Patient Refunds

Patient refunds are a common problem for Healthcare companies to navigate. Healthcare providers are in the business to deliver exceptional patient care and the headache of dealing with refunds is something that should not get in the way. One of the biggest constraints is that EMRs can provide a list of patients that need refunds, but they lack the ability to process payments. Ensuring that these payments can be processed accurately and in a timely manner is important. This is why we have developed a process to handle patient refunds in NetSuite with ease.

This article will walk through our designed system for processing patient refunds via CSV import and the use of a source file.

Process Overview

The steps to processing patient refunds in NetSuite are as follows:

1. System Configurations
   1. Create “Patient Refund” vendor category
   2. Create “Refunds Payable” account
2. Download and format source file
3. Import Patients as Vendors
4. Import Patient Refunds as Vendor Bills
5. Issue Vouchers to Patients using EBP (Optional)

Adding “Patient Refund”

1. In NetSuite, navigate to Setup > Accounting > Accounting Lists > New
2. Select “Vendor Category”
3. In the “Vendor” field, add “Patient Refund” and click “Save”

Adding “Refunds Payable” account

1. In NetSuite, navigate to Setup > Accounting > Chart of Accounts > New
2. Populate required fields with the following:
   1. Number = (account number of choice)
   2. Name = “Refunds Payable”
   3. Type = Accounts Payable
3. Enter any other applicable fields specific to your environment and click “Save”

Formatting Source File

Once all necessary setup configurations are made to the system for processing patient refunds, the next step is to capture all necessary fields in a source file provided by the patient EMR. The file should look similar to the image below with the following fields for each patient provided:

click to view larger

Each column will represent a field in NetSuite and each row will correspond to a patient / refund. The source file will be leveraged for both importing patients and creating the vendor bills. Save the file as a .CSV and ensure that all the information is accurate.

Importing Vendors

Once the file is saved as a .CSV, we can import to NetSuite by using a vendor import.

1. In NetSuite, navigate to Setup > Import/Export > CSV Imports
2. On the Import Assistant page, set the “Import Type” to “Relationships”, the “Record Type” to “Vendors”. Click “Select…” button and select the formatted source file. “Open” and click “Next>”
3. Select “Add or Update” in the import options page and click “Next >”. This will prevent the system from adding duplicate patients in case there are existing records in NetSuite for patients found in the import file.
4. CSV Mapping – Map the following fields to NetSuite
   • “Patient Refund” = Vendor : Category
   • Patient Name = Vendor : Company Name
   • Patient Account No = Vendor ID
   • Patient Account No = External ID
   • Subsidiary = Vendor : Primary Subsidiary
   • “Address1” = Vendor – Address 1 : Address 1
   • “City” = Vendor – Address 1 : City
   • “State” = Vendor – Address 1 : State
   • “Zip” = Vendor – Address 1 : Zip
5. Click “Next”
6. Name the import under “Import Map Name” and click “Save & Run”
   • Navigate to Setup > Import/Export > Saved CSV Imports
   • Click “Private” on the newly saved import. This will open a “Share Import” popup where additional users can be granted access to the saved import.

• By saving and sharing the import, this allows users to reference the same import mappings for future refund imports.
• For Saved Imports, replace steps 1-6 with:
  • Setup > Import/Export > Saved CSV Imports > (click name of saved import)
  • Select formatted source file and click “Next>” on each screen and click “Run” when prompted

7. Navigate to Setup > Import/Export > View CSV Import Status
   • Refresh page until import is 100% complete
   • Verify all Vendors were imported

Importing Vendor Bills

1. Navigate to Setup > Import/Export > CSV Imports
2. On the Import Assistant page, set the “Import Type” to “Transactions”, the “Record Type” to “Vendor Bill”. Click “Select…” button and select the formatted source file. “Open” and click “Next>”
3. Select “Add” in the import options page and click “Next >”.
4. CSV Mapping – Map the following fields to NetSuite
   • Patient Account No = Vendor Bill : Vendor (Req)
   • Check Number = Vendor Bill : External ID
   • Check Number = Vendor Bill : Invoice Number (Req)
   • “Patent Refund” = Vendor Bill : Memo
   • Transaction Date = Vendor Bill : Date (Req)
   • _(AP Account Created from Step 1-b in Process Overview)_ = Vendor Bill – Expenses : Account
   • Claim Refund Amount = Vendor Bill – Expenses : Amount (Req)
5. Click “Next”
6. Name the import under “Import Map Name” and click “Save & Run”
   • Navigate to Setup > Import/Export > Saved CSV Imports
   • Click “Private” on the newly saved import. This will open a “Share Import” popup where additional users can be granted access to the saved import.

• By saving and sharing the import, this allows users to reference the same import mappings for future refund imports.
• For Saved Imports, replace steps 1-6 with:
  • Setup > Import/Export > Saved CSV Imports > (click name of saved import)
  • Select formatted source file and click “Next>” on each screen and click “Run” when prompted

7. Navigate to Setup > Import/Export > View CSV Import Status
   • Refresh page until import is 100% complete
   • Verify all Vendor Bills were imported
8. Navigate to “Transactions > Payables > Enter Vendor Bills > List” to view all vendor bills

Lastly, users have the option to enable the Electronic Bank Payments SuiteApp in their NetSuite environment, which enhances functionality by allowing them to process payments via EFT and print check vouchers for patient refunds.

Leveraging NetSuite for processing patient refunds is easy and it can greatly enhance the overall efficiency of healthcare organizations. To learn more about processing patient refunds in NetSuite, please reach out to our team!

Jack Anderson