Process a patient refund by entering a negative Payment.

There are few scenarios when processing a refund for a patient. The process varies depending on whether work was done, not done, overpaid, or returned.

Also see,

• See our video: QuickTip: Patient Refunds
• CareCredit Refund
• Patient Portal Refunds
• Account Module, Right-click options

Option 1: Patient Overpayment

When a procedure has been overpaid by the patient, do the following:

1. Right-click the original payment, and select Refund or, click Payment and enter the refund as a negative amount (e.g. -100).
   
2. Verify the Paysplit information.
3. Verify or enter any payment information (Check #, Notes, Payment Type, etc). For card payments, see Credit Card Return. ACH transactions cannot be refunded.
4. Click OK to finalize the refund.

Option 2: Work Not Performed

When a procedure was set complete but the work was not actually performed on the patient, do the following:

1. Credit the fee of the procedure to be refunded back to the account. (Skip if refunding an Unearned / Prepayment)
   Highlight the procedure, click Adjustment. Enter the amount and select a negative adjustment type. Click OK to credit the account.
2. Create the refund payment, right-click the original payment, and select Refund. Or, click Payment and enter the refund as a negative amount (e.g. -100).
3. Verify the payment is allocated to the procedure, adjustment, or payment plan charge.
4. Process the refund using the original payment method. Verify the payment type, enter the check number or for card payments, see Credit Card Return. ACH transactions cannot be refunded.
   
   Note: We typically recommend using a payment type of Patient Refund so they can be excluded from the payment reports.
5. Click OK to finalize the refund.

Other Scenarios

Scenario 1: A service or product return. Your patient purchased a product they want to return.

Add a negative adjustment and attach to the original charge. If the patient is left with a balance, either refund the patient and create a negative patient payment OR leave the credit and complete an income transfer to allocate the payment to other services.

Scenario 2: A warranty credit. Your patient paid for a filling that fell out and it needs to be redone. You aren't going to return money to the patient, but you will redo the filling at no charge. Add a negative adjustment to account for the warranty when you chart the replacement procedure.

Once the replacement procedure is complete, create a negative adjustment for the procedure fee and attach it to the new procedure. If a different provider performed the work, consider attaching the adjustment to the original procedure then complete an Income Transfer to transfer the original payment to the new procedure. This re-allocates the income to the new provider.