Updated 9/18/2019

The Dentrix Ledger holds a wealth of information in the Transaction Log (at the bottom of the window). But do you understand the financial information found there? Let’s shed a little light on this “gray area.”

The Aged Balance block shows the balances due in aging brackets (designating how long the balance has been due), such as 0 > 30 days, 31 > 60 days, etc. Each account balance appears in the appropriate aging bracket. The total guarantor account balance appears under Family Balance.

The Account Information block shows the following billing information for the patient’s account:

• Billing Type – The assigned billing type for the account. (See Assigning Billing Types for more information).
• Last Payment – The amount and date of the last guarantor payment
• Last Ins. Payment – The amount and date of the last insurance payment
• Last Statement Date – The last time a billing statement was printed for the account
• Outstanding Billed to Medial/Dental – The total amount of all outstanding claims
• Expected from Dental Insurance – The estimated amount that insurance will pay on all outstanding dental claims
• Family Portion of Balance – The estimated amount the patient will owe after insurance has paid their portion.

The Today’s Charges block shows information about the patient’s billing charges for today’s visit, including the following:

• Today’s Charges – The total of all transactions with today’s date
• Est. Dental Ins. Portion – The estimated amount that dental insurance will pay on today’s charges, according to the insurance coverage table set up in the Family File
• Est. Patient Portion – The estimated amount the patient owes on today’s charges according to the coverage set up in the Family File

If the patient has set up a financial agreement, the Payment Agreement Summary block shows information about what the patient has agreed to pay, and when. The following information is included:

• Monthly Pmt – The amount the patient has agreed to pay per installment. The name of this line item changes based on the terms of their agreement (ie. Weekly Pmt, Bi-Weekly Pmt, etc.)
• Pmt Due – The monthly payment amount the patient owes for this month
• Amt Past Due – The amount past due that is still owed by the patient
• Due Date – The due date for the next payment

If a future due payment plan exists, the Future Due Payment Plans Summary block shows information about the patient’s future due payment plan, including:

• Original Bal. – The patient’s original balance
• Remain Bal. – The patient’s remaining balance
• Payment – The next payment amount
• Due Date – The due date of the next payment

For additional information on these last two blocks, see our previous post titled, The Difference Between Payment Agreements and Future Due Payment Plans.