HFMA Releases Final Best Practices for Patient Financial Communications

The Healthcare Financial Management Association today released the final draft of “Patient Financial Communications Best Practices,” a comprehensive set of guidelines covering patient interactions before receiving services, during services, and in the emergency department.

“These common-sense best practices bring consistency, clarity, and transparency to patient financial communications, and outline steps to help patients understand the cost of services they receive, their insurance coverage, and their individual responsibility,” according to the document’s introduction.

These best practices have been in development for months, and is one of several best-practice initiatives at HFMA. Another one of keen interest to healthcare providers, as well as medical debt collection partners, are the medical debt collection guidelines, which are expected to be completed and released in January, according to Chad Mulvany, director of healthcare finance policy, strategy, and development for HFMA.

“Patient Financial Communications Best Practices” is available to anyone and can be downloaded here.

Here’s the press release from HFMA:

Westchester, Ill. — To address the industry-wide call for better communication between patients and healthcare organizations, a blue-ribbon panel of healthcare stakeholders has released industry-wide “best practices” for improving and standardizing how healthcare organizations communicate with patients about their financial responsibilities.

The new guidelines were released today at a Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) meeting in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, a member of the group that developed the best practices, joined HFMA President and CEO Joseph J. Fifer, CPA, FHFMA, for the announcement. Former HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt led the 12-month process to develop them.

The new guidelines for financial communications with patients—available at hfma.org/communications—were developed by experts across the industry, including patient advocates. Representatives from the American Hospital Association, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the American Academy of Family Physicians and the National Patient Advocate Foundation participated. They were advised by national healthcare policymakers including former HHS Secretaries Leavitt and Shalala, as well as former Senate Leaders Bill Frist and Tom Daschle and Clinton Administration Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick.

“For many people, healthcare financial interactions can be confusing. Complicated payment structures, dozens of different payers, various government programs and complicated forms all play a part,” said Joe Fifer. “Because patients are increasingly paying more of their healthcare costs out of their own pockets, clear communication between healthcare professionals and patients is becoming more important than ever. For this reason, the financial leaders of healthcare organizations should welcome these best practices.”

The practices show patient financial communications in several settings—before service, in the emergency department, and in other care settings. The best practices call for annual training for point-of-service staff—including patient access, financial counseling and consumer service—around patient financial communications.

The experts who developed the best practices say they represent an opportunity for healthcare professionals to be even more patient-centered in their approach to financial communications.

“Intermountain Healthcare is fully supportive of these Best Practice recommendations,” said Bert Zimmerli, Intermountain Healthcare executive vice president and chief financial officer.  “In these very complex areas, they provide clear direction to the nation’s hospitals to assure that patients are treated in the most fair and appropriate manner possible.”

Starting immediately, hospitals, physician practices, surgery centers, and other healthcare organizations have the opportunity to achieve HFMA’s Patient Financial Communications Adoptor recognition, designed for organizations seeking to demonstrate a core commitment to the best practices and who self-identify as adopters. Through the evaluation process, organizations will be able to identify which practices they have implemented and which areas need further work. No on-site review by HFMA staff is involved.

According to Fifer, in 2014 HFMA will create a program for Patient Financial Communications Compliance, designed to recognize mastery of the fundamental components of the best practices. Organizations seeking recognition at this level will have implemented a majority of the detailed guidelines, and will be verified for compliance by HFMA staff.