Chapter 28- Admin Procedures

Question 1

Account History

Answer 1

a patient ledger within a practice management system

Generally, account histories follow the same organized plan used for ledger records of patients.

The account history automatically shows the balance of the account and the number of days the account has been due

Question 2

Aging of Accounts

Answer 2

dividing accounts into categories according to the amount of time since the first billing date

way to identify accounts according to the length of time the accounts have been delinquent.

Question 3

Alpha Search

Answer 3

look by Alphabetical Order

Question 4

Antagonize

Answer 4

to annoy; arouse opposition

Question 5

At the time of service (ATOS)

Answer 5

when a service is rendered; real time

Question 6

bankruptcy

Answer 6

being legally declared unable to pay debts;

a petition to a court by an individual who is stating that they cannot pay any debt incurred.

Question 7

date of service (DOS)

Answer 7

the calendar date a service begins or is provided.

Question 8

expended

Answer 8

spent or used ; as with money or energy

Question 9

idle

Answer 9

uninvolved, doing nothing

Question 10

non-sufficient funding (NSF)

Answer 10

meaning the patient does not have enough money in the bank account to cover the amount of the check.

Question 11

outsourcing

Answer 11

an arrangement by which a task, operation, or job that could be performed by employees within a company is instead contracted to another company;

generally viewed as contracting out a specific business function to another company rather than having your own company manage that specific work.

Question 12

Practice management (PM) system

Answer 12

software—provides the medical office the electronic component to deal with day-to-day financial and administrative operations of a medical practice.

The PM software is often integrated with an electronic medical record (EMR) system. This allows information to be pulled from the EMR and populated in the financial components of the patient account.

Question 13

skip

Answer 13

person who has disappeared or moved to avoid payment of bills.

Question 14

termination

Answer 14

ending

Question 15

Truth in Lending Act (TILA)

Answer 15

federal law designed to protect consumers in credit transactions;

it specifies that when there is an agreement between the physician and a patient to accept payment in more than four installments,

the physician is required to provide disclosure of finance charges.

Question 16

regulation Z

Answer 16

explains in great detail who and what is covered by the regulation and gives specific disclosure and other requirements that have met credit transactions

Question 17

third-party

Answer 17

someone other than the two principals in a transaction;

when referring to checks, a type of check made out to the patient by another unknown person.

Question 18

viability

Answer 18

capable of normal growth and development.

Question 19

year-to-date (YTD)

Answer 19

begins with the first date of the calendar year to present.

Question 20

Account Statement contains…..

Answer 20

statement date and account #, name and address, date of service, description of services, total charge by service, patient payment, insurance payment, adjustments, deductibles, current balance, aging information, comment section of important notes, company name, method of payment

Question 21

Monthly Billing

Answer 21

Better for small practices, safe to mail 5-7 days in advance to get it to patient by the first day of the month

Question 22

Cycle Billing

Answer 22

Large medical practices, large statement sent out monthly, divided by the # of times u will be billing

Question 23

Check can be accepted when…

Answer 23

1. Valid and no corrections
2. Not more than the amount due
3. Cannot say “payed in full”
4. Stamp with office deposit immediately
5. No third party checks allowed
6. No Postal Money order

Question 24

Posting Patient Accounts include..

Answer 24

1. Date of Payment
2. Payment Amount
3. Form of Payment

Question 25

If the patient has a second NSF..

Answer 25

1. Deduct amount of NSF Check from checking account balance
2. Add NSF amount back into the account
3. increase the patient’s balance by the same NSF amount
4. Brief Explanation
5. Add in bank fee

Question 26

Credit balance

Answer 26

When the account is overpaid and refund must be given back

Question 27

FTC (Federal Trade Commission)

Answer 27

Nation’s Consumer protection agency

Question 28

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)

Answer 28

prohibits collectors from using abusive, unfair, or deceptive practices to collect from a patient or consumer

Notice must be sent 5 DAYS AFTER PATIENT CONTACTED

Question 29

Stature of Limitations

Answer 29

of years during which legal collection procedures may be filed against a patient