When a new patient is in the office, use the procedures listed below to gather all of the account information. When a new patient calls to schedule an appointment, you can add a new account from the Scheduler window, taking only the patient's basic information. When the patient arrives for the appointment, you can complete the remaining information and activate the account.
See Adding a New Patient for information on adding a patient from the Scheduler.
To add a new account record:
Select List > Account. The Account List window is displayed in FIND mode.
Press Enter. The account name for the selected account is displayed in the title bar.
To add a new account from the Patient List window, click Add. A message is displayed, asking if you are adding the new patient to the account. Click No.
Click Add. The Account window is displayed and the Guarantor 1 tab is active.
Type the name and address of the account guarantor in the Name and Address section.
Select the employment or school status of the guarantor in the Employment/School section. If the patient is employed, select the guarantor's employer. If the guarantor is a student, select the guarantor’s school.
Select the medical or dental insurance plan in the Insurance section.
Select an option:
Type the guarantor’s employee number in the Employee # field if it is different from the Social Security number. To use the employee number instead of the guarantor’s Social Security number on claim forms, select Use Guarantor Employee # in the Insurance Plan window.
Type or select the guarantor’s home, work, and cell telephone numbers, Social Security number, date of birth, sex, and marital status in the Personal section.
Select the guarantor's preferred contact method from the Preferred Contact drop-down list. The preferred contact is highlighted in yellow.
The preferred contact is displayed in bold italics on the appointment tile in the Scheduler and on account-specific reports.
Press Alt + Enter to move to the common area of the window, and if applicable, enter finance charge or account user codes in the User Codes field. See Running Account Reports.
Select an account doctor from the Dr drop-down list. The Account, Insurance, and Budget Plan fields cannot be edited. This information is automatically updated as payments are made.
Enter a minimum payment amount toward a specified account balance in the Min Payment field.
Select an insurance calculation method from the ICM drop-down list:
Type any notes in the Notes field.
To print a note on billing statements, type the note in the Notes to appear on Billing Stmts: field.
Select electronic statement options in the Send Automated Statements section:
To add information for a second, third, or fourth guarantor for the account, click Guarantor 2.
To view the next patient identification number, the account creation date, the date the account was last updated, and any category codes set for the account, click Other Info.
The patient identification number for the next patient is displayed in the Next Patient field. The creation date of the account is displayed in the Created field. The date of the last update to the account is displayed in the Updated field. Any account category codes that you have set up are displayed in the spaces in the Category Codes section of the tab.
Type the account category rank number.
Category codes rank accounts and patients according to your criteria, and are for your information only. To set category codes, select System > Change System Settings > Category Codes.
Click OK. A blank Patient List window is displayed. In this window you can add patients to the new account.