BestNotes: Creating and Combining Per Diem Claims (Calendar Method)

When billing for per diem (daily rate) services, you can combine multiple individual dates of service onto a single CMS-1500 claim form. This consolidates your billing, reduces clearinghouse transaction fees, and ensures a cleaner submission process.

Step 1: Check-In and Check-Out Calendar Appointments

Before a daily charge can be pulled into a claim, it must generate "ledger content" by completing the appointment cycle on the calendar.

1. Navigate to the Calendar and locate the client's per diem appointments.
2. Right-click (or click) the first appointment and select Check-In.
3. Right-click the appointment again and select Check-Out (the status will update to On Check-Out).
4. Repeat this process for every individual day of service you want to include on the combined claim.

Step 2: Open the Claims Manager from the Client Chart

Once the ledger data is generated, you will combine the lines inside the client's record.

1. Click on the client’s name to open their Client Chart.
2. Locate the client's name at the top left of the screen. Inline with their name, click the small icon labeled Claims Manager.

Step 3: Bundle Charges into a New CMS-1500 Claim

1. In the Claims Manager window, click the New Claim button in the top right.
2. Check the Claim Type: If the form defaults to an UB04, click the Claim Type dropdown at the top left and switch it to 1500.
3. Verify Demographics: BestNotes will automatically pull over the facility info, patient demographics, insurance details, and primary diagnoses.
4. Select Providers: Use the dropdown menus to select the appropriate Billing Provider, Rendering Provider, and Supervisor (if applicable).
5. Verify Service Lines: Scroll down to the Services section. You should see all of your checked-out calendar days listed as individual line items.
6. Click Save & Close at the top of the form, then click OK on the confirmation pop-up.

Step 4: Release the Combined Claim

1. You will be returned to the Claims Manager screen, where the combined claim will now be visible under the Pending list.
2. Note that all individual dates of service are now neatly rolled up into one single claim total instead of multiple distinct files.
3. Check the box on the far left next to the claim.
4. Click Release Selected at the top left to send the bundled claim out to your integrated billing partner.

Troubleshooting & Quick Tips

• Charges missing from the list? Double-check the calendar to ensure every date of service was fully checked out.