Managing Patient Accounts > Accessing the Clipboard > Accessing the Patient’s Ledger > Using Payment Plans
When setting up a payment plan for a patient or a responsible party, it is important to be aware of how the amount due will display on the account.
A balance that is moved into a payment plan will initially reduce or remove the balance showing on the patient's ledger, but will be billed back to the ledger over time, in incremental amounts and according to the schedule. The active balance on the payment plan is shown in the Plan balance field.
Each account may have only one payment plan active at a time, regardless of whether it is an individual ledger or a combined family ledger. When new charges are added to an account, and you want those new charges to be in a payment plan, you must close the existing plan and open a new plan that includes the new amount.
To create a payment plan:
Open the ledger of the patient for whom you want to create a payment plan.
Determine the amount of money that should be diverted into the payment plan. Do not include any outstanding insurance balance, as this can result in the patient receiving a false credit.
Click Add entry.
In the Description column, type: PAYPLAN.
Press Tab on the computer keyboard.
Type the amount in the Current plan balance field.
Type the number of installments.
Type entries in the Installment due section.
Type an entry in the Next payment due on field.
Click Re-calc installments. This populates the fields in the lower section of the screen.
Edit the information as necessary.
Click Print pmt schedule to print a copy of the payment schedule for the patient and/or for the practice's own records.
Click OK.
The PAYPLAN amount appears as a credit on the Ledger Card, but it also shows as a Plan balance amount beside the View pay plan button in the lower-left corner.
You can return to the payment plan at any time by clicking View pay plan.
Adding, Removing, or Changing Interest on a Payment Plan