Front Desk Checklist: End of Visit

Cost Estimator

• The Cost Estimator can be used after a patient finishes up with the medical staff to calculate how much money they owe based on the codes generated in the back and the patient's insurance benefits. It can also be used to calculate how much a self-pay patient would owe based on what they want to be seen for. 
• To use the Cost Estimator, from the Schedule screen, right-click on a patient's appointment and select the Cost Estimator option.
• Clicking the Edit button in the top right will allow you to make changes to some of the default information that is pulled automatically, but please note that a patient's insurance benefit information will not be able to be changed here. This can only be changed from within their Insurance Profile.
• Medical Charges can be added, deleted and modified from this screen as well. Add a procedure by tapping on the grey Add Procedure button on the right. 
• Click on the blue Calculate button to get an estimate of how much the patient will owe for their visit.
• For a detailed breakdown of how to set up the Cost Estimator, please see this article

Collecting a Patient Payment

• Go to the patient's Financials tab, or right-click on the patient from the schedule, and select Patient Payment.
• Create a Patient Payment for whatever needs to be collected for the day (co-pay, deductible, simple charge, etc).
• Remember to always connect the payment to either an Appointment, Encounter, or Simple Charge from the drop-down menu options.
• Items can be created from the PMS via the New Transaction drop-down menu in the patient's Financials. They also can be added by the clinical staff through the EHR and will appear in the financial log as a debit. 
• If the patient comes in for a cosmetic appointment that is documented through the Cosmetic Module the items will only post to the patient's Financials once the note is signed off. If the patient comes to the check out to pay before the note is signed off, you can document the payment and make a note to go back in to tie the payment to the item once the note is signed off.  
• You can print a receipt for the patient by clicking the Post and Print Receipt button.
• For more information about patient payments, please see this article.

Follow-Ups

• If any follow-ups were added via the EHR by the medical staff, those can be found by double-clicking on the patient's appointment on the schedule and scrolling down to the bottom of the appointment card.
• If the patient is unready/unwilling to schedule that follow-up appointment at the moment, you can create a Reminder from within the To Do section of their chart to be notified to book the appointment on a future date. 
• Remember that when scheduling a patient for a follow-up, you can select the established problem as an option from the Chief Complaint drop-down. 

Additional Information to Remember

• Did you scan/take photos of the patient's insurance card and drivers license/identification?
• Was the patient's health insurance entered into their Insurance Profile and were the appropriate benefits selected?
• Does the patient have a method of contact listed in their Demographics, such as an email address or phone number? Remember that these are great ways for your patients to be automatically reminded of upcoming appointments.
• For elderly patients and children, is there an Emergency Contact or Responsible Person listed in their chart?
• Are there any To Do's that need to be addressed for this patient before they leave the office?
• Does the patient have an Alert in their chart? If so, was it addressed or acknowledged?
• If the patient does list an email, did you inform them that they will be able to sign up for Sadio, our patient portal?