Auto-Pay Plans

Tired of manually posting monthly payments? Set up an Auto-Pay plan!

1. Open the patient chart and click on the Contracts/Ledgers tab.
2. Click the Auto-Pay Plan button; the Auto-Payment Plan Worksheet will open.
3. Select the payment type: Credit Card (including Debit Card), ACH or Post-Dated Check.
4. In the next field, select the Processor.

5. Enter the card/account number, the name on the card/account, and other pertinent information.
6. Hit Quick Plan.

7. Enter the Total Plan amount (the amount the patient has agreed to finance over the course of treatment).
8. Select how often you want the payments to be made.
   1. The options are Monthly, Quarterly, Semiannually (every six months), Annually, Weekly or Biweekly.
9. Enter the Payment Amount (what should be posted each payment date).
10. The Number of Payments will calculate automatically.
11. The First Payment Date will default to the first of the next month OR the first of the month after that (to give the patient at least one month before the plan starts.) You can edit this date to whatever you wish.
12. Review the Preview below and make edits if needed.
13. Hit OK.

14. Your plan will display; if you notice something you need to change, click Quick Plan again to make edits.
15. Click Record Plan; this will save a draft of your plan but will not activate it.
16. When you are ready, click Activate Plan.
17. Activated Plans:
    1. As long as a Manual Auto-Pay Plan is active, it will post payments to the patient chart continuously until it is deactivated or until the dates run out.
    2. As long as a TopsPay or OrthoBanc Auto-Pay Plan is active, TopsPay or OrthoBanc will attempt to process payments for the dates entered in the plan until it is deactivated or the dates run out.

Auto-Pay follows the payment schedule entered in the Auto-Payment Plan Worksheet. Changes to the patient’s contract, Due Now, or other payments do not automatically change the active Auto-Pay plan.

19. The status of an Auto-Pay plan is displayed in the top left corner.

20. If a patient has an active Auto-Pay Plan, you will see a dot on the Auto-Pay Plan button in their chart.

21. If a patient has an active Auto-Pay Plan with TopsPay as the processor, and any of the scheduled payments have been declined, the Auto-Pay Plan button will be red. Review the article referenced at the bottom this page on addressing decline auto-pay payments.

Understanding How an Auto-Pay Plan Works

An active Auto-Pay plan operates independently from the patient’s contract and account balance. It follows the payment amounts and dates entered in the Auto-Payment Plan Worksheet, regardless of the patient’s Due Now, future contract charges, or other payments posted to the account.

For example, making an additional payment or changing the patient’s contract does not automatically reduce, skip, or change upcoming Auto-Pay payments.

If you need to change the amount or timing of future payments, deactivate the current Auto-Pay plan and create an updated plan. When creating the new plan, make sure all payment dates are in the future.

A record of the previous Auto-Pay plan remains available in the patient’s Invoices/Receipts tab of the patient's chart.

What is the patient has a Due Now Balance or a Credit?

An active Auto-Pay Plan operates independently from the patient’s contract and account balance. The plan will continue to process and post payments according to the amounts and dates entered in the Auto-Payment Plan Worksheet, regardless of the patient’s current Due Now balance, credit, or remaining balance.

Because of this, a balance or credit in Due Now does not automatically mean there is a problem with the Auto-Pay Plan. First, determine what caused the balance or credit and whether any action is needed.

If the Patient Has a Due Now Balance

Review the patient’s upcoming Auto-Pay payment and determine whether it will cover the Due Now balance.

• If the upcoming payment will cover the Due Now: No additional action may be necessary. Allow the scheduled payment to process as expected.
• If the upcoming payment will not cover the Due Now: Work with the patient to determine how the balance should be resolved. You may need to collect a one-time payment or update the Auto-Pay Plan to account for the additional amount owed.

If the Patient Has a Credit in Due Now

Determine why the credit exists before making changes.

If the patient is paying before their scheduled monthly contract charge posts, consider updating the contract so the monthly charge posts on the same day as the scheduled Auto-Pay payment.

If the patient’s scheduled Auto-Pay payments are greater than the monthly contract charges being posted, the patient may continue to accumulate a credit in Due Now. Review the patient’s contract and Auto-Pay Plan to determine whether the remaining charges and payments are aligned.

If you need to move a portion of the patient’s future contract charges forward to resolve the current credit, create a charge in the Contract Worksheet equal to the credit and set it to post the following day. Then review and adjust the remaining future monthly charges as needed. Before recording your changes, confirm that the Contract Total is correct.

If the Patient Pays Off Their Remaining Balance Early

If the patient pays their remaining balance before the Auto-Pay Plan is complete, remember to deactivate the Auto-Pay Plan.

Paying off the patient’s balance does not automatically stop the plan. An active Auto-Pay Plan will continue to process or post payments according to its schedule until the plan is deactivated or all scheduled payments have been completed.

Tops Tip: Don’t change an Auto-Pay Plan based on the Due Now balance alone. Determine why the balance or credit exists and consider upcoming contract charges and Auto-Pay payments before deciding what action is needed.