How to Post Charges and Payments From the Patient Ledger

Related Training
Posting Charges, Payments, and Adjustments Recorded Class

You can post charges and payments to a patient’s account directly from the patient ledger. To open a patient’s ledger, navigate to the Patient tab, and then select Financials > Ledger.

Post Charges from the Ledger

To post a charge:

1.  Under Actions, select New Charge. The Post New Charges window is displayed.
   
   Note: If unposted procedures exist from completed work, you are prompted to address them before posting new charges.
   
   Click Review Existing to view and post those charges, or click Post New to continue, and address the unposted procedures later. 
2. In the Search Procedures field, begin typing the code or description and select the correct procedure. The charge is added.
   Note: You can use the list on the right to search from a different list of procedures.
3. Verify and/or correct the indicated Service Location, Practice Location, Provider, and Amount.
   -- Bill Ins? is selected automatically when the patient has insurance, and a new claim is created when charges are posted. If not selected, you can access them and create the claim later from Actions > Create New Claim, or Location > To Do > Unbilled Procedures.
   --The Service Date defaults to today, or to the date of service for previously completed work. You can edit the date when posting a new charge for a prior date, but not for previously completed work.
   --The Service Location section is populated automatically with the patient's preferred practice location. If necessary, select a different service location from the drop-down list. If the selected service location differs from the practice location, the service location and associated NPI number are included on the printed medical claim form. See How to Add Service Locations and How to Print Insurance Claims for more information.
   Note: Selecting a service location for a procedure does not impact reporting or scheduling, and posted production still applies to the practice location. Payments are also not impacted by the service location.
   --The Practice Location and Provider fields are populated automatically with the patient's preferences, when defined in the Patient Record. You can edit the provider if necessary, but the location cannot be changed for previously completed work.
   --The Amount field is populated automatically from the Procedure List and Fee Schedule. If you enter a different amount, you are prompted to verify the standard office fee.
4. When required, enter the Tooth/Quad and Surface for the procedure.
5. Continue adding procedures as needed.
   Note: You can use the Copy icon  to add the same procedure again, and then change the anatomy.
6. If this procedure is covered by the Patient’s Insurance Plan, the Insurance to Bill field is   automatically populated. You can use this field to select a different policy.
   
7. Click Post Charges & Bill Ins. The charges are added to the Ledger and a claim is created if applicable.

Note: In the event that the patient or policyholder's date of birth is missing or invalid, a message is displayed:

Click the Patient Record hyperlink to navigate to their record and update the date of birth. The claim cannot be generated until both the patient and policyholder have valid birth dates entered.

Posting Zero Dollar Amount Charges

When posting a $0.00 charge to a patient's ledger when they have an active insurance policy, an "Unable to create a claim to Insurance as one or more charges are for $0" message is displayed at the bottom of the Post New Charges window.

To post the $0.00 charge, deselect the Bill Ins? option, as you do not need to create an insurance claim, and then click Post Charges. 
The $0.00 charge is added to the patient's ledger.

Post Payments from the Ledger

Insurance payments are deducted from the Insurance Due amount, and patient payments reduce the Patient Due amount. 

To post a payment:

1. Under Actions, click New Payment. The Post New Payment window is displayed with the patient's balance.
2. If the payment is a split payment intended to cover charges for multiple patients, such as family members who are connected, use the Search field to select one or more connected patients. For more information, see How to Post a Split Payment. 
   
3. In the Amount Paid field:
   --Enter the payment amount next to the applicable patient.
   --If you want the payment to be allocated to an existing payment plan, select the checkbox next to Select Payment Plan, and then use the drop-down list to select one of the patient's active payment plans. See How to Create a Payment Plan for more information.
4. Verify or correct the Location and Date fields.
   Note: If the payment is being allocated to a payment plan, the location defaults to the location that the payment plan is for and cannot be changed.
5.  Select a Payment Type from the list.
   Note: If you select Insurance - Check, Insurance - Credit Card, or Insurance - EFT, you are prompted to select a claim, and the Claim Number is automatically added to the transaction details upon posting.
   
6. If applicable, select a Payment Subtype from the list.
   Note: The Payment Subtype field is only displayed for certain payment types, including: Credit Card, Check, Insurance - Credit Card, and Mobile or Online.
   For example, if your payment type is Mobile or Online, you can specify a subtype such as PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, Apple Pay, etc.
   
   Both the payment type and subtype (if applicable) are displayed in the payment line item in the patient's ledger as well as their statement.
7. Use the Reference and Comments fields as needed for additional information.
8. Verify that the Payment Amount is correct.
9. Click Post Payment. The credit is added to the patient ledger.

Important: When you are signed up to use Payment Manager for Sensei Cloud, the posting process is different. For more information, see Payment Manager Overview, and the Sensei Cloud Payment Manager Getting Started Guide . 

For more information on tasks you can perform from the patient ledger, see How to Work with the Patient Ledger.