A winning invoice for home care services

With no national standard template to go by, invoices for home care services can vary widely. They can also vary in quality, sometimes with unintended consequences: unclear or incomplete, an invoice can confuse clients and stymie long-term care insurance carriers, in turn slowing down the payment process. Here’s how to remedy that and create an invoice clients and carriers will love. 

You’d be surprised at what gets left off some invoices. For an invoice that can minimize calls to your office staff and help speed up and process payments faster, go beyond the basics and make sure you include all of the following in addition to charges: 

• Unique invoice number. A unique and sequential invoice number helps track and organize invoices. 

• Invoice date. Important for tracking, also helpful if you have a payment policy, e.g., 30 days. 

• Provider information. Your business name, address, and contact information (phone, email) so clients and carriers can reach the right person with a billing question. 

• Provider ID number. Helps insurance carriers and CareScout track invoices. Also consider including your National Provider Identifier (NPI). 

• Patient/client name. Be sure the invoice names the policyholder rather than a family member. Use the policyholder’s full name versus their nickname (Elizabeth versus Liz). 

• CareScout member ID number if applicable. This helps assure the member discount is applied. 

• Dates of service. Some providers also include time stamps for the beginning and end of a shift or service. 

• Services provided. 

Enhancing your invoices, such as with the examples below, can make invoices easier to understand while still being concise. Showing that you see things from the client’s perspective can help build trust help the client feel respected.

• Caregiver names. Clients relate to their caregivers. Including a caregiver’s name with the services they provided can help clients track their care and feel assured that they’re being properly charged. Names also personalize the value you bring.
  
  

• Service code definitions. Don’t assume clients know what you mean by CNA or HHA or that they know what is meant by service “levels” (e.g., Levels 1 through 4). Providing a simple key spelling out abbreviations and service levels can help clients understand why some services cost more than others. 
  
  

• Care Notes. Some agencies include their Care Notes, which helps clients see exactly what they’re getting. An itemized list of services can make it much easier for clients to compare the care their getting billed for to their actual plan of care. 

You may already go over invoicing with your clients before they begin receiving services. Either way, encourage your caregivers to check in with their clients periodically to make sure they understand their bills and offer to answer any questions they may have. 

To help educate your clients, refer them to our blog about how to read an invoice.

Make sure invoices don’t include a patient or client’s Social Security number or any credit card information.

When it comes to invoicing, more is more. A bill that includes the right details to preempt questions from clients can save everyone time, increase client satisfaction, and make for a smoother payment process overall.