Payment Plan FAQs

Can I create a payment plan if I don't have the appropriate charges on file for the patient?

Yes, payment plans can be created without associating any charges. You do not have to add charges to the payment plan in order to create and save the plan. In step one of the creation process, simply select There are no existing charges to associate to this payment plan and manually enter the total amount to be paid on the plan. Please Reference our Payment Plans Help Article for more information.

When editing payment plans what's the difference "re-generate" and "add installments"?

Regenerate will allow you to edit all installments at one time, while the Add option is reserved for making edits to a single or a few installments, such as when splitting an installment between two due dates. This is sometimes known as “Split Payments”. Please Reference our Edit Payment Plans Help Article for more information.

How can I see paid or deleted payment plans?

With the Patient’s Payment Plans screen open, check the Show Deleted Payment Plans box.  Note: There is no way for deleted payment plans to be un-deleted. Please Reference our Delete a Payment Plans Help Article for more information.

How do I know which items on the Patient Activity are related to payment plans?

  • Payments: Payments posted towards payment plan installments or charges will have a check mark in the Payment Plan? Column.

  • Credits: Payment Plan Credits will appear in a new Payment Plan due to row.

  • Statements: Statements printed for payment plan installments will have a check mark in the Payment Plan? Column.

  • Summary Balances: All tables under Balance Breakdown and Aging Balance Summary have been updated to include information related to patient payment plans.

Will charges on the payment plan show on the statement?

No. Only installments will display on any of the statement options available for patient statements. Since charges are not needed to use the payment plan feature and payments are made towards installments (and can be applied to charges at any time), charges are not included on the statement for patients. To see a detailed list of charges on a particular payment plan users should go to Patient > Payment Plans and review the associated charges.

Will patients a receive regular statement and a payment plan statement?

Yes. If the patient has charges set to the status of Balance due Patient AND an active payment plan on file s/he can receive multiple statements depending on the office workflow. Meaning, the patient will receive a regular statement for the charges in the Balance due Patient status and a separate statement for the active payment plan.

Due patient balances and installment balances will never appear on the same statement.

Why are my payment plans in a different order than the last time I posted the payment?

When a patient has multiple active payment plans, the order of the payment plans will display based on the next installment due date. If two or more payment plans have the same due date the system will display the next installment due date for the plan created first.

The payment plan doesn't have any charges on it, but I've made payments. Where is the money going?

Payments made to a payment plan installments (i.e., not made to charges on a payment plan) will be saved as Payment Plan Credits. These credits can be accessed for posting either by using the Apply Payment Plan Credit option or in the Apply Credit Screen.

Does the Due Patient amount include Payment Plan Balance?

No. We have split the balances for normal charges (Due Patient) and payment plans (Pymt Plan) for easy viewing on the Account Summary. You can see both balances (if applicable) at a glance on the patient’s account. This also allows for separate reporting options to customize reports, as needed.

Can I find Payment Plan Credits under Manage Credits?

No, the Manage Credits tab is reserved for due patient or due insurance credits and will not include payment plan credits.

Can I un-delete a payment plan?

Payment plans can never be un-deleted, under any circumstances. In the event you deleted a payment plan and need to re-create it, please follow the steps found in the Payment Plan Help Article.

What should I do if a patient doesn't pay their payment plan?

In most offices, this means sending the patient’s balance to a collection agency to acquire the due amount(s) on the office’s behalf. You may also change the status of the balance in CollaborateMD to “Collections” using one of the two options below:

I set up a payment plan but our office policy is to auto-debit the card on file, how can I do that?

CollaborateMD does not currently offer this feature, however, if your office is using the Integrated Payment Processor (IPP) feature, TSYS offers an auto-debit option on their Transaction Express website. Please contact our Sales department for more information about this product.

Can an account credit be applied toward a payment plan balance?

Yes, account credits can be used towards a payment plan balance. Upon selecting Apply Account Credit or editing a payment plan you will have the option to use account credit to the payment plan.

Can a Patient Directed Payment Plan be changed or deleted by the patient?

No, a patient-directed payment plan can only be edited or deleted in CMD. Patients can only create a payment plan (if the account has been configured to allow it) but can not edit or delete it.

Can I control the amounts and installments available for a Payment Directed Payment Plan?

Yes, you can set up the minimum and maximum amounts allowed, as well as the maximum number of installments that will show available for the patient-directed payment plans.

Can I block a specific patient from setting up a Payment Directed Payment Plan?

Yes, you can remove the ability for individual patients to set up patient-directed payment plans from the individual patient's record. For more information visit our Remove Patients Ability to Create a Patient Directed Payment Plan Help Article.