Creating Patient Visits in Practice Mate

In Practice Mate, Patient Visits serve two important purposes: they’re used to generate claims and to establish balances that payments can be applied to. Patient Visits are central to the Accounting functions within Practice Mate. This guide will show you how to create a Patient Visit and what details are included.  

Where to Create a Patient Visit

You can create a Visit from four different sources in Practice Mate - Manually, or from Appointments, Templates, or Encounters. Which workflow you use depends on how your organization uses Practice Mate and/or EHR 24/7. You can create a Visit manually any time, but creating from one of the other options may save time by carrying over stored information.

Manually from the Patient Visits Tab:

• Navigate to the Patient Visits tab.

• Click Add New Visit from the top menu.

• Manually enter the visit details.

From an Appointment:

• Go to the Appointments tab.

• Depending on your Appointment view:

• Either use the Create Visit column In the Detail View, or

• Hover over the Sticky Note icon in the upper left-hand corner of the appointment and click Create Visit in any of the grid views.

From a Template:

• Go to the Manage Patients tab.

• Edit the patient’s record by clicking on the pencil icon under the Edit column.

• Click the Templates tab to open it.  

• Select the Create New Visit link in the upper right-hand corner.

From an Encounter in EHR 24/7:

• Open the View Progress Notes/Encounters page in the patient chart.

• Hover over the Create option above the Progress Note.

• Select Create PM Visit.

• The Visit will then appear in the Patient Visits tab in Practice Mate.

Inside the Patient Visit

Once a Visit is created, certain details will vary depending on how it was created. If the Visit is created manually from the Patient Visit tab, all sections must be completed manually. However, if it is created through another method—such as from an appointment or a Progress Note—much of the necessary information will automatically carry over from the patient's record and the source it was created from. It's also important to note that information entered in the Visit will be sent directly to the Claim in the next step of the billing process, so all fields required for billing should be completed at this stage.

Visit Info Tab

This section includes:

• Patient ID and Demographics

• Visit Dat

• Provider ID

• Primary Insurance Info

• Secondary Insurance Info

If the visit was created from an appointment, this section will also pull in the Date, Reason for Visit, and Provider Info. Additional information is pulled from the patient record in Manage Patients.

Billing Info Tab

This section includes:

• Diagnosis Codes

• Billable Line Items

• Non-billable Products and Services (optional)

Diagnosis and CPT codes may auto-populate from the patient’s template, but these are often entered manually. You can also add payments here once the visit is saved. Non-billable Products and Services are set up in the Manage Office Tab under Product Inventory.

Billing Options Tab

This section includes:

• Other Providers/Contacts

• Conditions

• Dates

• Miscellaneous

Information in this tab is pulled from Manage Office Preferences and the Patient Template under Manage Patients. You may not need to change anything here, but edits can be made if needed

Saving the Visit

The Update button appears at the top and bottom of each section. Click Update to save the visit once all required fields are completed.

• If any required fields are missing, a message will appear until the missing info is added.

• When successfully saved, you’ll be redirected either to the Patient Visit tab or back to the Patient Record, depending on where the visit was created.

What You Can Do with a Patient Visit

All saved visits will appear under the Patient Visit tab. From there, you can use a visit to create a claim by:

1. Clicking the checkbox next to the visit.

2. Hovering over the Select Actions link in the top-right corner.

3. Choosing Create CMS 1500 02/12 Claims (New).

Once created, the status will update to Claim Created Primary, and you’ll see a confirmation message. Claims can then be submitted through the Claims and Billing tab.

Additionally, Patient Visits play a key role in tracking balances. Payments applied through the Accounting tab will be reflected in the associated visit. You can view applied payments by editing a visit and checking the Billing Info tab.

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