The Payments Automation Settings section allows you to configure automatic processes for managing patient payments. This section is designed to streamline payment follow-ups and ensure timely and efficient communication with patients regarding their outstanding balances.
Here’s an in-depth look at what this section offers:
Charge Payment Processing Fee from Practice
Overview: This setting determines whether the practice absorbs the payment processing fees.
Implication: When enabled, the practice covers any fees associated with processing patient payments rather than passing these fees onto the patient. This can improve patient satisfaction but will increase costs for the practice. If you wish to surcharge patients using PbN ZeroPay, this must be disabled.
Understanding Follow-up Toggles
The Payment Automation Settings in Practice by Numbers provide two key toggles for managing follow-ups with patients regarding outstanding balances:
Automatically send patients Follow-up
Automatically add patients to Payments Follow-up Sequence if they satisfy the following criteria
These settings are designed to work together but can also function independently, allowing practices flexibility in managing their follow-up processes.
When Both Toggles Are Enabled
If both settings are turned on, the system will fully automate follow-ups. Patients meeting the specified criteria will be moved from the Outstanding category back to Scheduled, and then to Under Follow-up automatically. The system will then send follow-ups based on the practice's defined settings, ensuring continuous engagement with patients who need payment reminders. This setup eliminates the need for manual intervention, as patients who meet the criteria are automatically re-engaged in the follow-up sequence.
When Only "Automatically Send Patients Follow-up" is Enabled
If only the first toggle is turned on, the practice will need to manually select which patients should be moved back to Scheduled for follow-ups. Once a patient is moved to Scheduled, follow-ups will begin automatically after seven days. However, the practice can also manually start follow-ups immediately by moving the patient to Under Follow-up right away. Without the second toggle enabled, patients will not be automatically re-added to the follow-up sequence, meaning the practice must actively manage this process to ensure follow-ups are sent.
When Only "Automatically Add Patients to Payments Follow-up Sequence if They Satisfy the Following Criteria" is Enabled
If only the second toggle is enabled, the system will automatically move patients from Outstanding to Scheduled based on the defined criteria, but follow-ups will not be sent automatically. The practice will need to manually trigger the follow-ups once patients are moved into Scheduled. This option allows practices to automate patient selection for follow-ups based on set criteria while still maintaining control over when follow-ups are actually sent.
Range of Balances for Automation
Min Balance: Set the minimum balance threshold (e.g., $5) that qualifies for automated follow-up.
Max Balance: Set the maximum balance threshold (e.g., $1000) for automated follow-up.
Purpose: This range ensures that only balances within a specified amount are included in the automation, preventing follow-ups for negligible amounts and extremely high balances that may require different handling.
Last Interaction Consideration
Description: Automation considers the last interaction with the patient or their guarantor, including any recent payments or services provided.
Best Practice: Avoids initiating follow-ups for very old balances without review. This prevents potential issues with contacting patients about outdated balances that may no longer be relevant.
Exclusion of Patients with Pending Insurance Claims
Overview: Patients with pending insurance claims are excluded from automated follow-ups.
Reason: It is best to wait until all insurance claims are resolved before sending payment requests to avoid confusion and potential disputes over balances.
Age-Based Automation
Min Age: Set the minimum age (e.g., 1 year) for patients eligible for automated follow-ups.
Max Age: Set the maximum age (e.g., 100 years) for patients eligible for automated follow-ups.
Usage: This is useful for excluding older patients who may prefer not to receive payment requests via text or email. It ensures that communication methods are appropriate for different age groups.
Exclusion of Specific Account Types
Account Types: Choose which account types should be excluded from automated follow-ups.
Purpose: Allows for the customization of automation rules to avoid follow-ups for certain types of accounts that may require special handling.
Exclusion Based on Patient Tags
Tag-Based Exclusion: Patients with specific tags can be excluded from the automation.
Implementation: This feature allows you to tag patients with certain characteristics or conditions and exclude them from automated follow-ups, ensuring sensitive cases are handled manually.