Correspondence Worklist

 

method 1 — From the Correspondence Dashboard, generate a worklist by correspondence category

1. Display the Correspondence Dashboard: On the Main Menu, click Financials. Under PAYMENTS, click Unpostables. In the left menu, under Correspondence, click Correspondence Dashboard.
2. Click a linked number in the Practice Review Required column to generate a worklist of correspondence records of that type. The Correspondence Worklist appears in the Task Bar.
3. In the Task Bar worklist, you can select a sort option from the Sort by menu.
4. Click the group name to expand the list of correspondence records in that group.

method 2 — From the Find Correspondence page, generate a custom worklist based on criteria you select

1. Display the Find Correspondence page: On the Main Menu, click Financials. Under PAYMENTS, click Unpostables. In the left menu, under Correspondence, click Find Correspondence.
2. Use the search fields to locate correspondence. You must select at least one option before you generate a worklist or report.
3. Click Generate Worklist. The Correspondence Worklist appears in the Task Bar.
4. In the Task Bar worklist, you can select a sort option from the Sort by menu.
5. Click the group name to expand the list of correspondence records in that group.

1. Display the Find Correspondence page: On the Main Menu, click Financials. Under PAYMENTS, click Unpostables. In the left menu, under Correspondence, click Find Correspondence.
2. Last Correspondence event — Click the select/update link. The Correspondence Event Lookup tool appears.
3. Correspondence Type — Select a correspondence type to display a list of correspondence events for that type, for example, Payer Correspondence.
4. Select one or more of the last correspondence events for your search. Any events that you select remain in the list.
   You can deselect selected events, or click Clear All to deselect all selected events.
   
5. Click Save to populate the list of last events selected for the Last Correspondence event filter.
6. Do one of the following:
• Click Generate Worklist to view your results as a worklist in the Task Bar.
• Click Printable Report to view your results as a report displayed at the bottom of the page, which you can then choose to print.
• Click Download CSV to view your results as a spreadsheet in a new window.
• Click Download PDF to create a PDF file of the EOB pages from the results.

Note: The "Download PDF" function limits you to 50 unique correspondence records. If your results exceed 50 records, you receive an error message. Update your filter options to further limit your results, or choose a different method of displaying your results.

1. Display the Correspondence Dashboard: On the Main Menu, click Financials. Under PAYMENTS, click Unpostables. In the left menu, under Correspondence, click Correspondence Dashboard.
2. 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.
3. In the Task Bar worklist, select a sort option from the Sort by menu.
4. Click the group name to expand the list of correspondence records in that group.
5. 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.
6. 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

7. 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.
8. 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

9. 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.
10. 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

11. After you select and perform any necessary actions, click Update Records.

 

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 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.