patient $$$ balances

[gemba1970]

Does anyone know if it should concern a nurse legally/ethically if she is involved in a patient's balance? Should the nurse have to call the patient and tell her she has to pay her balance of $$$ before she can be seen?...I thought nurses were not to be involved b/c therefore they could not/would not do patient care based on that.......not that we would anyway...Am I wrong to think the accounting dept that does billing and posts payments should do this? Seems nurses have enough to do without this added on...I am working in a Dr. office..........

[lvnandmomx3]

Prior to becoming an LVN I work in a hospital in several departments including the cash office. I did make calls concerning balances and so did the buisiness office. It would seem to me either the secretary or the office manager would be handling the calls from the Dr.'s office. If they are requesting you to do it, is the Dr. playing el-cheapo and not wanting to hire appropriate staff?

[tnbutterfly - Mary, BSN]

I will move your thread to the Ambulatory Care Nursing Forum. You should get more responses here.

[gemba1970]

the Dr isn't involved....it is the office manager putting it off on nursing staff....I feel it should at least be her job....I have enough to do already.....this is a new thing all of a sudden......

[lvnandmomx3]

If there is an office manager it should be her job indeed IMO.

[Nurserton]

That is an administrative duty that, IMO, is inappropriate for the nurse to handle. Honestly, we shouldn't even be aware of our pt's ability to pay or not because it is a conflict of interest that could potentially change the way we care for that pt, which is unacceptable.

[CheyRN]

the Dr isn't involved....it is the office manager putting it off on nursing staff....I feel it should at least be her job....I have enough to do already.....this is a new thing all of a sudden......

I would remind the office manager that until she able to do YOUR job (take VS, give injections, drsg. changes, etc.) you wil not be doing HER job. I'm assuming that you both have job descriptions that will help you with your clarification of duties. Some people get a charge out of the title "manager". Since you take directions from professionals according to your state board of nursing scope practice, maybe it's time to get some backup from your doc.

[dream'n, BSN, RN]

I feel that it is inappropriate for the nursing staff to be making those calls. We build a relationship with the patients and they trust us. Having nursing make the calls undermines the patient/caregiver relationship.