How can you tell if an account is out of balance? And more importantly, how can you fix an account that is out of balance. After reading this article you should be able to identify whether an account is out of balance or not, as well as knowing steps to remove the ledger from it's out of balance condition by way of adjustments.
How can I tell if an account is Out of Balance?
When looking at the fields across the top of the ledger, the question to ask first is this. Does the number in the Due Now field, plus the number in the Future Due field, equal the number in the Total Due field? Simply put, Due Now + Future Due = Total Due. In the following three examples, although you have to do the math, they are all ledgers that are IN balance.
While all three of the lines above are in balance, the third one is slightly trickier. But adding a negative number (Due Now) plus the Future Due, does still equal the number in Total Due, so it is in balance.
Now that you have cracked the code, (Due Now + Future Due = Total Due) it should be easy to tell when an account is out of balance. Look at the example below, and apply that knowledge.
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.
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 close to the same, but there are no Types listed in the contract (normally charges and adjustments are all you would see in this column).
To correct this, change the number of claims from 17 (in this example) to 1. Save the contract, re-enter the original number of charges you need, and add the amounts as needed, and use the fill feature to fill them down the entire course of the scheduled charges. Make certain you save when this has been completed.
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.
Here is how this will look in the adjustment screen of that same patient's ledger:
How the ledger currently looks is found in the Before Adjustment section of the Adjustment screen. This can be seen above, outlined in Red. Under the Adjustment Details section (outlined in Yellow), you can make any entries to affect the numbers in the red box, to change the ledger to what you want it to look like (shown in the After Adjustment section, outlined in Green).
If you enter -400 in the Due Now Adjustment field, the Total Due will be $5,600, while the Contract Future Due will still be $5,800. Again, still out of balance. If you were to remove all $400 from the Due Now and add it to the Contract Adjustment field, the Contract Future Due amount would show $6,200 and the Total Due field would show $6,000, still making this account out of balance. Any one of the attempts shown that you make, will show in the Green Outlined area. If you can make the information in the green outlined box show how you want the ledger to read, then make your comment and save your work.
If you have tried each of these options, and the issue is not resolved, you will want to reach out to Cloud 9 Support for assistance and we can help resolve the out of balance ledger.
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.