How to track patient balances and installment payments

Which fields does a balance record need?

In a notebook, a spreadsheet or software the debt line is made of the same fields. A missing field leaves “when was this, who called them?” unanswered months later.

How to record a part payment and an installment plan, step by step

A part payment and an installment plan are two forms of the same method: split the remaining amount into parts and write a date against each part. In a notebook or a spreadsheet, follow this order:

1. Write the treatment with its total. If a deposit was taken, enter it in the paid column and work out the remaining amount.
2. Agree the number of installments with the patient and split the remaining amount; write the due date and the amount of each installment.
3. Give the patient the installment dates in writing, so there is a shared record of the dates.
4. When a payment arrives, mark that installment as paid; write the date, the method and the amount actually paid.
5. If the patient pays less or more than the installment, carry the difference to the next one and note it; never silently erase it.
6. Mark an overdue installment on the same day, so the list says who needs a call.

How deposits, packages and per-session payments stay separate from balances

A deposit is money taken before the appointment; it is a prepayment, not a debt. Written in the balance column it makes the patient look like they owe more than they do; left out, the till does not add up. Write the deposit on its own line and count it towards the amount paid when the patient comes in for the treatment. For the till side, see the end-of-day cash guide.

The same distinction looks different by specialty. In a dental practice the treatment plan moves item by item; in an aesthetic clinic the deposit is taken before the treatment day; a psychologist is mostly paid per session; a dietitian can keep a package on one line. The fields do not change: total, paid, remaining and date. To track the remaining sessions of a package, see the session package guide.

The weekly balance check, reminders and corrections

A balance grows for as long as nobody looks at the list. A short check once a week, on the same day and by the same person, is enough. Sort the list by remaining amount and days overdue; next to each patient write who will remind them, when and how.

Keep the reminder short and polite. Health information is special-category personal data, so the message should carry only the amount and the due date.

• Do write: the patient’s name, the remaining amount, the due date and the ways to pay.
• Do not write: the diagnosis, the treatment or procedure name, medication or the reason for the visit.
• Send the message only to the patient’s own number, never to shared accounts or groups.

While looking at the list you may find a payment entered wrongly; what matters is that the correction leaves a trace. If you erase a line in the notebook and write over it, the question of why the till and the balance list disagree stays unanswered. Strike the wrong entry through, write the date and the reason next to it, and add the correct entry below; a refund or a cancellation is a separate line too. In a spreadsheet, adding a correction line instead of deleting the row does the same job.

How Clinigim tracks patient balances and installments

In Clinigim there is no separate ledger for balances, installments and deposits; all of it is read from the transaction itself. The payment and balance features work like this in the app today:

• On a transaction line the amount, the amount paid and the remaining amount are shown separately; the status is Paid, Partial or Unpaid.
• The Debtor Patients list shows the patient’s name, phone and balance on one line. You search by name or phone, sort by balance or name and take a payment with Collect; the amount is pre-filled with the patient’s balance. The dashboard also shows the total open balance and the number of debtors.
• On a transaction with a remaining balance, Set Up Installment Plan lets you choose 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 or 12 installments and enter the first due date. You can edit the dates and amounts line by line.
• When each installment is paid you choose the method; for a card payment you also pick the POS terminal. An installment past its due date is marked overdue.
• When a patient pays their balance through Collect, the amount is applied to the open installments in order; the installment line says it was paid from a balance collection.
• A deposit marked Deposit Received on the appointment becomes a payment record and is also listed under the Deposit Collections tab in Reports; it is already part of the collections and is not counted twice.
• The expected collections tab in Reports lists overdue installments, this week’s and those in the range you choose; Collect Payment on a line takes the payment.
• A wrong payment is reversed with Undo; the patient’s balance goes back up and the record stays in the audit log.

Frequently asked questions

Can patient balances be tracked in Excel?

Yes, if the number of patients is small and one person keeps the records. Columns for patient, treatment, total, paid, remaining and due date are enough. The trouble starts when several people use the same file and the remaining amount is updated by hand; the list drifts from reality. In software the remaining amount updates itself with every payment.

What should I do when a patient misses an installment?

Leave the installment unpaid and record the payment with its real date when it arrives; do not quietly move the due date forward. Call the patient the same day and note the new date you agreed. In Clinigim an installment past its due date is marked overdue and the expected collections report lists overdue ones separately; Collect Payment on the line takes the payment.

Does a deposit count as a patient balance?

No. A deposit is money the patient has paid in advance and counts as already taken off the treatment amount; written as a debt, it makes the balance look larger than it is. Keep the deposit on its own line and count it towards the amount paid when the treatment is closed. In Clinigim a deposit marked Deposit Received on the appointment becomes a payment record, is part of the collections and is listed separately in Reports.

What should a payment reminder message say?

Only the patient’s name, the remaining amount and the due date. Never the diagnosis, the treatment or the procedure name; health information is special-category personal data. Send the message only to the patient’s own number. Clinigim does not send automatic WhatsApp reminders yet; that is coming. For now you remind patients by phone or with your own message.

How do I set up an installment plan in Clinigim?

On a transaction with a remaining balance you tap Set Up Installment Plan. You choose 2, 3, 4, 6, 9 or 12 installments and enter the first due date; the dates and amounts are listed and you can edit them line by line. The same option opens while creating a new transaction. Clinigim does not calculate late interest, and it does not handle promissory notes or debt collection.