuickBooks Online — Bill/Invoicing API
• Feature: Flagging/incrementing overdue status;
• Setting: Update invoice field, trigger webhook to notification tool.
3.8. HubSpot — Sequences
• Feature: Automated follow-up email chains;
• Setting: Enroll patient contact in payment reminder sequence.
3.9. Freshdesk — Ticket Automation
• Feature: Support ticket generation for disputed balances;
• Setting: Automatically open/categorize ticket if patient replies with dispute keywords.
3.10. Intercom — Custom Bots
• Feature: Conversational reminders on patient portals;
• Setting: Trigger chatbots for direct overdue reminder during patient login.
3.11. AWS Lambda
• Feature: Serverless functions for status checks;
• Setting: Routine daily polling on accounts, triggers next actions if criteria met.
3.12. Google Sheets — AppScript
• Feature: Tracking outstanding balances and logs;
• Setting: Update and timestamp outreach attempts in shared sheets.
3.13. Slack — Scheduled Messages
• Feature: Staff nudges for manual escalation;
• Setting: DM finance roles when escalation threshold surpassed.
3.14. Mailgun — Email API
• Feature: Batch email reminders;
• Setting: API call on scheduled days with custom templates.
3.15. Microsoft Teams — Power Automate
• Feature: Team notifications for fast-track collections;
• Setting: Channel post configured on workflow trigger.
3.16. Meditab — IMS API
• Feature: EHR-integrated billing triggers;
• Setting: Real-time data fetch of overdue balances, syncs with outreach workflow.
3.17. Kareo — Billing Workflow
• Feature: Insurance denial/allocation trigger;
• Setting: Configure workflow step for patient payor follow-up post denial.
3.18. Zendesk — Ticket Automation
• Feature: Logging escalated billing issues;
• Setting: Auto-create record and notify collections team.
3.19. WhatsApp Business API
• Feature: Secure patient payment reminders;
• Setting: Send template-based WhatsApp message when SMS fails.
3.20. Pipedrive — Deal Stage Automation
• Feature: Marking payment recovery stage;
• Setting: Advance deal stage when payment is received or workflow completes.
3.21. Cerner — HealtheIntent API
• Feature: Querying outstanding balance status;
• Setting: Fetch overdue accounts for daily batch outreach.
3.22. Xero — Invoice Reminder
• Feature: Customizable invoice sequence;
• Setting: Set reminder frequency and message content linked to overdue status.

Benefits

4.1. Improves payment speed and cash flow via timely, multi-channel patient reminders.
4.2. Frees staff from repetitive follow-up tasks, ensuring consistent outreach and reduced manual errors.
4.3. Maintains compliance with sensitive medical billing by centralizing patient communication records and escalations.
4.4. Enables workflow analytics for process improvements and enhanced patient experience.
4.5. Flexibly adapts to preferred patient channels and integrates with industry-standard billing platforms and EHRs.