This is the sixth in an eight-part blog series about what makes Elevate Recoveries a different kind of collection agency. Instead of mission and vision statements, Elevate Recoveries employs a simple philosophy that we try to instill in our team. The sixth component of our philosophy is to “treat everyone with dignity and respect”.
Growing up most children are taught the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This maxim is found in almost every modern culture, and can be traced back to ancient civilizations in Egypt, Greece, China, Persia and Rome. At its core it is a very simple principle, but in today’s society many people either don’t seem to follow it or only focus on the latter part about what is done unto them. Yet the most important part of the rule is what lies underneath – empathy.
Healthcare collections is a tough business. Consumers often receive multiple bills for a single event, plus insurance statements. There are co-pays, deductibles, and maybe even upfront partial payments. There also might be third-party insurers and even attorneys involved. In many cases the hospital visit is an unplanned or emergency situation, which is exacerbated by the billing process. The entire experience can be stressful, frustrating and confusing. Which is why as a healthcare collection agency, Elevate strives to treat every consumer with dignity and respect. We try to understand their current situation, and empathize with them about their hospital visit. We talk “with” the consumer, not “to” the consumer. We truly desire to help them find a way to fulfill their financial obligation to our clients, without putting an undue burden upon them. In many cases we are educators, explaining the billing and insurance process; we are a sounding board for the consumer to vent their frustration about the hospital or their bill; we are comforters, reassuring the consumer that everything is going to be okay. And of course, we are payment advisors.
As with other components of the Elevate philosophy we also turn inward and treat our employees and each other with dignity and respect. This takes on many forms but at the end of the day it is about recognizing that for the company to function and excel it is essential that we care for one another. As we embrace one another and our differences, it allows Elevate to create a culture of empathy and understanding – of dignity and respect – which impacts our clients, their patients and our employees.