Patients now owe more of the bill, and most of what isn't collected at the visit stays uncollected. The people asking for that money are often new hires who learned the check-in software before anyone explained how a deductible works.

This two-page fillable checklist gives practice leaders a way to train and verify the financial skills a front desk needs. It covers five competencies, from recognizing plan types and reading an eligibility response to building an estimate, applying a cash price and answering "Why do I owe this if I have insurance?" Each item is checked when a trainer watches the employee perform it, with a sign-off for every competency and a 30-day recheck.

It also includes space for your practice's own scripts, a monthly measures table (time-of-service collection rates, estimate accuracy, patient net collection rate and more) and a final sign-off for employee, trainer and manager.

Built for administrators, revenue cycle leaders and front-office supervisors in groups of any size, it accompanies the MGMA article "Patient collections rebuilt." Fill it on screen or print it, and start with your next hire.