Automated Patient Billing FAQs
Answers to the most common questions about the Automated Patient Billing feature.
| Question | Answer |
| What is the Automated Patient Billing feature? | Automated Patient Billing is an exciting feature that when enabled, Tebra 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 paper statement. Refer to the Pricing Policy for cost 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. |
| Is Automated Patient Billing only available for Tebra Payments and Patient Collect (Stripe) activated practices? | No. The Monthly (Paper Only) delivery schedule option is available for all Billing subscribers. This 180-day schedule sends a paper statement every 30 days to patients with a balance. The QR code and pay online payment options will not be included on the patient statements for practices that do not have Tebra Payments or Patient Collect (Stripe) activated. |
| Can I disable Automated Patient Billing at any time? | Yes. To learn how, review Disable Automated Patient Billing. 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 are the automated patient billing delivery schedule options? | There are three delivery schedule options.
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| What is the automated patient billing schedule for the Monthly (Paper Only) option? | The pre-set schedule for the Monthly (Paper Only) option 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. A paper statement is sent on each day (e.g., Day 1, Day 30, etc.) of the schedule. You will be charged a transaction fee for each paper statement. Refer to the Pricing Policy for cost details. Day 1: Patient is sent the first statement when a new balance is transferred to patient responsibility. Day 30: Patient is sent the first reminder if no payment is received. Day 60: Patient is sent the second reminder if no payment is received. Note: Any new balance transferred after Day 60 will restart the cycle if no payment was received. Day 90: Patient is sent the third reminder if no payment is received. Day 180: Patient is sent the final reminder if no payment is received, all reminders end. |
| What is the automated patient billing schedule for the Monthly (Paper + Digital) option? | The pre-set schedule for the Monthly (Paper + Digital) option 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. An email, text, and paper statement is sent on each day (e.g., Day 1, Day 30, etc.) of the schedule. You will be charged a transaction fee for each paper statement. Refer to the Pricing Policy for cost details. Day 1: Patient is sent the first statement when a new balance is transferred to patient responsibility. Day 30: Patient is sent the first reminder if no payment is received. Day 60: Patient is sent the second reminder if no payment is received. Note: Any new balance transferred after Day 60 will restart the cycle if no payment was received. Day 90: Patient is sent the third reminder if no payment is received. Day 180: Patient is sent the final reminder if no payment is received, all reminders end. |
| What is the automated patient billing schedule for the Accelerated (Paper + Digital) option? | The pre-set schedule for the Accelerated (Paper + Digital) option 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: Patient is sent the first statement via text and email when a new balance is transferred to patient responsibility. Day 3: Patient is sent the first reminder via text if no payment is received. Day 5: Patient is sent the second reminder via a paper statement* if no payment is received. Day 7: Patient is sent the third reminder via text and email if no payment is received. Day 19: Patient is sent the fourth reminder via 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: Patient is sent the fifth reminder via email, text, and mail* if no payment is received. Day 90: Patient is sent a final reminder via a paper statement* if no payment is received, all reminders end. *You will be charged a transaction fee for each paper statement. Refer to the Pricing Policy for cost details. |
| Why are there pre-set schedules for automated patient billing? | Tebra created the pre-set schedules based on research and review of industry standards. These schedules are meant to shorten the patient revenue cycle and increase the likelihood of patient payment. |
| Can I select a different schedule mid-cycle? | Yes. The schedule can be changed mid-cycle. Once a different schedule is selected, the previous schedule ends and the automated patient billing cycle restarts on the new schedule. All eligible patients, including patients that were in the previous cycle, will be sent the Day 1 statement (of the new schedule) the following business day starting at noon for each time zone (based on the service location's address). Note: Statements are not sent on weekends and practice holidays. |
| What time are the statements automatically sent to patients? | Once the Automated Patient Billing feature is enabled, Tebra 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. |
| 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 the Automated Patient Billing feature is enabled, the Patient Portal setting is automatically disabled to prevent patients from receiving duplicate statements. |