Creating Contracts and Itemizing Records

When a patient starts treatment, many times, the case fee includes the cost for records. What do you do if you have already charged for records? How can you activate a contract and track the fees charged for records?  This article provides two scenarios that will help guide you through the process.

Scenario 1

Records have been charged to the patient ledger and paid for by the patient during the Initial Exam. The patient decides to start treatment.  The records fee charged at the initial exam should now be part of the full treatment fee.

1. Post a (-) Account Adjustment for the Records: Using Action>New Transaction (Command-T) to open the Transaction Window, post a (-) Account Adjustment>Records Adjustment to the patient's ledger for the records previously charged out during the exam. The patient should reflect a credit for the payment collected.

2. Record the contract details: From the contracts and ledgers tab, in the bottom left of the contracts window, click the New button to initiate the contract worksheet. Click Quick Contract and record the contract details.

1. Enter the full case fee
2. Enter the initial fee - the initial fee should reflect the patient's downpayment, including what they have already paid for the records.  If the practice is providing a courtesy, include the courtesy amount in the initial fee.
3. Enter the number of monthlies or the monthly periodic charge amount.

3. Initiate the contract - Open the Transaction window (Command-T) and use the Tab key on the keyboard to charge out the Initial Fee. Add a note that the full case fee includes the charge for records. Click the Tab key to move the cursor back to the Fee/Payment Type field
4. Post the Courtesy- If applicable, select (-) Account Adjustment, and choose the courtesy description. Click tab to move through the details of the transaction window.
5. Post the remaining payment from the patient: Click the tab key to move the cursor back to the Fee/Payment Type field and post the remaining deposit payment from the patient, noting the specifics that the remaining downpayment from the patient considers the credit from the records payment.

In the example above, the contract is $5000, the initial fee is $1000 and the monthly periodic charges are $150.  

• The initial fee includes $800 which will be paid by the patient ($217 from their existing credit from the records payment and an additional $583) and $200 which will be covered by the practice through a courtesy.
• Below is an example of the transactions window, charging out the initial fee and posting a family discount as the courtesy and the patient's payment.

Scenario 2

The full case fee includes records, however on the patient's start date, you would like to have the records itemized on the patient's ledger.

The steps below use the same example amounts as above. The contract is $5000, the initial fee is $1000 and the monthly periodic charges are $150.  Records have not been paid for in advance.

1. Post the Records charges and the adjustment: Open the transaction window using Action>New Transaction (Command-T) and post the records individually to the patient's ledger. In the same transaction window, post a (-) Account Adjustment>Records Adjustment to adjust the Records fee, noting it's included in the full case fee of the contract.

2. Record the contract details: From the contracts and ledgers tab, in the bottom left of the contracts window, click the New button to initiate the contract worksheet. Click Quick Contract and record the contract details.

1. Enter the full case fee
2. Enter the initial fee - the initial fee should reflect the patient's downpayment.  If the practice is providing a courtesy, include the courtesy amount in the initial fee.
3. Enter the number of monthlies or the monthly periodic charge amount.

3. Initiate the contract - Open the Transaction window (Command-T) and use the Tab key on the keyboard to charge out the Initial Fee. Add a note that the full case fee includes the charge for records. Click the Tab key to move the cursor back to the Fee/Payment Type field
4. Post the Courtesy - If applicable, select (-) Account Adjustment, and choose the courtesy description. Click tab to move through the details of the transaction window.
5. Post the full payment from the patient: Click the tab key to move the cursor back to the Fee/Payment Type field and post the deposit payment from the patient.

Insurance:

With both scenarios above, since you have posted the record charges to the patient's ledger, you can easily pull a date range claim to file the records with a patient's insurance.  Reference the article below Generate a Date Range Claim for steps on how to create your claim.