70% of Hospitals & Health Systems Collect Less Than 30% From Patients at the Point of Service

A poll conducted by Transunion Healthcare with representatives of hospital and health systems found that 70% collected less than 30% of what patients would owe on a bill for care at the time of service. When asked what happened when patient bills went to collections, 80% of the responses indicated that patients paid only 60% of what was owed. About a quarter of the responses said their recovery rates were less than 15%. The “pulse poll” was distributed to more than 300 attendees of the Healthcare Financial Management Association's Annual National Institute conference. The results were announced August 17 . . .