The New Transactions Window

Learn all there is to know about how the New Transaction window processes transactions.

Overview of the New Transactions Window

This version of the transaction window does not record Tooth Number, Surface or a portion of the fee as a benefit (expected insurance payment).  For more information on a modified version of the transaction window, please read the lower portion of this page.

Intake section of the New Transactions window

Patient: Search and select the patient name.

Account: Choose the account holder.

Fee/Payment Type: Select the type of charge or payment you want to post.

Amount: Enter or override a default amount for the selected fee.

Notes: Add descriptive notes that will appear in the ledger — these are useful for audit trails and clarifying who entered the transaction, details from an EOB, or payment method details.

Display section of the New Transactions Window

Shows all transactions you’ve entered in the current session with the following detail columns: Tooth Number, Surface, Fee/Payment Type, Fee, Benefit, Paid, and Notes.

Financial Review Section of the New Transactions Window

A real-time preview of how transactions will affect the patient’s account before you process them.

Additional buttons and checkboxes available

Print Receipt - Produce or email a receipt immediately after processing.

Keep this window open -Continue entering transactions for the same patient.

Use TopsPay - If enabled, credit card, debit card, or ACH payments will process through TopsPay directly.

• If left checked, and there is a credit, debit or ACH transaction type in the New Transactions window, tthe TopsPay processing window will appear after the Process Charges and Payment button is selected.  The TopsPay processing window will then allow you to select exsiting or enter in new payment details before processing the payment.  
• If unchecked and there is a credit, debit or ACH transaction type in the New Transactions window, the payment will post as transaction to the patient's ledger. TopsPay is not used to process the payment and it is assumed you have collected payment using a 3rd party processor.

Recording Expected Insurance Benefits and Tooth Details

By default, the New Transactions window does not record expected insurance benefits, tooth numbers, or surfaces. However, you can enable additional fields to support insurance claim filing:

1. Go to TopsOrtho>Practice Set-up>Fee Schedule
2. Check  Record Tooth Number and Surface with New Transactions

Once Enabled:

Benefit Field: You’ll see a separate field where you can enter the amount expected from insurance — this helps distinguish between total fee and patient responsibility.

Tooth & Surface Fields: These optional fields make it possible to associate charges with a specific tooth number and surface for insurance claim requirements.

Expected Insurance: The entered benefit amount will be added to the patient’s Expected Insurance balance and the difference between the fee and benefit becomes the patient’s responsibility.

Below are screenshots to assist visually:

Removing a Line Item

The Tops Ortho New Transactions window allows you to enter several transactions without having to open and close the window each time. However, sometimes you enter a single transaction incorrectly. Here's how to remove a single transaction so you don't have to start all over again!

In the example below, we entered three payments for a patient, but we accidentally entered the wrong amount for the check payment. It should have been entered for $503.11 instead of $303.11.

Steps to Follow

1. Highlight the entry in the New Transactions window.
2. Go to Edit > Clear or use the shortcut, Command-Delete.
3. The entry will disappear from the list.

4. Click back on Fee/Payment Type and re-enter the payment as originally intended.
5. Click Process Charges and Payments.
6. That's it!

The Initial Fee, the New Transactions window and the Ledger

The New Transactions window

When charging out the initial fee in the transaction window, you may notice that the fee displayed is not the initial fee recorded for the patient.

• The initial fee in the first column represents, for insurance purposes, the amount of the total contract that is charged out upon contract initiation.  
• The initial fee in the second column represents the amount of the total contract that the practice charges to the patient's ledger upon initiation of the contract. The amount is paid between courtesies provided by the practice and the patient's down payment.
• When Tops records the charges associated with a contract, it records the amount represented in the first column (the left column of contract totals) but posts to the patient's ledger, the amount represented in the second column.
• Rest assured that the initial fee for the patient is the amount that will be posted to their ledger upon processing the transaction.

What is the Benefit field

When a charge, such as the initial fee posts, the amount represented as the "benefit" in the New Transactions Window, is the difference between the full fee of the transaction, and what is being charged directly to the patient. In the initial fee example, the benefit reflects the difference between the initial fee represented in  (column 1) and the patient's initial fee (column 2).

$1500-$1200 = $300

The CoPayment and Combined Ledgers

• In the example contract above, the initial fee in the first column of the contract is $1500. The amount recorded in the second column, the patient copay column,  is $1200.00.   
• When the initial fee is charged out, the $1500.00 is posted to the patient's financials as represented by the Combined Ledger.  Of the $6000 recorded as production, $1500 is being charged out with the initial fee.

• When viewing the initial fee from the Copayment ledger, $1200 of the patient's $5000 responsibility posted to the patient's ledger.  Remember, the additional $1000 of the contract is being covered by the insurance and not included as part of the patient copayment balance.