Skip to main content

​
At a Glance

Sometimes you need to record an external payment to balance an encounter without charging the patient again — for example, if your organization recently moved to Athelas from another billing company. The approach is:
  • Create available credits in the exact amount previously paid.
  • Create a miscellaneous charge in that amount.
  • Apply the credits to that charge to balance it out.

​
Full Walkthrough

  1. Open the patient’s profile and switch to the Credits tab, then click Edit Credits.
  2. Enter the exact amount previously paid and a note explaining why you’re creating the credits. Check Available Credits so they can be used now and aren’t tied to a date of service. The credits appear on the Credits tab.
  3. Switch to the Charges tab and click + Miscellaneous Charge.
  4. Fill in the patient’s facility and provider. For the Line Item, use (or create) a custom payment type for recording external payments.
To create a reusable line item, go to PR Settings → General → Custom Payment Types, click +, name it (e.g., “Record of payment taken externally”), set the Type to Standard, leave the default amount at 0, and Create. See How to Set Up Miscellaneous Line Item Charges.
  1. Select the line item and enter the credit amount in Pay Amount. Check Apply Credits — Pay with Patient Credits selects automatically. Add a note if you like.
  2. Click Confirm, then confirm again.
We advise not sending the patient a receipt in this case — it could look like they were charged again.

​
FAQ

The matching credit and charge balance each other, so the external payment is reflected on the account without creating a new balance due or double-charging the patient.