How can you tell if an account is out of balance, and how can you fix it? After reading this article you should be able to identify whether an account is out of balance or not, as well as knowing which option will help you correct the account so it is no longer out of balance.
How can I tell if an account is Out of Balance?
At the top of the ledger screen, you have three fields that show the balance. The first part is the Due Now, any current plus past due balance. The second field is Future Due, which is any amount in a contract that has not been charged out, or hit the Due Now field yet. The last field is the Total Due. For correct and in balance ledgers the Due Now plus the Future Due should always equal the Total Due.
If we take the three examples below you can see that all ledgers are in balance and not in need of correction. Ledger one has $1,412.00 in the Due Now plus $200.00 in the Future Due, which equals the Total Due of $1,612.00. Example two has a Due Now of $9,290.76 plus the Future Due of $4,750 which equals the Total Due of $14,040.76. The last example has a credit balance so it is ($157.00) in the Due Now, (credits are expressed inside parenthesis within Cloud 9) plus the Future Due of $2,566.00 which equals the Total Due of $2,409.00.
None of these ledgers need correcting they are all in balance, not out of balance ledgers.
Note: The third example above is slightly tricker, but because of the credit balance, but it still is in balance.
So what does an out of balance ledger look like? An out of balance ledger is a ledger where the Due Now plus the Future Due does NOT equal the Total Due. For the below example, the Due Now is $320.68. If we add that to the Future Due of $0.00, it should still be $320.68. But this example shows a Total Due of $160.34. Since the Due Now plus Future Due does not equal Total Due, this ledger is out of balance and in need of correction.
It should be plain to see that the Due Now and the Future Due do not match the Total Due. This account is out of balance.
Fixing an Out of Balance Ledger
There are two different ways to fix an out of balance ledger, depending on the reason why it is out of balance. Sometimes, a contract gets into a state that makes the ledger appear to be out of balance, with an error in the contract that just needs to be edited within the Cloud 9 Contract.
Here are a few examples.
In this first one, when we enter the patients contract in the # column that should have the number of charges listed out, it appears as '0', so it doesn't have a value. Since the # column is all zero's in this contract, it is causing the ledger to appear out of balance. To fix this, correct the number of claims to 1 and then save the contract. Then go back to the number of claims field and set it back to 9, as it is supposed to be. Then it will show all 9 and you can enter the dates and amounts to make sure each column is numbered and save it. If this is the problem, once you save and close the contract, then refresh the ledger, the Due Now plus the Future Due should equal the Total Due.
Out of Balance due to a Contract Issue
Sometimes a contract gets in a state that makes the ledger appear to be out of balance
Going into the patient's contract, if you see an instance where the number of charges (as shown in the screenshot below are all zeroes, this could cause the ledger to appear out of balance. To correct this, simply change the number of claims to 1, and save. Then set the number of claims back to your original number. It should re-assign the charges correctly, and you can make any necessary adjustments about dates and amounts. Remember to save your work. Then go back to the ledger and see if your out of balance condition has been resolved.
In the second example, the situation is similar, but there are no Types listed in the contract, Normally charges and adjustments are all you would see in this column but these are blank. Similar to the solution above, simply change the number of claims or payments back to 1, and save. Then add the correct number and fill them out and save the contract. Again, if the issue is related to the contract, once you save the contract with the corrected information and refresh the ledger tab, it should show it in balance, with the Due Now plus Future Due equaling the Total Due.
What if my out of balance ledger is not related to a contract problem?
Below is another example of an out of balance ledger. The Due Now + Future Due does not equal the Total Due.
If we look, the Due Now is $400.00. The Future Due is $5,800.00. This means the Due Now plus the Future Due should equal the Total Due, but it does not. If this account was in balance the Total Due would be $6,200.00. Instead it has the Total Due as $6,000.00 so this ledger is out of balance and needs to be corrected.
Here is how this will look in the adjustment screen of that same patient's ledger. Basically, no matter what addition you try to make via an adjustment, it will always show it out of balance.
When you come across a True Out of Balance ledger like this one, where the Due Now plus the Future Due do not equal the Total Due, it cannot be fixed on your end. You must contact Cloud 9 Support, let them know of the out of balance ledger, and then one of our friendly Support Techs will be able to assist you in fixing it. You can still try to fix the contract first, to see if that is the balance, but if it is not, and the ledger is out of balance, contact Support and we will correct it. You can reach us during business hours by phone by calling 1.800.394.6050, or navigate to our Help Center in Cloud 9 by clicking Help > Documentation > Chat, (use the chat bubble on the lower right to live chat with us), or emailing us at cloud9support@planetdds.com.
As always, if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to reach out to Cloud 9 Support by emailing us at cloud9support@planetdds.com, or chatting us online using the chat bubble on the lower right at https://cloud9support.planetdds.com/hc/en-us, or giving us a call during our business hours of 8:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST at the 1.800.394.6050 option 2.