No-interest patient payment plans have long been thought of as great solutions for patients who can’t afford immediate payment. On paper at least, these types of plans seem legitimately beneficial, and healthcare providers and medical billing staff across the country truly believe that these plans are helping patients absorb the potentially disastrous financial impact of high-cost treatments. They believe it, or else they wouldn’t be offering them.

If your physician’s office is plagued with a large number of accounts that have an outstanding patient responsibility, then you likely know the negative impact late payments can have on your cash flow. Managing your revenue cycle efficiently and reducing your days in accounts receivable (DAR) is essential to having the funds you need for office improvement, employee training, and other expenses that ultimately contribute to patient satisfaction. Requiring payment at the time of service is a sure way to lower your DAR, however, this is not a feasible option for many providers and patients.