Setting up a sliding fee scale

Sliding scale fees are variable prices for products, services, or taxes based on a customer's ability to pay. Such fees are thereby reduced for those who have lower incomes or those who have less money to spare after taking into account their personal expenses regardless of income. Sliding fees are applied at a patient level and not at the facility level. In Dentrix Ascend, you can specify the percentage or amount of a charge or the amount per visit that a patient will pay according to a poverty level.

To set up a sliding fee scale

1. If you are not already viewing the correct location, select it on the Location menu.

2. On the Settings menu, under Production, click (or tap) Discount Options.

   The Discount Options page opens.

3. Set up any of the following options:

   • Poverty level - For each Family Size, enter the annual income for the 100% poverty level. To handle families with more than eight people, for Each ADDL, enter the amount that will be added for each additional family member to determine the annual income for the 100% poverty level. The annual incomes for the 200% poverty level appear for your reference.

   • Patient pays - For each poverty level range, enter how much, as a percentage or amount, a patient will pay per procedure or visit. From the list next to each box, select % per procedure, $ per procedure or $ per visit as applicable.

     Note: If you select $ per visit and the Discount Options Settings dialog box appears, use the Visit charge procedure box to search for and select the procedure to be posted for visits, and then click (or tap) Save.

   

   Note: To remove the 200% column, from the Manage Columns menu, click (or tap) the X next to Column 200%.

4. To exclude specific procedures from the discount fee scale and/or change the visit procedure, do the following:

   1. Click (or tap) Settings.

      The Discount Options Settings dialog box appears.

      

   2. Do any of the following:

      • Use the Visit charge procedure box to search for and select the procedure to be posted for visits. The visit procedure applies only to poverty level ranges associated with a per visit charge.

      • Use the Procedures excluded from sliding fee discount box to search for and select the procedures to be excluded. Posting or charting completed or planned procedures that are excluded results in a discount not being applied to the charges for those procedures.

        Notes:

        • To remove an excluded procedure, click (or tap) the corresponding X.

        • Changes to the exclusions do not affect procedures that have already been posted or charted.

   3. Click (or tap) Save.

5. Click (or tap) Save.