*Payment Plans are currently in beta and accessible only to a limited number of practices at this time.*
Managing outstanding balances can be challenging, but with PbN’s Automated Pending Balance Payment Plan Flow, practices can efficiently recover payments while minimizing manual effort. This system seamlessly integrates Payment Plans with Automated Payment Campaigns, ensuring that patients receive structured payment options tailored to their pending balances.
Benefits of Automating Pending Balance Payment Plans
With this automated flow, practices can:
Identify patients with outstanding balances and automatically enroll them in appropriate payment plans.
Trigger automated payment campaigns that notify patients about available payment options.
Streamline collections by automating payment schedules, reminders, and follow-ups.
Enhance patient convenience by offering flexible and structured repayment solutions.
Ensure predictable cash flow with scheduled payments and reduced overdue accounts.
This guide will walk you through the steps to set up and manage the Automated Pending Balance Payment Plan Flow, which will help your practice recover dues effortlessly while improving patient satisfaction.
Setting Up an Automated Pending Balance Payment Plan
Step 1: Configure Payment Plan Conditions
After creating a new payment plan, define the conditions under which it will be offered to patients. The available conditions include:
Show this plan to patients:
FFS Patients (Fee-for-Service) – Patients without insurance who pay out-of-pocket.
Patients with Insurance – Patients with an insurance policy attached to their account.
Treatment Plan Range – Define the minimum and maximum treatment cost required to qualify for the plan.
Exclude Patients by Insurance – Prevent certain insurance holders from accessing the plan.
Exclude Patients by Tags – Restrict eligibility based on assigned patient tags.
Select Aging Category – Define the balance age required for eligibility:
Current
30 Days
60 Days
90 Days
Click Submit to save your changes.
Step 2: Enable Automated Payment Campaigns
Navigate to Payments → Settings and enable the option "Offer Payment Plans with Automated Follow-Ups". This setting allows practices to send automated follow-ups to patients regarding their payment plans.
Additionally, you can configure whether to include or exclude accounts from payment campaigns if they already have an active payment plan.
Understanding Aging and Effective Aging
What is Aging?
Aging categorizes a patient’s outstanding balance based on how long it has been unpaid. This classification helps determine the urgency and priority for automation.
What is Effective Aging?
Effective Aging identifies the most overdue category of a patient's pending balance before initiating an automated payment plan. The system determines Effective Aging based on the highest balance within an aging category.
Example:
Patient | Total Pending Balance | Current | 30 Days | 60 Days | 90 Days | Effective Aging |
Patient 3 | $1000 | $300 | $50 | $300 | $350 | 90 Days |
The system checks the Effective Aging value.
Since the highest balance falls under 90 Days, the system classifies Patient 3 as Aging in the 90 Days category.
If two aging categories have the same highest balance, the system selects the oldest category (e.g., between 60 Days and 90 Days, it chooses 90 Days).
How the Automation Works
Step 1: Validate Patient Eligibility for Automation
The system first checks if the patient’s Total Pending Balance (TPB) falls within the range defined in the Payment Automation Settings.
Example:
Patient | Total Pending Balance | Current | 30 Days | 60 Days | 90 Days | Selected for Automation |
Patient 1 | $150 | $100 | $20 | $20 | $10 | No |
Patient 2 | $90 | $30 | $10 | $0 | $50 | No |
Patient 3 | $1000 | $300 | $50 | $300 | $350 | Yes |
Only Patient 3 qualifies since their Total Pending Balance is between $400 - $1000.
Step 2: Selecting the Correct Payment Plan
Next, considering Effective Aging, the system determines which Payment Plan should be offered based on previously set conditions.
Example Payment Plans:
Plan # | Range Min | Range Max | Aging: 30 Days | Aging: 60 Days | Aging: 90 Days | Plan Picked? | Reason |
Plan 1 | $100 | $500 | TRUE | TRUE | TRUE | No | TPB not in range |
Plan 2 | $100 | $1200 | TRUE | TRUE | TRUE | Yes | TPB in range, selected aging matched Effective Aging |
Plan 3 | $100 | $1200 | TRUE | TRUE | - | No | TPB in range, but selected aging did not match Effective Aging |
Plan 2 is selected because:
The Total Pending Balance ($1000) falls within the plan’s range.
The Effective Aging (90 Days) matches the plan’s criteria.
Step 3: Patient Receives the Payment Campaign
Once the system selects the appropriate plan, the patient receives an automated payment campaign via SMS or Email with a link to view and accept the payment plan.
When the patient clicks the payment link, they can:
View their balance details.
See the payment plan option.
Choose to proceed with the structured payment plan.
