Review what your patients owe

For: Practice Admin · Time: 10 min weekly · Frequency: Weekly check; monthly deep-dive

Trigger

Weekly look at AR or a patient called asking about a bill they received.

Outcome

You know the aggregate patient-responsibility balance on your books, the patients with the largest outstanding balances, and which patients have been billed but not paid.

Where

• Patients — list with balances per patient
• Patient Detail — claims, statements, payment history
• RCM → Statements tab — statement send history

Steps

1. Patients list. See every patient with a patient_balance column. Sort descending — your biggest debtors at top.
2. For a patient with a balance:
   • Click → Patient Detail.
   • Account summary shows total charged, insurance paid, adjustments, patient balance.
   • Claims tab shows each visit with its specific balance.
   • Statements tab shows when statements were sent and current status.
3. Common patterns:
   • Big balance, multiple statements sent, no payment — escalate to collections or call the patient personally.
   • Big balance, no statement sent yet — flag to your agency to generate one.
   • Big balance, recent visit, no insurance posted yet — wait; insurance hasn't adjudicated.
4. Aggregate view. Dashboard shows total patient-responsibility balance across your practice. If it's growing month-over-month, something's stuck in the patient billing pipeline.
5. Talk to patients proactively. If you see a $500+ balance on someone you'll see this week, mention it at check-in — softer touch than a paper statement 3 weeks later.

Watch-outs

• Patient balance ≠ collections opportunity. Some balances are uncollectable (patient deceased, moved, financial hardship). Don't beat yourself up over uncollectables — track them and write off appropriately.
• The agency may have already engaged the patient. Don't double-call a patient that the agency's biller already worked. Check Communication Logs on the patient before reaching out.
• HIPAA limits how patients can be contacted. Don't text patient balances to phone numbers unless the patient explicitly consented to billing communications via text. Email is generally safer if you have a signed consent.
• Collections referrals need agency coordination. If you're considering sending a patient to collections, talk to the agency first — they may want to attempt a payment plan, or there may be a legal/compliance step you're missing.
• The agency's Move-to-Collections button exists (you may see it). It only flags the patient locally for now — full collections workflow integration is on the agency-side roadmap.

Related jobs

• Check claim status — patient asks "why is this on my bill?"
• Verify eligibility — prevent the next mystery balance

Something on this page doesn’t match what you see in the app? Email support@credentik.com and we’ll fix the guide.