Is Your Patient List A Mess?

The new year is approaching and that makes it a great time to review your patient list and tidy it up. You know your patient list needs attention when:

• The last visit column has dates from 2011.
• The list shows last statement dates in the 90’s.
• You don’t recognize half the names on the list.
• The balance due at the bottom of the list is twice what you expect to be paid.

In this blog post we will show you how to use ShrinkRapt 2019 to keep your list up-to-date by deactivating records.  Moving names back and forth from the deactivated to active patient list is simple, so there is no reason to not use this handy feature.

Deactivating Patient Records

The first list we will work with is the Patient list.  The columns displayed in this list show the patient name, how much they owe and the date of their last visit.  The balance column may reflect the total due or only the patient portion.  Balance type was discussed in detail in our earlier blog post, Keeping It Simple With Client Balance Only Statements.

To deactivate the record of a person on the Patient list, use the steps listed below.

1. Click the Last Visit column header to sort the list so the names with the oldest visit dates appear at the top.
2. If there is no date next to the name, verify this person is a patient who has not yet had a visit.  If they are a patient, do nothing.  If they are not a patient, double click on the name and remove the check from the patient checkbox.
3. Decide how long you want to wait to deactivate the patient record.  As an example, you may choose to deactivate patients who have not been to your office in the last three months, six months or a year.  You decide how long to wait.
4. Highlight a name in the list, and click the Deactivate button at the bottom of the list. The patient’s name will be moved from the Patient list to the deactivated list.
5. Scroll through your patient list with an eye on the last visit date and balance due columns, deactivating records as needed.

You will also decide how long you want to wait for a balance to be paid before deciding it is not collectable.  If you decide to deactivate the record and write-off the balance due, ShrinkRapt will automatically create an adjustment record to bring the balance to zero.

Note:  If a patient is not responsible for their fees, the record of the responsible parties will also be deactivated.

Deactivating From The All People List

Prior to ShrinkRapt 2019, responsible party records were not automatically deactivated when the patient record was deactivated.  If you have not been proactively deactivating responsible party records, you can easily deactivate them now.

Below are the steps to use to deactivate responsible party records.

1. Click the All People button at the top of the list to switch to the list that includes responsible parties.
2. Use the scroll bar at the bottom of the list to move the columns so the statement date column is displayed.
3. Click the Statement column header to sort the list so the oldest statement date appears at the top of the list.  If the person is not the their own responsible party, the there will be a blank next to their name.
4. Highlight a name in the list and click the Deactivate button at the bottom of the list.
5. Scroll through the list with an eye on the last statement date and balance due, deactivating records as needed. As an example, if you see a name on the list with a last statement date of 12/1/2016 and a balance of $35, it may be time to deactivate the record and write-off the balance as not collectible.

Remember, the Total Owed number at the bottom of the list included every account balance no matter how old.  When you keep your lists and balances current, this number will reflect your receivables.  In other words, the money you expect to receive.

Moving A Name Back To The Patient List

Sometimes a patient returns to therapy after being gone for extended period of time. When this happens, it’s easy to move their record from the deactivated list back to the active patient list.

Below are the steps to use to move a record from the deactivated list back to the active patient list.

1. Click on the stop sign button at the top of the people list to show the list of deactivated patients.
2. Click on a name in the list.
3. Click the Activate button at the bottom of the list.

As we have demonstrated in this post, it’s easy to keep your patient list current. Have questions?  Be sure to email techsupport@sanersoftware.com.  We love helping customers.