Collection Letters

In order to use Collection Letters, there is a one-time setup function that you will need to do for each practice:

Set up the Collection Letter in the Word Processor

Create a New Folder in the Word Processor for the practice you are setting up. Call the folder COLLECTION LETTER or LETTERS.  Create a New Document in the new folder by right-clicking and selecting New Document.  You may enter your practice name and address/phone number in the top center of the document to create a letterhead.

Insert Merge fields.  From the right side of the menu bar, select Mail Merge, then View.  This will display a list on the right side of the screen with categories of fields that may be used.

Select SYSTEM, then DATE to insert the date onto the letter.

Select Account, then First Name to insert the account holder's first name onto the letter.  Continue by selecting the Account's last name, address 1, address 2, city, state, and zip for insertion into the letter.

Save the letter when you are done...

When the letter is saved, the software "tracks" merge fields that you have used in the letter and will make sure that all of the necessary data is available for the letter when the letter is later requested.  Since a statement is not necessarily tied to a specific patient, visit or charge, letters containing merge fields that are patient, visit or charge based such as division, patient, provider, referring, procedure, date-of-service, etc. cannot be requested when a "statement" (Self Billing record) is selected in the Billing View of the Ledger.  The FollowUp Queue does not have this problem as the "Self" items in the FollowUp Queue are actually visits (which do have a patient and charges) not "statements" (Self Billing records).  Claims are, by definition, visit and charged based and do not have this problem either in the Billing View of the Ledger or in the FollowUp Queue.

If you have several practices that need to have letters set up, you may "copy and paste" only the portion of the collection letter that does not contain merge fields.  If you copy the entire letter including the merge fields, the word processor will not recognize the merge fields as ones that need to have data inserted into them.  You will then end up with collection letters that don't have any patient information on them.  Therefore, you can copy the body of the letter from one practice to the next, but you will have to manually insert the merge fields on each letter as detailed above.

Add the Collection Letter to the Practice Setup

Go to Setup, Followup, Form Letters.  Select NEW.  Add Collection Letter to the Lookup and Name fields.  Click the button next to the Document field to associate the letter in the Word Processor with this form letter.  Select the letter for the practice you are working on.

To Run Weekly Letters:

Go to Queues, Collection Letters

Select the Form Letter (Collection Letter).  Select Self Pay accounts.  Select Letter Count 0.  Select the Minimum number of Days with no payment at which self pay accounts should receive a Collection Letter.  For example:  Select Min Days – 75.  Leave Max Days blank.  This will select accounts that have had 3 statements (at day 0, 30, and 60) and it has been at least 15 days since their last statement was sent.  Select to Run Now.  The selected Collection Letters will be submitted to the Mail Merge Request table.  The generation of the merged letters will occur during the next Close Out process.

Option:  You may also use the SCHEDULE function to automate the generation of the letters so that they run automatically each week.

Print the report from Task Viewer

Go to the Task Viewer.  The Collection Letters Select is a report listing the accounts to get letters.

After the Close Out completes - Print the letters from Task Viewer

After the next Close Out completes, the Collection Letters will be in the Task Viewer with the rest of your reports from Close Out.  Select the Collection Letters and Print!