Ledger |
The Ledger can be opened in various ways.
The front office staff can do all billing here in the Ledger: create claims, view claims, create new billings, add transactions, add multicode transactions, adjust deductibles, check the status of planned items, etc.
A great deal of information is available in the Ledger. Billing Information tells you at a glance what payers are involved, the estimated amount due from each; the charges, adjustments, payments, and total due on the account; and any deductibles required.
At the bottom of the Ledger are two check boxes: View Planned Items and View Ledger Items. By default only View Ledger Items is checked. This shows all transactions in the selected billing which are marked as Completed. If you click View Planned Items, all planned items are shown in the Ledger.
The Options bar also offers many links to more information, such as viewing details of the transactions, viewing billing options, viewing the insurance plan, or the patient chart.
You can print Walk-Out receipts, statements, the ledger itself, or estimates from this screen.
Patient Payments
Patient payments can be applied in two ways: Family Payment or Patient Payment. Using the family payment method, a single provider is automatically selected for all members of the family. If a patient sees a different provider (such as the hygienist), you may not remember to change the provider designation in the billing, and the hygienist may not get paid properly. With a family payment, you have to edit the payment after it has been created to change the provider.
If you use the patient payment method, no provider is automatically selected and you have to choose at the time of payment entry.
Family Payments To make a family payment, click New Family Payment.
In the Patient Payment Entry screen, select the correct payment code. The default is patient cash.
Enter the amount of the payment in the Today's Pmt column, next to the charge to which the payment relates.
If you want to view the billing, click View Billing or double-click a billing row and the Ledger is returned to the screen.
Prepayments. This feature is useful if a patient makes a prepayment on an upcoming procedure. Suppose Susie Sunshine needs a root canal and wants to pay half of her share today, then the rest when she comes in for the procedure. Create a payment for her, mark the This is a prepayment box, and enter the amount she has paid in advance.
Any transaction marked as a prepayment will show up in a special section on statements and reports. In addition, it will be noted in a Prepayment field in the patient's ledger (a pink box directly under the Billing number).
When the procedure is performed for which the prepayment was made, open the Ledger, click the prepayment amount. This opens the Batch Payment Entry screen (which is identical to the Deposit Entry screen except for its name). Click Distribute and apply the prepayment to the patient.
Zero-Balance Billings. You can also hide zero-balance billings in this screen by clicking Hide zero balance billings. This is the default. If you want to see all zero-balance billings, remove the check mark.
Click Save Changes when finished.
Patient Payments Click New Patient Payment.
Patient payments are applied to the entire billing number. Be sure the Billing field is correct.
The account code is not automatically selected, nor is the provider selected.
Choose an account code and then enter the amount of the payment below.
Choose the provider.
If the payment is in the form of a check, enter the check number. If you want, add a description of the check.
Add whatever comments you need in the Note field.
Click Save Changes.
Insurance Payments Clicking New Insurance Payment in the Ledger opens the Deposit Entry screen. See Payments for information on this screen.
Patient Adjustments Click New Patient Adjustment.
Select the Adjustment Code and enter the amount.
You do not have to choose a provider for an adjustment.
Enter all other available information.
Click Save Changes.
Viewing Billing Options With a billing open in the Ledger, click View Billing Options in the Options bar.
The Billing screen collects information from throughout the program relating to the selected billing and displays them here. This information can be changed for the billing, but any changes made here are not made to the permanent record.
This screen is also useful when a patient changes insurance coverage. If a claim is still outstanding and the insurance coverage changes, the information in this screen shows the coverage applicable at the time the claim was sent. When you change the permanent record, all new claims use the new information, but outstanding claims retain the old correct information until paid and completed.
Preauthorization Number - When you receive a preauthorization number from the insurance company for planned procedures, enter the number in this field. When the claim is sent, the program adds this number to the claim form.
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