However, things have changed. Today the industry has shifted to a retail model. The market is not just moving in that direction: The retail model in healthcare has already arrived. The healthcare industry is struggling because many are not set up to take payments from individuals at the point of service.

The primary reason bad debt has increased so much over the last few years is not just the result of the uninsured. Based on a national study by nTelagent, two-thirds of all bad debt is caused by insured patients. Healthcare service providers are not collecting the deductibles, co-pays and co-insurance because they have never had a retail solution ... until now.

When consumers go to a retail store to purchase appliances or other high-cost items, they are always presented with the appropriate price – including discounting and financing options – at the point of sale by the retail clerk.

How is this possible? The store has an application that tells the clerk exactly what to do and what to tell the customer. This is the approach that nTelagent has taken. Our Retail Application tells healthcare registrars and financial counselors exactly what to do and what to say to each patient at the point of service about pricing of services, discounting, terms, and charity and government programs if appropriate.