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Offering Payment Plans for Pending Balances with Automated Payment Campaigns

Alyssa Elso avatar
Written by Alyssa Elso
Updated over 2 weeks ago

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.

  • Pending Balance 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.


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 - $2000.

Step 2: Selecting the Correct Payment Plan

Next, the system determines which Payment Plan should be offered based on the conditions set, including the balance age category and the Total Pending Balance.

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 balance age

Plan 3

$100

$1200

TRUE

TRUE

TRUE

Yes

TPB in range, selected aging matched balance age

Plan 2 and 3 are selected because:

  • The Total Pending Balance ($1000) falls within the plan’s range.

  • The balance age 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.

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