Daily closing procedures for the front desk to reconcile finances, prepare for the next day, and secure patient information.
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Add this checklist Browse moreSend confirmations and call unconfirmed patients for the next business day.
Confirming appointments the afternoon before is the most effective way to reduce no-shows. Patients who confirm are 3-4x more likely to show up. Catching cancellations gives time to fill slots from the short-call list.
1. Run next day's appointment list. 2. Check automated confirmation results. 3. Call unconfirmed patients starting with earliest appointments. 4. Update confirmation status. 5. For cancellations, work the short-call list.
Call all no-shows and same-day cancellations to reschedule.
Same-day contact dramatically increases rescheduling rate. Waiting even one day reduces your chance of getting the patient back. Documenting contact attempts also provides legal protection.
1. Review schedule for no-shows and same-day cancellations. 2. Call each with a friendly, non-judgmental tone. 3. Leave voicemail and text if no answer. 4. Document all attempts in the chart. 5. Reschedule in next available slot. 6. Flag chronic no-shows for the manager.
Collect outstanding balances and ensure all charges, payments, and adjustments are posted.
Every dollar left unposted today is harder to collect tomorrow. Posting all transactions daily ensures accurate financial reporting and prevents month-end scrambles.
1. Review day sheet for patients who left without paying. 2. Process pending payments. 3. Post all charges, payments, and adjustments. 4. Verify insurance estimates. 5. Check payment arrangements on outstanding balances. 6. Run unposted transactions report.
Compare total payments received against day sheet totals.
Daily reconciliation catches errors and discrepancies the same day they occur. Finding discrepancies daily is easy; finding them at month-end is a nightmare. This is also a basic fraud prevention control.
1. Print day sheet with charges, payments by type, and adjustments. 2. Count cash drawer minus starting balance. 3. Run credit card batch report and compare. 4. Add up checks and compare. 5. Total all payments vs day sheet. 6. Investigate any discrepancies. 7. Record totals.
Complete the deposit slip with cash and check totals for today.
Daily deposits protect the practice from theft, fire, or misplacement. Holding cash overnight increases risk. Accurate slips ensure correct bank credits.
1. Count cash and record denominations. 2. List checks with amounts. 3. Total should match reconciliation minus credit cards. 4. Place in deposit bag with slip. 5. Seal and store securely for bank drop-off.
Run end-of-day settlement and reconcile each transaction against posted payments.
Credit card reconciliation catches processing errors and missed transactions. A posted payment without a terminal transaction means money will not arrive in your bank account.
1. Run end-of-day batch/settlement. 2. Print batch report. 3. Compare each transaction to posted payments. 4. Check for duplicates, voids, missing entries. 5. File report with financial records. 6. Resolve discrepancies.
Print appointment schedules for each provider for the next day.
Printed schedules serve as the team's shared reference and backup if computers are down. Clinical staff can review for complex procedure preparation.
1. Print next day's schedule per provider. 2. Include patient names, procedures, times, alerts. 3. One copy per provider plus front desk. 4. Place in huddle area. 5. If Friday, print Monday's schedule.
Organize patient records for the following day, flagging issues.
Evening preparation ensures smooth mornings. Catches problems - insurance reverification, outstanding balances, missing consent forms - when there is still time.
1. Review each patient on tomorrow's schedule. 2. Check for balances, unsigned plans, insurance issues. 3. Flag issues with resolution notes. 4. Prepare new patient intake packets. 5. Organize in appointment order.
Transfer the phone system to after-hours answering service or voicemail.
Patients calling after hours expect a professional response. The answering service captures urgent post-op emergency calls and routes them to the on-call doctor. An unanswered ringing phone may cause patients to call another office.
1. Verify after-hours greeting is current with hours and emergency info. 2. Forward phone system to answering service. 3. Verify forward is active by calling from your cell. 4. Confirm service has current on-call doctor contact.
Log out of all software, shut down computers, and secure patient information per HIPAA.
HIPAA requires patient information be protected from unauthorized access. Leaving computers logged in or charts on desks are HIPAA violations. Shutting down also installs security updates and prevents unauthorized after-hours access.
1. Log out of all software on every workstation. 2. Shut down each computer properly. 3. File paper charts in locked cabinets. 4. Lock filing cabinets. 5. Clear desk of patient paperwork. 6. Shred unneeded PHI documents.