How to Apply a Credit to a Balance (Patient and Insurance Balances)

How to Apply a Credit to a Balance (Patient and Insurance Balances)

After you have created a patient credit, due to advance payment from patient or over payment from the patient's insurance company, you can now apply the credit to balances (patient balance and insurance balance), which reduces the amount you can see in Balance.

A. How to Apply a Credit to Patient Balance:

1. Search the patient using the top navigation search bar. Go to the Patient Chart. On the Patient Chart window, click on the Credit link as shown here.



2. If the patient has more than one credit available, choose the credit you want to use. Click the small "Balance" icon to apply the particular credit to multiple invoices.



3. On the Apply Credit window, you will be able to view multiple invoices that may have patient balances. To apply the patient credit to multiple invoices:

a. Click the checkbox for "Apply Credit".
b. Enter the Amount to Apply* (Credit amount you want to apply to the patient balance).
c. Enter the Amount to Adjust (Amount you want to adjust for the remaining patient balance).
d. Click the "Apply Credit" button on the top.
*Note: If the amount of the credit is less than the patient balances in the invoices, you can apply the full credit to just one invoice. Or, you can add a portion of the credit to one invoice and enter the amount of the remaining credit on a second invoice.



4. To confirm if the patient credit has been applied to the invoice, go to Patient Billing tab inside the Patient Chart. Search the invoice to which you applied Patient Credit. Click the "Invoice" button to open that particular invoice.

Scroll to the bottom of the invoice to the Invoice Payments section. You will be able to see the Patient Credit applied to the invoice.




B. How to Apply a Credit to Insurance Balance

1. If you're already inside the Patient Chart, click on the Credit link on the top right side. A pop-up window opens. If you've added insurance overpayment as a credit to the patient chart, you will be able to see details like description, amount, date, paid by insurance company name, and payment type (check/check #, cash, zHealth Pay, etc.).




2. Click on the small "Balance" icon to apply the credit to the insurance balance. 
Note: A credit from insurance will be applied to the insurance balance and a credit from patient will be applied to the patient balance.



3. On the next screen, follow the below step to apply the credit to the insurance balance:
a. Click the checkbox for "Apply Credit".
b. Amount to Apply will be filled in by default. All the credit amount will be applied to insurance balance if insurance balance is more than the credit.
c. You can enter the Amount to Adjust if you want to apply lesser credit to the insurance balance.
d. Click "Apply Credits" button at the top.

You will receive a message saying payment successful.




4. To confirm if the credit was applied to the insurance balance, search the invoice to which you applied the credit. Go to Patient Billing. Look for the invoice using the visit date. Click the "Invoice" button to open that specific invoice. Go to the Invoice's Invoice Payments section. You can view the credit applied to insurance balance as shown in the screenshot on the right side.




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