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Set Up Contract Templates

Most offices use one or more standard methods of breaking down a total treatment fee into initial fees, period fees, retention fees, and adjustments. You can use your standard methods to create contract templates. Then, when you create a proposed patient contract, all you need to do is enter the treatment fee amount, and specify which contract template to use. The template then distributes the treatment fee according to the template's rules. Once created, you can, of course, edit patient contracts for individual situations as needed.

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How to Get Here

Home Ribbon Bar - Editors > Financial > Contract Templates. (You can also search for the editor you want to work with.)

Setup

Template List - The Templates box lists your existing contract templates alphabetically. Click the icon at the top of the list to toggle whether to include inactive templates in the list. Click a template name to review and/or edit that template's details.

Create a New Template - Type a name in the Create a new template box and click Add. The name is added to your list. You can now select the new name and edit the contract details, described below.

Template Details - Determine how the template will distribute the patient's total treatment fee. As you enter contract fees, notice the sample contract on the right side of the window is recalculated to reflect your changes. You can enter different treatment fee amounts in the sample contract box to visualize how typical patient contracts will be distributed according to the rules you have entered.

Template name - You can edit the template name if needed. The change is reflected immediately in your Templates list.
Toggle inactive flag- Records you flag as Inactive are not available for general use. However, they remain in effect for reporting and other data collection needs.
Contract classes - Select the class(es) to assign to this contract. See "Set Up Contract Classes" for details about setting up your contract class list.
Late fee - Choose the default late fee policy to apply to new contracts. See "Set Up Late Fee Policies" for details about setting up your late fee policies.
Default note to financial party (Optional.) - The contract template can include a default note to appear with the proposed contracts that you create with that template. This note, which prints on the Proposal Schedule form, is intended to be seen by the financially responsible party, and can be changed for individual proposals as needed. In addition, you can manually add another note to the proposal for internal use only.
Initial fees - Click the icon beside the Initial Fees section of the window to expand the fee options, then enter your rules for applying initial fees to patient contracts. (Leave this section blank if you do not charge out part of the contract as initial fees.)
- Amount - Enter either a flat dollar amount, or a percentage of the treatment fee.
- Due date - Enable the Due on start of contract option to automatically charge out the initial fee when you activate this contract for a patient. Or, enter the number of months after the contract activation and enter the specific day of the month you want the initial fee to fall due.
- Add - Click Add to incorporate the fee into the contract template. A description of the fee appears at the right of the initial fee options. Also notice the sample contract is recalculated to include this new fee.
- Multiple fees - If you generally apply a series of these fees, you can repeat the steps above to add additional fees to the template.
- Remove - If you enter a fee in error, select that fee description from the right side of the Initial Fee options and click Remove. Notice the sample contract is recalculated to reflect the change.
Adjustments - Click the icon beside the Adjustments section of the window to expand the fee options, then enter any adjustments to the contract fee. (Leave this section blank if you do not have any adjustments to make to the contract fee.)

Adjustments to contracts affect the amount a responsible party is obligated to pay you, without affecting your production. For example, you might offer a discount for multiple family members that are in treatment simultaneously, Adjustments are applied to contracts immediately: They do not have a "due date".
- Amount - Enter either a flat dollar amount, or a percentage of the treatment fee.
- Adjustment Type - Select the reason for the adjustment (i.e. Family Discount). See "Set Up Transaction Adjustment Types" for details about creating and maintaining this list.
- Add - Click Add to incorporate the fee into the contract template. A description of the fee appears at the right of the adjustment options. Also notice the sample contract is recalculated to include this new fee.
- Multiple fees - If you generally apply a series of these fees, you can repeat the steps above to add additional fees to the template.
- Remove - If you enter a fee in error, select that fee description from the right side of the adjustments options and click Remove. Notice the sample contract is recalculated to reflect the change.
Period fees - Click the icon beside the Period Fees section of the window to expand the fee options, then enter your rules for charging out periodic fees to patient contracts.
- Amount - Enter either a flat dollar amount for each payment, or the number of payments to charge out.
- Due date - Select the day of the month each payment will be due.
- Starting month - Enter the number of months after the contract is activated to charge out the first payment. Generally this is one month. However, you might need to take the date of initial fees into consideration when determining this starting month.
- Payment interval - Select how often to charge out these payments. Select Month , Quarter , Semi--Annual or Annual intervals.
- Add - Click Add to incorporate the fee series into the contract template. A description appears at the right of the period fees options. Also notice the sample contract is recalculated to include the new fees.
- Multiple fees - You repeat the steps above to add additional period fees to the template.
- Remove - If you enter a period fee series in error, select the fee description from the right side of the period fees options and click Remove. Notice the sample contract is recalculated to reflect the change. You cannot remove individual fees from a period fee series within a contract template. You can, however, remove individual fees from an active patient contract if needed.
Retention fees - Click the icon beside the Retention Fees section of the window to expand the fee options, then enter your rules for applying retention fees to patient contracts. (Leave this section blank if you do not charge out part of the contract as retention fees.)
- Amount - Enter either a flat dollar amount, or a percentage of the treatment fee.
- Due date - Enable the Due on start of contract option to automatically charge out the retention fee when you activate this contract for a patient. Or, enter the number of months after the contract activation and enter the specific day of the month you want the fee to fall due. For example, you might want to charge out the retention fee at the number of expected treatment months.
- Add - Click Add to incorporate the fee into the contract template. A description of the fee appears at the right of the retention fees options. Also notice the sample contract is recalculated to include this new fee.
- Multiple fees - If you generally apply a series of these fees, you can repeat the steps above to add additional fees to the template.
- Remove - If you enter a fee in error, select that fee description from the right side of the retention fee options and click Remove. Notice the sample contract is recalculated to reflect the change.

Sample contract - As you enter contract fees, notice the sample contract on the right side of the window is recalculated to reflect your changes. You can enter different treatment fee amounts in the sample contract box to visualize how typical patient contracts will be distributed according to the rules you have entered. You cannot change the contract breakdown directly from the sample contract. Instead, add and remove transactions from the appropriate section of the template details.