J.C. Christensen Employs Tax Strategy to Boost Medical Collections

SARTELL, Minn. – According to the American Hospital Association, hospitals provided $31.2 billion in uncompensated care in 2008. This represented nearly 6% of all costs; of these costs, half may be attributed to uncollected bad debt. J.C. Christensen & Associates (JCC), a business unit of Array Services Group, has developed and honed a unique strategy for increasing payment recovery for its health care clients during tax season.

Recognizing the rising trend in consumer healthcare debt, created by an increase in self pay responsibilities, JCC created its unique, win-win-win strategy that increases health care recovery, instills an atmosphere of problem solving, and encourages patients to pay off their debt.

According to the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the rising healthcare debt trend is expected to continue into the foreseeable future. As healthcare costs continue to escalate, the remaining balance owed by patients is increasing exponentially. It is estimated that the national out-of-pocket expenses for healthcare will rise to more than $400 billion by 2016, double the amount of out-of-pocket expenses since 2001.

Partnering with their clients, JCC offers potential settlement options to patients suggesting a disbursement option utilizing the consumer’s tax return to help satisfy their balance. With the rising cost of healthcare, patients are required to pay more themselves; often they must come up with co-pays and deductibles at a minimum. By offering the opportunities for a settlement, consumers are encouraged to make contact with JCC and utilize their tax refund towards their outstanding balance.

Offering settlement options opens the line of communication and has shown to help optimize recovery and leverage problem solving for the health care facility and the consumer, increasing patient satisfaction.

“We recognize how the economy has negatively impacted a large number of people,” said Matt Schmit, president of Array Services Group. “Although we, and our partner clients, are not obligated to take this into account when negotiating repayment obligations, we believe it is the right thing to do for the long term health of the communities we serve.”

Array Services Group and its three innovative business units – CareCall, J.C. Christensen & Associates, and ProSource – offer professional services in call management disciplines, debt recovery, accounts receivable management, and medical billing. Serving a variety of industries across a global footprint, Array provides seamless access to customer contact solutions for its client’s immediate and future success. For more information on Array Services Group, visit www.arraysg.com.