2. Quickstart: Post Charges
This section will walk you through a basic checkout procedure.
Run Post Charges (checkout)
You can run the checkout program from your Partner windows.
You can also type checkout or chuck at a command prompt.
Select a Patient
Just as the checkin program provides a list of today's appointments, the checkout program displays a list of patients waiting to be checked out:
Use the arrow keys to select a patient and then press [F1 -- Post Charges].
If you do not see the patient you need, press [F2 -- Find Patient] to post charges for any patient on your system, whether they have an appointment scheduled or not. To learn more about the appointment selection screen, read Appointment Lists.
Review Insurance Notes and Copay
As soon as you select or find a patient, checkout will tell you the patient's insurance information, expected copay, and any copay note your practice added for the family:
Press Enter to continue.
Check Demographic Information
Next, review and update patient and family information on the Demographics screen.
Press [F1 -- Next Step] or Page Down to continue.
Check Insurance Information
Next, verify and update patient policies on the Policies screen. Confirming the patient's primary insurance before posting new charges is very important.
To learn more about the Policies screen, read Managing Insurance Policies.
Press [F1 -- Next Step] or Page Down to continue.
Post Procedures and Diagnoses
Next, enter procedures and diagnoses from the visit. You can enter or change the date, provider, location, and visit reason if necessary. The most common procedures and diagnoses for the scheduled visit reason appear for you to select:
Press Tab or Enter to move among the fields. You can use an asterisk (*) to search in any field. Mark each diagnosis with an X. Mark each procedure with the letter of the diagnosis to which it should be linked.
If your practice uses an EHR or EMR, the screen may be filled out for you. Review the entries for accuracy before continuing.
Optional: Perform Other Special Visit Functions. If you need to change the copay, enter a discount, enter hospital dates, or enter special claim information, there are function keys on the Post Charges screen for each of those tasks.
When you are finished entering diagnoses and procedures, press [F1 -- Next Step] or Page Down.
Post Today's Payment
Enter payment information on the Payments screen. You can apply a payment collected during checkin or add new payments.
The Payments screen displays how much is due for today's visit and how much is due from a previous balance. If a payment was collected during checkin, you should review and confirm the amount and make sure it is applied correctly.
Press [F3 -- New TOS Payment] to add a new payment and then enter payment type, check number, and amount.
Review Visit and Post
If you need to review previous steps in checkout, press Page Up or Page Down to move among the screens of the program.
When you are finished entering and reviewing all visit information, press [F1 -- Post and Print] from the Payments screen to save the new charges and payments to the account.
The checkout program will warn you if you made any obvious mistakes, such as entering an invalid diagnosis code or forgetting to enter a payment type. checkout may also ask you whether or not you wish to print a receipt.
Conclude the Visit
After posting the charges, you will see a "Wrap Up" screen describing the visit. The Wrap Up screen allows you to print an extra receipt, correct any mistakes, print patient form letters, or perform other functions:
When you are ready to check out another patient, press [F1 -- Next Visit]. Or, press F12 to quit checkout.