Origin of Start & Payment Arrangements

Gaidge tracks the Origin of Start and Payment Arrangements for your Treatment Starts. The Origin of Start and Payment Arrangement information is entered along with contracts. We look at two types of exams: New Patient and Observation/Recall - with 2 types of start outcomes: accepted treatment at appointment and uncommitted with later acceptance. Where this information is entered is based on your practice management software.

Origin of Start

Starts from Exam: Patient was seen for a 1^st exam/new patient type appointment. They accepted treatment during the appointment and either a started that day or scheduled their start prior to leaving the office.
Starts from Obs/Recall: Patient was seen for a recall/observation type appointment for pre-treatment or between phases. They accepted treatment during the appointment and either a started that day or scheduled their start prior to leaving the office.
Starts from Pending: Patient was in for either a 1^st exam type appointment or a recall/observation appointment. Treatment was recommended. The patient left the appointment uncommitted and called back at a later date to schedule the appointment. Medicaid treatment starts will count as Start from Pending Exam since treatment is pending approval.
Starts from Virtual: patient had a virtual exam and accepted treatment during the appointment.

Payment Arrangements

These are entered when contract is started. They are based on the bulk of the patient portion of the contract (not the initial fee, except of course paid in full.) If patient later changes their arrangements, this does not change.

PIF: A contract for treatment paid in full (patient portion)
CC Draft: Monthly payments are automatically drafted on a credit card
ACH: Monthly payments are automatically drafted from a checking or savings account (ACH)
3^rd Party: Treatment has been financed by a 3^rd party vendor such as CareCredit or Capital One.
Statement/Online: Monthly statements or coupon books have been provided to the patient in place auto drafting or paying in full. No charge starts, Medicaid, and insurance-only accounts also fall into this category.

If more than 18% of treatment starts pay in full, an unhealthy cash flow condition can exist in the practice. While Paid-in-Full accounts may infuse a quick cash flow boost, if a similar and consistent number of future starts do not continue to pay in full, future cash flow is affected adversely.