Applying unapplied credits

You can quickly apply an unapplied credit to procedures based on the first-in-first-out (FIFO) rule, which means that older procedures with balances will have a credit applied before newer procedures. You can apply the credit to the procedures of an individual patient or any patients with the same guarantor.

To apply an unapplied credit

1. How to get there

   1. If the correct patient is not already selected, use the Patient Search box to access the patient's record.

      Note: You can include inactive patients in the search results by setting the Include inactive patients switch to On.

   2. Do one of the following:

      • On the Patient menu, under General, click (or tap) Overview. The patient's Overview page opens. Click (or tap) the Ledger box.

        

      • On the Patient menu, under Financial, click (or tap) Ledger.

      The patient's Ledger page opens.

   On a patient's Ledger page, click (or tap) the amount (if not zero) in the Unapplied Credits box.

   

   Tip: To apply an unapplied credit to someone other than the patient whose account the credit was posted to, you must transfer the patient balance.

   For example, to move the patient balance from John, who has an unapplied credit of $25, to Steve, do the following:

   1. Post a charge adjustment for $25 to John's account.

   2. Apply the credit to that adjustment to make John's balance $0.

   3. Post a credit adjustment for $25 to Steve's account.

   Now you can apply Steve's credit to procedures on his account with a balance.

2. Click (or tap) Apply Credits.

   The credit is first applied to the procedure with the oldest date of service that has a balance. Any remaining credit is then applied to other procedures based on the date of service until either the credit is used up or there are no more procedures with balances, whichever comes first.

   

   Note: Applying credits does not affect the account balance or the estimated insurance and patient portions.