Patient Collections Setup and Processing Steps

The Patient Collections function can be used in a completely hands-off manner to conduct a collection letter writing campaign, or it can be used as a hands-on tool to work accounts and maintain payment plans for patients. In either case, Patient Collections easily accommodates the turn over of accounts to third party collection agencies through automatic transfer to the collection database and write-off of turned-over delinquent balances.

Perform the following steps to set up Patient Collections:

Patient Collections Setup Steps

Complete the Setup Worksheet - The worksheet assists you in gathering the information necessary to complete the setup process.
Review the Sample Setup - Status Codes and Options - With the sample, you can familiarize yourself with a sample migration path for the collection process. NOTE: This is just an example and you can modify the status codes and migration path to suit your practice.
Complete the Status Codes and Options Worksheet - Define the migration path of accounts through the collection process.
Create or edit the Collection Status Codes - The Collection Status Table is pre-loaded with collection statuses 1-9. You must create the Non-Delinquent Payment Plan and Non-Delinquent Payment Plan Failed statuses if you choose to use them. You should review the Collection Status Table Help section and the existing codes thoroughly, prior to making any changes, but you can change the codes and the details of the codes to suit your practice.
Create the Collection Agency Codes.
Review/Edit the Collection Letters - Sample collection letters are automatically loaded in the DMS Letter Processor, and you can tailor them to the needs of your practice.

Note: See CGM ECOLLECTIONS if you are using electronic collection letters.
Complete the Patient Collections Integration.
Select the Suppress Collections check box in the Billing Group Table, if needed. This will prohibit the accounts assigned to these billing groups from going through the Collections process.
Follow the Standard Steps for the Patient Collections Processing Cycle and follow them on a regular basis, weekly at minimum. If you fail to perform the steps, the patient accounts will not properly migrate through the collections process.

NOTE: If there are accounts with patient balances over 90 days, you should follow the Established System Steps for Setting up the Patient Collections Processing Cycle. After completing the setup, use the Standard Steps for the Patient Collections Processing Cycle instructions every consecutive time after that.

Setup Worksheet

Sample Setup - Status Codes and Options

Status Codes and Options Worksheet

Established System Steps for Setting up the Patient Collections Processing Cycle

If you are an established client that has accounts with patient balances over 90 days old, some care must be taken before you perform the Populate Collection Roster function for the first time. Accounts enter the process under the collection status you selected in the Initial Collection Status field in the Patient Collections Integration, regardless of the actual age of the balance.

For example, if you have accounts that are 60, 90 and 120 days old, they will all end up in Collection Status 1 the first time you perform the Populate Collection Roster function, but you can manually put the accounts in the correct status.

If, for example, you want to automatically

Send a Final Notice (letter 4) to anyone with a balance over 120 days old
Place all the accounts with balances over 90 days old into Collection Turn Over Review (status code 3)
Send a Seriously Past Due (letter 2) to every account with a balance over 60 days old
Place the remaining past due accounts into the Past Due Reminder (status code 1),

then follow these steps:

Create Insurance File.
In Patient Collections Integration, set the Age to Enter Collections to 120 days and the Initial Collection Status to 4 - Final Notice. Perform the Populate Collection Roster function. Collections looks only at the accounts with balances that are more than 120 days old and places them in Collection Status 4.
Go back to Patient Collections Integration and change the Age to Enter Collections to 90 days and the Initial Collection Status to 3 - Collection Turn Over Review. Perform the Populate Collection Roster function. Collections looks only at the accounts with balances that are more than 90 days old and places them in Collection Status 3. The accounts with balances that are more than 120 days old are already in the collection process and are ignored by the Populate Collection Roster function.
Go back to Patient Collections Integration and change the Age to Enter Collections to 60 days and the Initial Collection Status to 2 - Seriously Past Due. Perform the Populate Collection Roster function. Collections looks only at the accounts with balances that are more than 60 days old and places them in Collection Status 2. The accounts with balances that are more than 90 and 120 days old are already in the collection process and are ignored by the Populate Collection Roster function.
Go back to Patient Collections Integration and change the Age to Enter Collections to 30 days and the Initial Collection Status to 1 - Past Due Reminder. Perform the Populate Collection Roster function. The remaining past due accounts are placed in Collection Status 1.

After you complete the setup steps, complete the Initial Processing Cycle for Established Systems. Then, use the Standard Steps for the Patient Collections Processing Cycle every consecutive time after that. The difference between the two sets of instructions is that in the 'Initial Processing Cycle', you work the accounts prior to printing letters. This provides you with the opportunity to set up patients with payment plans that have been previously established and to move any accounts to the Accounts Being Worked status that are not ready to receive letters.

Initial Processing Cycle for Established Systems