Most patients start out with the best intentions to pay for your services. Unfortunately, some patients may have major changes in their lives--predicted or unpredicted. But accounts still need to be collected. Find out how to handle your accounts during these life-changing events: Turning 18, getting married, getting divorced, losing a job, bankruptcy, having a life-threatening illness, death. (60 minutes, $99)
Can you answer these questions?
- Patient is 17; parents stop paying on the account. Can you collect from the child when they turn 18?
- Husband agrees to be responsible for wife’s account. Couple gets divorced. Is ex-husband still responsible?
- Step-mom brings step-son to the dentist, and signs as the responsible party. Couple gets divorced. Is step-mom still responsible for the step-son's account?
- Patient gets married. What questions do you need to ask? What questions do you ask if there are children?
- College student is 22; on parent’s insurance. Who is responsible for the account? Who goes to collections?
- Long time patient loses her job. How do you collect? What if she wants to schedule an appointment?
- A patient files for bankruptcy. Should they be dismissed from your practice?
- Patient has cancer and is unable to work. How do you collect when you are their dentist? Their oncologist?
- Patient’s son has power-of-attorney. Is he responsible for the account before the patient’s death? After?
- Mom authorizes treatment for the minor child; ex-husband carries the insurance; grandma brings the child to the appointment. Who is responsible for the account?
Collecting Accounts by Generation - Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Every generation has some unique characteristics. Whether you’re collecting from Boomers, Millennials, Generations X or Z, each group handles bills and payments slightly different. We'll talk about some of those special characteristics, and how you can use that knowledge to your advantage when you are collecting these accounts. (30 minutes, $79)
Can you answer these questions?
- What questions should you ask each age group?
- What are the most effective ways to communicate with each generation?
- What are the least effective ways to communicate with each generation?
- When should you contact a parent?
- What payment method options do you need to offer?
Preventing Delinquent Accounts - Thursday, February 26, 2026
A lot of delinquencies can be avoided simply by getting the right information, and disclosing the right information, all at the time of service. We'll talk about what information you need to gather, and what needs to be in your financial disclosure. In addition, we'll talk about making it easy for people to contact you or to pay you, and also what you can do to collect from people without losing them as patients. (60 minutes, $99)
Can you answer these questions?
- What information do you need to get from people at the time of treatment (can you require a social security number?)
- What information needs to be disclosed at the time of treatment (if your financial agreement isn’t at least a page long, you’re missing some of these items!)
- What permissions are required to use texting, automated voice messages and emails?
- Statutes of limitations for collecting: how old can an account be and still go to collections or small claims court? How long can YOU collect on your patient’s accounts?
- What is the right way (and three wrong ways) to ask for payment at the time of service?
- How can you make it easier for people to pay you or contact you (we’ll talk about 16 different ideas)
- What steps should you take to collect an account without losing someone as a patient or client?
Making a Collection Telephone Call - Thursday, March 12, 2026
An effective collection telephone call is more than just picking up the phone and asking for money. There is an art and a science to an effective collection phone call. Learn what you should do BEFORE you pick up the phone. (30 minutes, $79)
Can you answer these questions?
- When are telephone calls better than letters?
- What should you do before you dial the telephone number?
- What is your goal of the telephone call?
- How much should you say??
- How should you ask for payment?
- What should you NOT say when asking for payment?
- What if the person starts yelling? Bad or obnoxious language? Starts crying?
- What if the person wants to talk to the doctor about their bill?
- What can you say in a voice message?
Ask Doug Anything - Wednesday, March 25, 2026
This is our quarterly webinar of just questions and answers, focusing on HIPAA and collecting from patients. Get answers to your questions, plus hear the questions from other attendees. (Up to 60 minutes, $49)
Fees, Fees, and More Fees - Wednesday, April 8, 2026
We encourage the behavior we reward - we discourage the behavior we punish. There are many fees offices may charge their patients: Missed appointment fees, returned check fees, finance charges, re-billing fees, charge for copying a patient's records. We'll talk about the laws, rules and regulations regarding the different types of fees you may charge your patients. (30 minutes, $79)
Do you know how to handle these fees?
Finance charges, re-billing fees, late payment fees:
- What language is required on your statements?
- What language is required in your financial agreement?
- What are the due date requirements?
- How many days in advance must the statement be sent?
- How can you start charging finance charges?
- How old should the account be before the finance charges begin?
- Should you waive the finance charge if a patient makes a payment?
- How much can you charge?
- Should you have a minimum finance charge?
Missed appointment fees:
- How much should you charge?
- When can you charge the full appointment fee?
- After how many missed appointments should these begin?
- Should you charge for late appointment cancellations?
- Can these be turned in to a collection agency?
Returned check fees:
- How much should you charge?
- How much does your state allow?
- Can you charge for collection expenses as well?
- Can you charge for returned online (electronic) checks?
- If you re-deposit a check, and it bounces, can you charge the fee a second time?
Charge for copying a patient's records:
- Who should you charge?
- How much should you charge?
- What are you prohibited from charging?
Collection agency fees:
- When can you charge these to your patients?
- What is the required disclosure language?
Getting the Most from your Collection Agency - Thursday, April 23, 2026
Collection agencies, on average, only collect about 15% of the accounts that are assigned to them. There are several things you can do to increase this percentage, receiving more money for your office. (60 minutes, $99)
Can you answer these questions?
- What reports should you be getting from your agency each month?
- What should you do with those reports?
- How long should you leave an account at your agency?
- How much information should you give your agency?
- How much should you be paying in collection agency commissions?
- What about collection agencies that charge a flat fee per account?
- Is it better to go with a smaller local agency or a bigger national agency?
- Should you dismiss patients from your practice when their account is assigned to the collection agency?
- When can you pass on the collection agency fee to the patient?
Creating a Financial Agreement - Thursday, May 14, 2026
The more you tell your patients right up front, the easier it is to collect on an account. We'll be looking at some sample language for your financial agreement. We will review the required language if you are charging finance charges or passing collection agency fees on to your patients. We'll talk about how often you need to have your patients review and sign this agreement. If your financial agreement isn't at least a page long, you're missing some items! (30 minutes, $79)
Can you answer these questions?
- Why should you have missed appointment fees in your agreement, even if you don't currently charge them?
- What language is recommended that addresses divorce situations?
- If you charge finance charges, what language needs to be in your financial agreement that does not need to be printed on your statement?
- If you charge your patients/clients for collection agency fees, are you using the currently required language?
- How often do you need to have your patients/clients sign the financial agreement?
- When do you need a lawyer to review your financial agreement?
- How can you get permission to talk to other offices about your patient's payment history?
What 'The Boss'* Needs to Know About Collections - Wednesday, May 27, 2026
*includes physicians, dentists, chiropractors, therapists, veterinarians, nurse practitioners, etc.
“The Boss” gets great training when it comes to dealing with patient care. But most are not taught how to run a business. They can hurt their office’s ability to collect what is owed: saying the wrong thing, offering inappropriate (or illegal) discounts and not knowing the laws governing collections can hurt the practice and even get “The Boss” in trouble. (60 minutes, $99)
Does “The Boss” understand collections? Do you know these answers?
- Why should “The Boss” NOT make payment arrangements?
- What should “The Boss” say/do when a patient tries to discuss their account?
- What laws does “The Boss” need to be aware of?
- What is the role of “The Boss” when it comes to collections? How can “The Boss” support the staff?
- What tools can help the staff collect more money?
- Will providers stop referring patients to you if you take steps to collect your accounts?
- Are there better alternatives to collection agencies?
- Can you waive a deductible for a friend or relative?
- Can you give discounts for:
- Uninsured patients?
- Paying at the time of service?
- Financial hardship?
- Professional courtesy?
- Senior citizens?
- Insurance only?
- Fellow church members?
Efficiencies in Collections (Confessions of a Lazy Collector) - Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Bill Gates reportedly said, “I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Collecting accounts can be a time-consuming process. But there are tricks and strategies that help you be more efficient. This webinar contains many of the tricks and techniques Doug learned during his 40+ years of collecting accounts. (30 minutes, $79)
Can you answer these questions?
- Which collection tool is the most effective?
- Are you calling people when you should be writing them?
- When is \"do nothing\" the best strategy for handing some accounts?
- Which accounts are the most important ones to handle first?
- What is the biggest time-waster many of us are guilty of (Doug did one of these for many years)
- Are you using your computer system to its maximum potential?
Ask Doug Anything - Thursday, June 25, 2026
This is our quarterly webinar of just questions and answers, focusing on HIPAA and collecting from patients. Get answers to your questions, plus hear the questions from other attendees. (Up to 60 minutes, $49)
The Dos and Don'ts of Discounts - Thursday, July 9, 2026
Discounts can get you in trouble. However, some are perfectly legal. Sometimes it's a gray area. Some are clearly illegal or unethical. Be very careful if you offer any kind of discounts. (30 minutes, $79)
Do you know which of these are allowed, which are a gray area, and which ones are prohibited?
- Discounts for paying at the time of service
- Giving a smaller (or no) discount for paying with a credit card than you give for other payment methods
- Discounts for self pay (no insurance)
- Senior citizen discounts
- Discounts to the doctor's friends and family
- Discounts to referring doctors
- Discounts to employees of referring doctors
- Waiving a patient's deductible
- Waiving a patient's copay
- Not charging self-pay patients for some procedures, but charging insured patients
- Financial hardship discount
- Accepting less than the balance as payment in full
- Writing off old accounts
Customer Service in a Health Care Environment - Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Great customer service doesn't just happen. It's more than greeting people by name or answering your phone promptly. We'll talk about simple things you can do in your office that will help you provide superior customer service. (60 minutes, $99)
Can you answer these questions?
- What is good customer service?
- What do your patients want? What do they expect?
- What do patients dislike? What makes them mad?
- What do you do when the phone rings while you’re helping someone at the front counter?
- Is your website designed as a customer service tool?
- By what name should you greet your patients?
- What questions can you ask on your registration forms that help you improve customer service?
- Is your fax machine frustrating people?
Dealing with Divorce - Wednesday, August 12, 2026
In this presentation, we'll talk about how to handle an account when patients & clients go through divorce. We'll also talk about how to handle situations when the parents are already divorced, and a parent is bringing a minor child to your office, but wants you to collect from their ex. (30 minutes, $79)
Can you answer these questions?
- Who is now responsible to pay an existing account?
- Can a non-custodial parent authorize treatment of a minor child?
- The divorce decree says ex-spouse has to pay the bill. Does that matter?
- What if mom brings the child to your office, but her ex-husband carries the insurance on the child?
- Does HIPAA allow the ex-spouse access to a child’s medical records?
- When can you bill an ex-spouse?
- When does a step-parent become a responsible party?
- If an insurance payment results in a credit on the account, who gets the refund--the person who pays the insurance premiums or the person who made the original payment?
Ten Easy Steps to Using Small Claims Court - Thursday, August 27, 2026
Taking someone to court can be intimidating. However, this tool can be extremely effective in collecting your accounts. Even the threat of a collections lawsuit will get a number of accounts collected. We'll talk through the steps prior to using the court, the kinds of forms you will need to complete, and what you can do after you win in court. (It's really difficult to lose in small claims court!) (60 minutes, $99)
Can you answer these questions?
- What language do you need in your financial agreement?
- What should your \"Final Demand\" letter say?
- What should you include in the envelope with your \"Final Demand\" letter?
- Where do you file - what location?
- How do you file in small claims court?
- How do you \"serve\" the papers
- What happens in court?
- When does the Doctor need to go to court?
- What should you take to court?
- What happens when you win in court?
- What are the new tools you have available, and how do you use them?
- What if the patient wants a payment plan or other negotiations?
Skiptracing Your Patients - Thursday, September 10, 2026
Do your patients & clients play \"Hide and Go Seek\" with you, and you're always \"It\"? When people move, they tell their Facebook friends and their phone contact list that they've moved. But you're probably not in either list. You don't know where they are. And they don't know you're looking for them. We'll talk about 20 ways to easily find people. (30 minutes, $79)
Can you answer these questions?
- What is the fastest way to get a new address?
- Can you call someone at work to get their address?
- Can you ask the missing person's friends or relatives for their contact information?
- If you only have a work address, can you send mail to someone at work?
- Who will happily give you contact information? This person is even better than an ex-spouse in the amount of information shared!
- Does HIPAA prevent you from using other patient's information to locate a missing address?
- How can social media help you find people?
Ask Doug Anything - Wednesday, September 23, 2026
This is our quarterly webinar of just questions and answers, focusing on HIPAA and collecting from patients. Get answers to your questions, plus hear the questions from other attendees. (Up to 60 minutes, $49)
Collecting after a Death - Wednesday, October 14, 2026
What a New Collector Needs to Know - Thursday, October 22, 2026
Credit balances - Thursday, November 5, 2026
Bankruptcy: From Start to Finish - Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Writing an Effective Collection Letter - Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Ask Doug Anything - Thursday, December 10, 2026