How to Correct Balance Discrepancies Across Practice Locations

Balance discrepancies across Practice Locations (often created by posting charges or payments to the wrong Practice Location) can be corrected using the Transfer Location Credit feature from the Patient Ledger.

Users can transfer a credit balance from one Practice Location to another, resolving the balance discrepancy for the patient account. This allows you to post the necessary adjustments (a credit to one location and a debit to the other) without affecting the patient's overall balance amount.

Additionally, you can use the Auto Reconcile Balance Discrepancies option from a Location's Accounts Receivable Report to post a mass series of Location Transfer adjustments for all applicable Patient Accounts and reconcile all (or most) of the balance discrepancies for the Location.

Patient Ledger

To correct a balance discrepancy across practice locations from the Patient Ledger:

1. From the Patient tab, select Financials > Ledger.
   
2. Under Actions, select Transfer Location Credit. The Transfer Location Credit window is displayed.
   Note: This option is only available if the patient has a credit balance at at least one location. 
3. From the From Location drop-down list, select a location to transfer the credit from. The Current Balance updates accordingly based on the selected location.
   Note: The available Practice Locations from this drop-down list include only the locations for which the sending patient has a credit balance.
4. Enter the amount of the credit that you want to transfer.
   Note: You can enter any amount up to the full amount of the credit.
5. From the To Location drop-down list, select the location the credit balance is being transferred to. 
   Note: 
   -- The current balances for each location are displayed next to the Location Name in the drop-down list. 
   
   -- When a To Location is selected, the Resulting Location Balance is updated.
   
6. Keep the default comment, edit the comment, or type your own.
7. Click Post Transfer. The ledger is updated with two new Patient Balance Transfer entries, one for the Location Transfer (Credit) and one for the Location Transfer (Debit). If the posted transfer amount is enough to result in there no longer being a credit at one location and a debit at another, the Balance Discrepancy icon is no longer present on the ledger (or in the Accounts Receivable List). 

Location Accounts Receivable

You can also transfer location credits from the Accounts Receivable List (All Locations or Location > Financials > Accounts Receivable). In addition to the ability to select an individual patient account and transfer a location credit, you can use the Auto Reconcile Balance Discrepancies option to reconcile all of the balance discrepancies for the Location. 

To transfer an individual entry from the Accounts Receivable Report:

1. Select an account that has a Balance Discrepancy to expand the row.
2.  Click Transfer Location Credit.
   
3.  Follow the procedure described in the preceding Patient Ledger section to transfer the credit to another practice location. 

When you opt to use the Auto Reconcile Balance Discrepancies option from the Location's Accounts Receivable Report, a series of Location Transfer adjustments are automatically created and posted to Patient Ledgers, until the credit balance is fully used up (i.e., credit balance amounts are moved from the Practice Location to cover debit balances in other Practice Locations). 

Note: You cannot auto reconcile balance discrepancies from the All Locations tab. This must be performed from a single Location tab.

To auto reconcile balance discrepancies from the Accounts Receivable Report:

1. Under Actions, click Auto Reconcile Balance Discrepancies. The Auto Reconcile Balance Discrepancies window is displayed, and the From Location is automatically set to the Location for the Accounts Receivable Report you are viewing. 
2. Select a Reconciliation Rule, which dictates the priority order of the Location Transfer Adjustments:
   -- By Largest Debit Balance First
   -- By Smallest Debit Balance First
   -- By Oldest Debit Balance First (Most Aged)
   -- By Newest Debit Balance First (Least Aged)
   Tip: Click the icon to view more information on the various reconciliation rule options. 
   
3. Modify the default comment as needed. The Comments field cannot be left blank.
4. Click Start Reconciliation. A toast message is displayed when the reconciliation is in process, and an additional message is displayed when the balances have been updated. The second message also informs you of how many patient accounts were updated and if there were any patients that failed to update. 

Note: The selected reconciliation rule applies equally to each applicable Patient Account. If you would like more control in how specific Balance Discrepancies are resolved, use the Transfer Location Credit action in the Patient Ledger.

See How to Print the Accounts Receivable Report for more information.