How Andre Enters and Distributes Prepayments/Deposits into Eaglesoft
Updated 2/21/2025
There is an inherent issue with "Pre-payment" or “Deposits”. This is especially troublesome for practices with multiple Providers and with Accounts with multiple family members. I can honestly say that there is no “perfect” way, but this has been the best option I have found. Especially when Associate Dentists are paid on Collections (more about this here).
Any transactions posted to that account will, by default, pull credit from the prepayment. To circumvent this, there are a few things that can be done.
Step 1: Start by creating a Payment Type for Prepayments. In the example below, I made one called “Pretreatment Deposit” with a Payment Prompt of “Note” so I will have a Note Field to enter a Treatment Description and/or ultimate Provider distribution. A Currency Type of the most frequently used format. If you find patients are using more than one (i.e. Credit Card and outside financial services) then you will need a Payment Type for each.
Step 2: Create an Adjustment to allocate this Payment when the service(s) are performed. Go to Lists>General Setup>Adjustment Types. I created one called “Allocation of Deposit” and set it to Impact Collections. More information on the allocation below.
Step 3: Create a way to be notified that the Patient has a Credit Balance. The simple way is to create a Patient Alert (Lists>General Setup>Patient Alert>New). Attach this Alert to the Patient.
Step 4: If you don’t already have one, create a “Provider” to hold deposits until they can be distributed when treatment commences (Lists>Providers/Staff>New). This will ask as a “slush fund”. This Provider will be the equivalent to an interoffice Escrow Account.
When a Patient makes a deposit for future treatment, an Account Payment is made and the newly created “Pretreatment Deposit” Payment Type is used. It is posted to the Patient’s Account and assigned to the newly created “Escrow Account” Provider.
This will leave the Credit Unassigned in the Account. You will still see a “$?” symbol on these payments in the Account as this payment sits Assigned to the Escrow Account Provider but not assigned to a Service.
On the day of treatment, open the Account, then do a Debit (“increase”) Adjustment using the newly created “Allocation of Deposit” Adjustment Type in the amount of the previous deposit. Because this Adjustment is impacts Collections, it will lower Collections on the day of service by the deposit amount. This gets “reversed in the next step.
Walkout the Service(s) as normal. In the Walkout use the Add Payment button. Post the Payment using the “Pretreatment Deposit” Payment Type in the same amount as the earlier Adjustment. In essence removed the Deposit from the “slush fund” and now you are transferring it to the Provider of Service reconciling Collections.
For offices who pay Associates on Collections. This Debit/Credit will allocate the Payment to the Associate doing the Service on the Date of Service.
On an account with a balance or with other “family” activity:
Be warned that this prepayment will exist as a credit balance on an entire Account. By default Eaglesoft will “try” to apply the credit toward other services or family members.
When you are doing a walkout for a Patient with a Deposit on Account, you MUST be sure NOT to assign that credit to Walkouts. The best way to do this would be to Post the Service then, in the walkout you’ll see a blue “more information” circle.
Double click on the blue circle. An Unassigned Credit widow will open. Uncheck the box on the left to unassign the Deposit credit from this walkout and finish the current Walkout.
DISCLAIMER:
This is a resource guide and all decisions on each dental office setup should remain the sole decision of the dentist/owner of the practice. Eaglesoft is a registered trademark of Patterson Dental Company. All other software or products mentioned are the property of their respective owners. Although Andre Shirdan was an employee of Patterson Dental, he is not associated with Eaglesoft or Patterson Dental Company or endorsed by Patterson or any other Company Mentioned in this blog.
