Correspondence Record
athenaOne for Hospitals & Health Systems
You can use this page to view and update details for a correspondence item.
athenahealth recommends that you make an effort to close all correspondence items in a timely manner. It is at the discretion of your practice to determine the correct disposition of correspondence.
On the Main Menu, click Financials. Under PAYMENTS, click Unpostables. In the left menu, under Correspondence, click Correspondence Dashboard. Generate a Correspondence Worklist by clicking a linked number on the Correspondence Dashboard. Click a correspondence record ID in the Task Bar to display the Correspondence Record page
- Display the Correspondence Dashboard: On the Main Menu, click Financials. Under PAYMENTS, click Unpostables. In the left menu, under Correspondence, click Correspondence Dashboard.
- Click a linked number in the Practice Review Required column to generate a worklist of correspondence records of that type. The worklist appears in the Task Bar.
- In the Task Bar worklist, select a sort option from the Sort by menu.
- Click the group name to expand the list of correspondence records in that group.
- Click the linked correspondence ID number at the right of the item. The Correspondence Record page appears in the Workspace with the details of the correspondence item.
- On the Correspondence Record page, you can review the record and view the image located below the Details section. You can click the links marked smaller, larger, and rotate to adjust the image, and you can update the data fields. Record details are located at the top of the page, followed by data input fields.
Determine the course of action
- Under the Status heading at the top of the page, review the current status. This status tells you why the record needs your attention.
- Read the text in the Status note(s) field. These notes help you determine what action you need to take to resolve the issue.
Select an action
- In the Select an action to resolve or reassign record section, choose one of these options.
- Select Update status and reassign record. For many record types, athenaOne provides a guided workflow to help you choose the most effective path to update the record.
- If you determine that this item is not correspondence, select the Reclassify this record option and select Remittance Record from the Record type menu to move the item to the Unpostables Dashboard.
Save your work
- After you select and perform any necessary actions, click Submit.
- Display the Correspondence Dashboard: On the Main Menu, click Financials. Under PAYMENTS, click Unpostables. In the left menu, under Correspondence, click Correspondence Dashboard.
- Click a linked number in the Practice Review Required column to generate a worklist of correspondence records of that type. The worklist appears in the Task Bar.
- In the Task Bar worklist, select a sort option from the Sort by menu.
- Click the group name to expand the list of correspondence records in that group.
- Click the linked correspondence ID number at the right of the item. The Correspondence Record page appears in the Workspace with the details of the correspondence item.
- On the Correspondence Record page, you can review the record and view the image located below the Details section. You can click the links marked smaller, larger, and rotate to adjust the image, and you can update the data fields. Record details are located at the top of the page, followed by data input fields.
Determine the course of action
- Under the Status heading at the top of the Correspondence Record page, review the current status. This status tells you why the record needs your attention.
- Read the text in the Status note(s) field. These notes help you determine what action you need to take to resolve the issue.
Select an action
- Using the Correspondence Worklist in the Task Bar, you can select more than one record to perform an action on. Use the Check All and Uncheck All buttons to select or deselect all the records at once.
- Under the Manage Correspondence heading, choose one of these options.
- Apply the next event — Select the next correspondence event for this record (for example, Manager Review Required).
- Move the record to another location in the workflow — Select an option from the menu (for example, Additional Information Available to Resolve Auto-Closed Record).
- Reclassify this record as another correspondence type — Select the appropriate correspondence type.
- Update the data on the record only — You can select this option if you are updating correspondence record details only (for example, the correspondence note) but have not executed any actions that will move the correspondence record to the next state in its life cycle. Enter a free-text note in the Action note field.
Save your work
- After you select and perform any necessary actions, click Update Records.
- Display the Correspondence Dashboard: On the Main Menu, click Financials. Under PAYMENTS, click Unpostables. In the left menu, under Correspondence, click Correspondence Dashboard.
- Click a linked number in the Practice Review Required column to generate a worklist of correspondence records of that type. The worklist appears in the Task Bar.
- In the Task Bar worklist, select a sort option from the Sort by menu.
- Click the group name to expand the list of correspondence records in that group.
- Click the linked correspondence ID number at the right of the item. The Correspondence Record page appears in the Workspace with the details of the correspondence item.
- On the Correspondence Record page, you can review the record and view the image located below the Details section. You can click the links marked smaller, larger, and rotate to adjust the image, and you can update the data fields. Record details are located at the top of the page, followed by data input fields.
- If you determine that this item is not correspondence, click the Reclassify this record option in the Select an action to resolve or reassign record section.
- Record type — Select Remittance Record from the menu.
- Action note — An action note describing this remittance type appears in this field.
- Click Submit. The Update Unpostable page appears.
The record no longer appears in the Correspondence Dashboard.
An Unprocessable Credit Card correspondence record is created when athenahealth receives a credit card payment on a patient statement. It is your responsibility to follow up with the patient to obtain the credit card information or an alternative payment method.
- Display the Correspondence Dashboard: On the Main Menu, click Financials. Under PAYMENTS, click Unpostables. In the left menu, under Correspondence, click Correspondence Dashboard.
- Click the linked number next to Unprocessable Credit Card.
The Correspondence Worklist appears in the Task Bar.
Display the correspondence record
- From the worklist in the Task Bar, click the Unprocessable Credit Card bar to expand the worklist.
- Click the linked
ID number for the correspondence record in the worklist.
The Correspondence Record page appears in the Workspace.
In the Status section
- Read the text in the Status note(s) field and take the actions required to resolve the issue and close the record.
- Under Select an action to resolve or reassign record, select the Update status and reassign record option.
- Update status — Select Requested Check/EFT Payment.
- Note — Enter detailed information about the actions you've taken.
- Click Submit.
- Display the Correspondence Dashboard: On the Main Menu, click Financials. Under PAYMENTS, click Unpostables. In the left menu, under Correspondence, click Correspondence Dashboard.
- Click the linked number next to Unprocessable Credit Card.
The Correspondence Worklist appears in the Task Bar.
Display the correspondence record
- From the worklist in the Task Bar, click the Unprocessable Credit Card bar to expand the worklist.
- Click the linked
ID number for the correspondence record in the worklist.
The Correspondence Record page appears in the Workspace.
In the Status section
- Read the text in the Status note(s) field and take the actions required to resolve the issue and close the record.
- Under Select an action to resolve or reassign record, select the Update status and reassign record option.
- Update status — Select Reviewed and closed.
- Note — Enter detailed information about the actions you've taken.
- Click Submit.
Correspondence is paper "non-check" mail that arrives in a practice lockbox. Eastern Bank, Bank of America, other lockbox providers, as well as our own athenaMailbox service all receive correspondence from payers, patients, and other entities that the practice administrators should review. Correspondence items can include the following (for a description of all correspondence types, see Correspondence Types Summary).
- Information-only mail and junk mail
- Legal correspondence
- Medical record requests and other patient correspondence
- Authorizations from payers for future services
- Notices that may affect the patient account and require updates to the patient's information (for example, change-of-address and bankruptcy notices)
- W-9 requests
- Payer forms requiring provider signatures
- Bills
These correspondence items are scanned by athenahealth so that the practice can quickly access them through athenaOne. These scanned "correspondence records" become part of the practice administrative workflow. Many correspondence records require some action by the practice, such as: provider signatures, approvals, patient information updates, and notifications that should be filed for future reference or auditing purposes. Practice staff members perform the necessary actions and then close the correspondence record.
You can use Correspondence Worklists to review each correspondence record, view the image of the correspondence (embedded in the page), and update the data fields as needed.
Note: The number of records returned is limited to 500 records; the limit is 1000 records when you select a specific payment batch and a single correspondence type. When the output option is set to Download CSV, the record limit is always 1000.
The Correspondence Record page is organized into the following areas:
This section is always visible at the top of the page and contains important record details, including the record ID, correspondence record type, and the creation date.
This section displays details about the current status, including the most recent notes. In this area, you can:
- View the current status
- View any claims associated with the correspondence record
- View and add status notes
- Take an action to update the correspondence record
The list of actions varies according to the correspondence record type.
- Take no action — Selected by default and used when you're updating the record with new information, such as adding a note or adding or changing fields in the Record Details section.
- Update status and reassign record — For many record types, if you select the "Update status and reassign record" action, athenaOne provides a guided workflow to help you choose the most effective path to update the record. (Other record types have a simple list of options to choose from.)
- Reclassify this record — If the record was incorrectly classified, you can reclassify it as another type. The available types that you can select are based on the current record type to ensure that the record goes to the correct workflow for review and resolution. An action note is always required and is often prepopulated. Enter an Action note to indicate the reason for reclassification.
This section displays the correspondence record details and includes an image of the attached correspondence document. To view the entire EOB document, in addition to the one on this page, click the For whole deposit batch link in the Details section.
This section displays the complete history of this correspondence record's updates.
The Manage Correspondence section of the Correspondence Worklist contains options and menus that allow you to take action on individual or multiple correspondence items. Click an option to enable its menu. The action you select is applied to all selected records in the worklist. The available options depend on the criteria used to generate the worklist.
- Apply the next event — Select this option for a short list of next
logical correspondence events. Selecting an event from this menu indicates the action to be taken.
Note: You can select the "Apply next event" option only if all records contained within your worklist are currently of the same type and set to the same event. - Move the record to another location in the workflow — Select this option if an incorrect event has been assigned to the correspondence record
and the record is currently in an incorrect state. This menu provides access to all correspondence events applicable to the correspondence
type you are reviewing. If an incorrect correspondence event has been saved
to the correspondence record, use this menu to access the full list
of correspondence events and select the correct event.
Note: You can select the "Move the record to another location in the workflow" option only if all records are of the same type. - Reclassify this record as another correspondence type — Select this option if the correspondence type assigned to the record is incorrect. Use the menu to select the correct correspondence type. This action updates the selected records with the correct correspondence type and sets the record to a "Created Event" (the first event in the life cycle of a correspondence record).
- Update the data on the record only — Select this option if you are updating correspondence record details only (for example, the correspondence note) but have not executed any actions that will move the correspondence record to the next state in its life cycle. Enter a free-text note in the Action note field.
Note: Not all fields appear for all record types.
Status | |
Current Status |
The current status of the correspondence record (OPEN, INPROCESS) and the current location in the workflow. |
Assigned to |
Indicates the team responsible for executing the next action on the correspondence record: athenahealth staff or your practice staff. |
Associated claims | Claims associated with the record. |
Status notes(s) | The last status note. You can add a new note for the current status by clicking Add current status note. You can leave a note without otherwise changing the record. |
Select an action to resolve or reassign the record | |
Take no action | Selected by default and used when you're updating the record with new information, such as adding a note or adding or changing fields in the Details section. |
Update status and reassign record | For many record types, if you select the "Update status and reassign record" action, athenaOne provides a guided workflow to help you choose the most effective path to update the record. Other record types have a simple list of options to choose from. |
Reclassify this record | If the record was incorrectly classified, you can reclassify it as another type. The available types that you can select are based on the current record type to ensure that the record goes to the correct workflow for review and resolution. An action note is always required and is often prepopulated. Enter an Action note to indicate the reason for reclassification. |
Details — Payer details | |
Payer portal | This field is available only to the athenahealth Web portal team. |
Kick reason category | The kick reason category for this record. athenaOne auto-fills this field, if the data is available. |
Patient |
Enter the patient ID of the patient related to the correspondence record, if any. You can enter a period to access the patient lookup tool. After a valid patient ID is entered, the Display on patient's Quickview? option is selected by default, and a link to this correspondence record appears on the patient Quickview in the Correspondence section. Note: You can deselect this option if you do not want the link to appear on the patient Quickview page. |
Insurance reporting category |
Select the IRC related to the correspondence record, if any. |
Details — Provider details | |
Provider |
Select the provider related to the correspondence record, if any. |
Medical Group |
Select the medical group related to the correspondence record, if any. |
Provider Group |
Appears if yours in a Provider Group Enterprise organization. Use this menu to classify correspondence records that pertain to specific provider groups, but do not require review or action by the entire medical group. |
Details — Deposit details | |
Deposit information | A summary of the bank account where the associated payment batch was deposited, including the bank account name, last four digits of the account number, and the deposit location P.O. Box number, if available. |
Deposit date | The creation date of the deposit batch. |
Payment batch ID | The payment batch ID of this correspondence record. |
Deposit batch ID | The deposit batch ID of this correspondence record. |
ERA batch ID | The ERA batch ID of this correspondence record. |
Details — Source Data | |
Remit documents | Links to view the remittance documents or the entire EOB document. Correspondence records appear at the end of EOBs received for your practice. |
Charge level details |
This section displays charge-level details associated with this correspondence record:
|
Raw data |
The raw data returned in the correspondence file from the payer. This information was used to create the correspondence record.
|
Details — Control numbers | |
Payer control number 1 |
The payer's internal control number or reference information for this correspondence record. Note: You cannot edit this field. |
Payer control number 2 |
Additional information from the payer that might be useful for identifying why the record was sent and/or locating related correspondence records. Note: You cannot edit this field. |
Payer control number 3 |
Additional information from the payer that might be useful for identifying why the record was sent and/or locating related correspondence records. Note: You cannot edit this field. |
Urgent |
Select this option to indicate that this correspondence record requires urgent attention by athenahealth or practice staff, according to the team assigned to this record. |
Note | Any notes about this correspondence record. |
Postdate | The post date of the correspondence record. |
History | |
Date | The date that an action was applied to this correspondence record. |
User | The username of the user who applied the action. |
Type | Indicates the record type when the action was taken on the correspondence record. |
Status | The status of the record, for example, OPEN or INPROCESS. |
Assigned to | Indicates the team responsible when the action was taken on the correspondence record. |
Note | The action note left when the record was updated. |