Automated Patient Billing FAQs
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Answers to the most common Automated Patient Billing questions.
| Question | Answer |
| What is Automated Patient Billing? | Automated Patient Billing is an exciting new feature that when enabled, Kareo automatically enrolls all eligible patients into the automated patient billing cycle to begin receiving statements. Additionally, the cycle will only begin for a patient once a new balance is transferred and added to their patient responsibility. |
| Who are eligible patients? | Eligible patients are patients with an existing or new balance that are not included on the exclusion list by patient name, defined collection category, or payer scenario. |
| Is there a monthly subscription cost for Automated Patient Billing? | There is no recurring monthly subscription fee for Automated Patient Billing. However, there is a transaction fee for each processed paper statement based on the pricing in effect for your Kareo account. Reference your pricing policy for details. |
| Is my practice a good candidate for Automated Patient Billing? | Any practice that sends digital (e.g., Text Balance Reminders, Email Balance Reminders) or paper statements to patients is a good candidate. Automated Patient Billing saves time and ensures patient statements are routinely sent to collect more revenue, faster. |
| Can I disable Automated Patient Billing at any time? | Yes. Simply toggle Automated Patient Billing off to disable and prevent any additional statements from being automatically sent. Note: Once disabled, automated patient billing for all patients currently in a cycle ends and they will not receive any additional statements. If automated patient billing is enabled at a future date, a new cycle restarts (on Day 1) for all eligible patients to begin receiving statements. Additionally, the cycle will only begin for a patient once a new balance is transferred and added to their patient responsibility. |
| What is the automated patient billing schedule? | The pre-set schedule for automated patient billing is as follows and not configurable at this time. Note: Any full or partial payment ends the automation cycle until a new balance is transferred to the patient responsibility. Day 1 (First Statement): A new balance is transferred to patient responsibility. Patient statement sent via SMS and email. Day 3 (Reminder 1): Patient is sent a reminder via SMS if no payment is received. Day 5 (Reminder 2): Patient is mailed* a paper statement if no payment is received. Day 7 (Reminder 3): Patient is sent a reminder via SMS and email if no payment is received. Day 19 (Reminder 4): Patient is mailed* a paper statement if no payment is received. Note: Any new balance transferred after Day 19 will restart the cycle if no payment was received. Day 60 (Reminder 5): Patient is sent a reminder via SMS, email and mail* if no payment is received. Day 90 (Final Reminder): Patient is mailed* a final paper statement if no payment is received, all reminders end. *You will be charged a transaction fee for each processed paper statement based on the pricing in effect for your Kareo account. Reference your pricing policy for details. |
| Why is there a pre-set schedule for automated patient billing? | Kareo created the pre-set schedule based on research and review of industry standards. This schedule is meant to shorten the patient revenue cycle by sending multiple patient statements closer to the date of service to increase the likelihood of patient payment. |
| What time are the statements automatically sent to patients? | Once automated patient billing is enabled, Kareo automatically begins sending statements to eligible patients the following business day at noon for each time zone (based on the service location's address). Note: Statements are not sent on weekends and practice holidays. |
| What happens after the final statement is sent to the patient? | The automated patient billing cycle ends for the patient and they will not receive any additional statements. The cycle only begins again for the patient once a new balance is transferred and added to their patient responsibility. |
| What happens if a patient receives their statement and makes a payment? | The automated patient billing cycle ends for the patient when a partial or full payment is made. If a new balance is transferred to the patient's responsibility, a new cycle begins with the total patient balance amount that includes any unpaid balance and the newly added balance. |
| If a patient makes a payment after the first digital (e.g., text message/SMS, email) statement, will I still be charged for the paper statements? | No. The automated patient billing cycle ends for the patient when a partial or full payment is made. Transaction fees apply to mailed paper statements that are processed (on Day 5 and Day 19 of the cycle) when no patient payment is received. |
| Can specific collection categories be excluded from the automated patient billing cycle? | Yes. Patients associated with a Collection Category record in the Desktop Application (PM) that indicates "Send Statement?" is disabled are excluded from the automated patient billing cycle. |
| Can specific payer scenarios be excluded from the automated patient billing cycle? | Yes. Patients with charges associated with a Payer Scenario record in the Desktop Application (PM) that indicates "Send patient statements?" is disabled are excluded from the automated patient billing cycle. |
| Can specific patients be excluded from the automated patient billing cycle? | Yes. Specific patients can be excluded from the automated patient billing cycle. |
| What if I have "Automatically send statements" enabled through the Patient Portal Settings? | Once automated patient billing is enabled, the Patient Portal setting is automatically disabled to prevent patients from receiving duplicate statements. |