Patti Patient is ready to begin treatment. She is self-responsible and does not have insurance. How do you set up her contract?
To set up a contract:
In the patient chart, click the Financial Functions button. The Financial Functions—Charges and Payments window is displayed.
Click the Contracts and Payment Plans button. The Financial Functions—Contracts and Payment Plans window is displayed.
In the Description field, select a contract description from the drop-down menu or add a new description. Press Tab.
In the Contract Total field, enter the full contract amount before discounts. Press Tab.
The total contract amount is displayed next to the first responsible party listed in the Responsible/Insurance section. Since the first responsible party is paying the entire contract amount, press Tab.
In the Initial Fee field, enter the amount of the contract that is due on the initial fee due date. Press Tab.
In the Payment Amount field, enter the payment amount to be paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Press Tab. The software calculates the payment amount if you leave this field blank and enter the total number of payments in the Num. of Payments field.
In the Num. of Payments field, type the number of payments. Press Tab. If you entered a payment amount, the software calculates the number of payments.
In the Init. Fee Due Date field, type the date the initial fee is due to be paid. Press Tab.
In the Cont. Start Date field, type the date that the first contract charge should be applied. In a single-due-date system, the date defaults to the roll date for the next month. In a multi-due-date system, the date defaults to one month from the initial fee due date.
You want to accept the default payment term of Monthly, so press Tab. The Spread button is selected. Press Tab. The Post Transactions button is selected.
Click the Post Transactions button or press Tab. If you have not entered a banding date, the Contract message is displayed.
To enter a banding date, click Yes and type the date in the field. To enter an estimated completion date, click Yes and type the date in the field.
Click the Close button.
John Doe is starting treatment, and part of the cost will be paid by his father’s insurance. How do you set up his contract so the total amount is split between the insurance company and the responsible party?
To enter a contract with insurance or with multiple responsible parties:
In the patient chart, click the Financial Functions button. The Financial Functions—Charges and Payments window is displayed.
Click the Contracts and Payment Plans button. The Financial Functions—Contracts and Payment Plans window is displayed.
In the Description field, select a contract description from the drop-down menu or add a new description. Press Tab.
In the Contract Total field, enter the full contract amount before discounts (includes the responsible party portion and insurance carrier portion, if applicable). Press Tab.
Type the portion of the contract the first responsible party is paying. Press Tab.
The remaining portion of the contract is displayed on the next line of the Responsible/Insurance Amount section, and an arrow points to the next name in the Responsible/Insurance section. Press Tab.
In the Initial Fee field, enter the amount of the contract that is due on the initial fee due date. Press Tab.
In the Payment Amount field, enter the payment amount to be paid monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Press Tab. The software calculates the payment amount if you leave this field blank and enter the total number of payments in the Num. of Payments field.
In the Num. of Payments field, enter the number of payments. Press Tab. If you entered a payment amount, the software calculates the number of payments.
In the Init. Fee Due Date field, type the date the initial fee is due to be paid. Press Tab.
In the Cont. Start Date field, type the date that the first contract charge should be applied. In a single-due-date system, the date defaults to the roll date for the next month. In a multi-due-date system, the date defaults to one month from the initial fee due date.
To accept the default payment term of Monthly, press Tab. The Spread button is selected. Press Tab. The Next button is selected.
Click Next or press Tab to continue setting up the contract for the next responsible party/insurance carrier. Continue adding information for all responsible parties/insurance carriers on the list. If a responsible party is listed but does not require a contract, press Tab to move through the contract fields until the software displays a message, acknowledging that the responsible party being skipped does not have a financial contract.
After completing the payment information for the last responsible party/insurance carrier in the Responsible/Insurance section, the Post Transactions button is selected. Click the Post Transactions button or press Tab. If you have not entered a banding date, the Contract message is displayed.
To enter a banding date, click Yes and type the date in the field.
To enter an estimated completion date, click Yes and type the date in the field.
A patient without insurance is starting treatment for a total of $3,500. The patient wants to make an initial payment of $500, monthly payments of $100.00 for the first six months, $125.00 for the next six months, $150.00 for the next six months, and a final balloon payment for the remaining balance. How do you set up this contract?
To set up a contract with varying charge amounts:
In the patient chart, click the Financial Functions button. The Financial Functions—Charges and Payments window is displayed.
Click the Contracts and Payment Plans button. The Financial Functions—Contracts and Payment Plans window is displayed.
In the Description field, type a contract description. Press Tab.
In the Contract Total field, type $3,500. Press Tab.
An arrow is displayed next to the patient’s name in the Responsible/Insurance section, and the total amount of the contract is displayed on the first line of the Amount section. Press Tab.
In the Initial Fee field, type $500. Press Tab.
In the Payment Amount field, type $100.00 and press Tab. Disregard the Num. of Payments field, as the software calculates the number of payments as if you were paying off the contract using only this initial amount.
Press Tab and retype the contract start date, if needed.
Deselect the Spread Evenly option.
In the payment grid, scroll to the seventh payment of the contract, click in the Amount field, and type $125.00. Press Tab.
Click Spread.
In the payment grid, scroll to the thirteenth payment of the contract, click in the Amount field, and type $150.00. Press Tab.
Click Spread.
In the payment grid, scroll to the nineteenth payment of the contract, click in the Amount field, and type $750.00. Press Tab.
Click Spread.
Click the Post Transactions button or press Tab. If you have not entered a banding date, the Contract message is displayed.
To enter a banding date, click Yes and type the date in the field.
To enter an estimated completion date, click Yes and type the date in the field.
Click the Close button.
A patient tells you that he has lost his coupon book. How can you print a new one for him?
To reprint an entire coupon book:
In the patient’s chart, click the Financial Functions button. The Financial Functions—Charges and Payments window is displayed.
On the menu bar, select Reports > Contracts and Payment Plans > Coupons. The Print Setup window is displayed.
Select the printer on which to print the coupon book, if necessary.
Click OK.
To reprint a coupon book for future payments only:
On the main menu, select Reports > Financial > Coupon Books. The Coupon Books window is displayed.
Select Reprint coupon books, Reprint for future payments, and click OK. The Select Patient to Print Coupons window is displayed.
Select the patient name and click OK. The Print Setup window is displayed.
Select the printer on which to print the coupon book, if necessary.
Click OK.
Deselect the Spread Evenly option.
In the payment grid, scroll to the seventh payment of the contract, click in the Amount field, and type $125.00. Press Tab.
Click Spread.
In the payment grid, scroll to the thirteenth payment of the contract, click in the Amount field, and type $150.00. Press Tab.
Click Spread.
In the payment grid, scroll to the nineteenth payment of the contract, click in the Amount field, and type $750.00. Press Tab.
Click Spread.
Click the Post Transactions button or press Tab. If you have not entered a banding date, the Contract message is displayed.
To enter a banding date, click Yes and type the date in the field.
To enter an estimated completion date, click Yes and type the date in the field.
Click the Close button.
Setting Up Contracts with Insurance or Multiple Responsible Parties