Regardless of why patients reach out to your medical practice with questions, they’re all fundamentally looking the same thing: A timely response. Timely responses to questions patients ask—particularly when those inquiries pertain to finances—allow patients to make informed decisions that reduce stress and uncertainty. Whether it’s paying a bill, choosing a lower-cost treatment alternative, setting up a payment plan, applying for financial assistance, or rescheduling care, receiving timely information empowers patients to act quickly. Timely responses also benefit medical practices because they reduce care delays and treatment abandonment, improve patient experience and trust, and reduce bad debt.
Maybe it’s a question about what specific services your office billed, facility versus professional fees, or what a patient’s insurance will cover. Or maybe it’s a question about an estimate for services patients haven’t received yet. They may need more help understanding anticipated out-of-pocket costs and forming a sensible financial plan to ensure they can access the care they need.
In 2026, federal policy changes may drive a whole new wave of time-sensitive financial questions from patients, including the following:
- Do I still have Medicaid coverage?
- Does Medicare still cover this service or telehealth visit?
- If I lose Medicaid, what are my other insurance options?
- Why is my prescription cheaper (or more expensive) this year?
When practices fail to provide timely responses to these and other questions patients ask, they may experience an increase in aging A/R, patient complaints, and cashflow bottlenecks. Over time, poor responsiveness erodes trust and patient loyalty.
Strategies to provide timely responses to questions patients ask
Want to promote timely responses to questions patients ask, but you’re not sure where to begin? Consider these strategies that can help.
Provide self-service options available 24/7
While 24/7 live human support isn’t always feasible in healthcare, 24/7 availability through IVR and chatbots can be important for providing timely responses to routine financial questions, simple balance inquiries, and straightforward payment plans. However, practices must retain the ability to flag complex cases for fast human follow-up with clear escalation rules, so unresolved issues don’t sit in digital queues.
Why it’s important for reducing bad debt: Self-service options reduce confusion that leads to nonpayment. When patients understand the bill, they’re more willing—and more able—to pay without waiting for staff callbacks.
Monitor key performance indictors (KPI)
Here are some KPIs to consider when measuring the timeliness of your responses to patient financial questions.
- Average wait time (phone): How long patients wait in billing queues before speaking to someone
- Callback turnaround time: How fast voicemails and missed calls are returned
- First-contact resolution: Percentage of questions resolved in the first interaction (no follow-up needed)
- Percentage of patient payments collected within 30 days: Shows whether timely answers translate into faster payment
- Repeat contact rate: How often patients contact you again about the same issue within 7–14 days
- Ticket aging (portal/chat): How long unresolved financial inquiries remain open
- Time to first response: How quickly patients get an initial reply or acknowledgement
Why it’s important for reducing bad debt: Bad debt usually starts as unanswered questions, unresolved claims, and delayed communication. Timeliness KPIs shine a light on those breakdowns early enough for practices to intervene, keep accounts moving, and convert more balances into payments instead of write-offs.
Train and empower staff to resolve financial questions on the first contact.
Delays frequently arise when staff members are not fully equipped to address insurance and billing inquiries, resulting in patients being referred to other departments. Providing comprehensive and ongoing training in benefits interpretation, payment options, and eligibility for financial assistance allows front-line personnel to manage a wider range of questions independently. When staff are empowered with this knowledge, they can resolve issues more efficiently, decrease repeat contacts, and ensure that accounts are addressed promptly before balances become overdue and increasingly difficult to collect.
Why it’s important for reducing bad debt: Staff training improves front-end accuracy, financial communication, and issue resolution so fewer accounts deteriorate into nonpayment.
Why timely responses to questions patients ask are—and will continue to be—mission critical
Looking ahead, timely, empathic responses to questions patients ask —particularly questions about bills, coverage, and access—will become a core financial and competitive requirement. As patient financial responsibility continues to rise commensurate with high-deductible health plans and coverage churn from Medicaid redeterminations, questions may become more urgent and frequent. In addition, consumers increasingly expect near-real-time responses, and anything slower than that may feel unacceptable. Without a proactive plan to ensure timely responses to questions patients ask, medical practices run the risk of exacerbating existing operational strain and eroding patient loyalty. Timely responses will become a competitive differentiator and provide an avenue for financial stability in a consumer-driven healthcare market. Learn how Inbox Health can help.
About the author
Lisa A. Eramo, MA is a freelance healthcare writer who specializes in healthcare reimbursement, health information management, value-based care, and patient engagement. She contributes bylined articles to various healthcare trade publications and also assists clients with healthcare content marketing. You can reach her at lisa@lisaeramo.com or by visiting www.lisaeramo.com.