This is the first article of our “Best of Universal Office” series, where we will share practical information many successful clinics use today as well as our own industry experience to ensure you are utilizing your clinic management system, Universal Office, to the fullest potential.
We are devoting this article to a very beneficial feature – charges. Creating charges helps you take control of clinic management by saving time and money through access to real-time information to make important business decisions. Sounds easy, right? It is!
A charge is what a client is billed when a product or service is provided. It may be the result of a patient visit, fitting and dispensing of an assistive device and product, or admin services. Charges can be connected to a treatment plan like a POC plan, EHC plan, OCF23 and OCF18 for tracking and more – or simply as an independent charge. Once a charge is created, an invoice can be generated in as little as two clicks.
Charges vs. Invoices
Charges are the building blocks of invoices – they are the items (services and products) that were provided to the client. An itemized invoice breaks down products and services by date provided, item and description, and service provider. Charges are the “itemized” part of an invoice.
An invoice can be created at any time after a charge is added – immediately for clients paying out of pocket, after 30 days for MVA OCF21s, six to eight weeks for a WSIB POC invoice, or whenever you need (charges are always ready to be transferred).
An invoice can also be created without a charge, but then you’re not making the most of Universal Office . There are a number ways creating charges help streamlining workflows and staying on top of tasks.
Pre-Charges and Charges
There are two types of charges in Universal Office: pre-charges and charges. Pre-charges help us better track and plan upcoming treatments and provider schedules. They can be added at the time of scheduling an appointment or at anytime before an appointment is checked in. When a pre-charge is created, it is only applied to the client’s account once they’ve checked in for that appointment. If that appointment is missed or cancelled, the account will not be charged.
Charges are added at any anytime after the patient has checked in. When a charge is added, that service and service cost will be charged to the client’s account as unbilled until an invoice is created. Charges can help you identify any missing information that may need to be collect before the client leaves your office and expedite the check out process.
That’s not all though – Keep reading!
Keep Ahead of Reassessments and Eligible Sessions
Many clinics find tracking remaining sessions and reassessments to be quite a feat. Pre-charges and charges make that information easily and readily available all in one place, Universal Office.
Pre-charges help you plan tasks proactively and manage provider schedules better. You’ll know before appointment has even happened if the scheduled services are eligible for payment. To learn about managing group benefits clients check out 4 Tools That Help Track Extended Health Benefits Usage.
When pre-charges and charges are applied to a treatment plan, MIG OCF23, WSIB POC Plan, EHC plan and any custom plan, you’ll know in real time, the number of remaining treatment available. The number of remaining sessions is automatically calculated and adjusted after each checked in treatment session (for charges are connected to that plan). For more ways to track reassessments check out 3 Ways to Monitor Patient Reassessments.
This feature is not utilized, billing happens retrospectively, usually 30 days after the treatment has been incurred and may find out too late that you’ve gone over the number of proposed treatment sessions and that the sessions are ineligible for payment.
Live Billing & Outstanding Balances
Have a real-time, live, financial information accessible at any time. With charges, any services that have been rendered but yet to be invoiced, will appear as unbilled charges in client accounts.
Utilizing unbilled charges has many benefits including simplifying invoicing, collections and managing accounts, and business financials.
Be alerted with the built in Alerts Manager as to which accounts need to be invoiced and when. Helping you maximize revenue and minimize human error and over sight. Never miss another account that needs be invoiced.
Stay on top of your financials with live information. Provide outstanding balances including any unbilled authorizations effortlessly – eliminate potential lost revenue for services that have been incurred and not invoiced with charges.
Plan business strategies better with at a glance anticipated monthly revenue to be invoiced and when to expect receipt.
Unbilled is only truly utilized with charges. And charges should be created daily. Charges are just one of the ways workflows are streamlined for more tips on check out 5 Ways Universal Office Will Improve Your Efficiency.
We are always working providing you with practical features to make your clinic management a breeze. Let us know what your favourite Universal Office feature is, and what feature you’d like us to spotlight next in the comments below.
