By the end, you will know whether the item needs a billing correction, a payer follow-up or no further action. That gives your team a useful work list instead of an unexplained total. A name on the report is a starting point for a check, not proof that someone needs to pay again.
Open the right list
Use your own staff account with access to the billing records you need. Jane's staff access guide explains how roles and billing permissions affect what you can see. If the report or invoice is unavailable, ask your clinic's account administrator to review your access.
In Reports → Accounts Receivable:
- Filter by location or staff member if you are reviewing that part of the clinic. Leave those filters broad for a clinic-wide check.
- Set account type to patient or insurance, depending on whose balance you are reviewing.
- Set the date to today for current follow-up.
- Click one patient or insurer name to open the outstanding invoices behind the total.
A past date shows what was outstanding then. Use current records before requesting payment. Jane documents the filters and account links in its Accounts Receivable report guide.
Check the invoice and who is responsible
Choose one invoice. Confirm the visit or purchase date, the current amount outstanding and who it is billed to.
On a patient's profile, Private Outstanding refers to patient invoices; Claims Outstanding refers to unpaid insurer invoices. For an insurer account, open Billing → Insurer Invoices and choose the insurer to see unpaid invoices and available credit. Jane explains both in its balance investigation guide.
Before contacting anyone, read the relevant billing or claim notes for any payment arrangement, dispute or follow-up already in progress. If insurer processing or responsibility is unclear, give that question to the person who handles the claim. Do not assume an unpaid insurer invoice should be collected from the patient.
Check payments and credits
The A/R report does not subtract patient account credits. Open Reports → Credit Report as well, as Jane recommends in its A/R guide.
A payment can have been collected without being applied to the invoice. Jane explains that an unapplied payment remains as account credit.
For a patient balance, open Patient's Profile → Billing → Payments and use the Balance Remaining filter to find unapplied payment amounts. Check Patient's Profile → Billing → Credit Memos for credit memos too.
If a payment may have been recorded outside Jane, or you cannot match a payment to this invoice, have the biller check the clinic's payment or deposit record before requesting payment. Do the same if a patient has reported paying and you cannot find the payment in Jane.
The Credit Report always shows current available credits, even when you select a past date. Do not treat it as a historical match for an older A/R report. These paths and the date limit are documented in Jane's credit investigation guide.
If a credit should cover this invoice, have the authorized billing person confirm the match and follow Jane's steps for applying a patient credit to a specific invoice. Recheck the balance afterward.
Invented example: An invoice appears unpaid, but the patient's payment is still sitting as credit. The next step is to check that the payment belongs to this invoice and have it applied correctly. Asking the patient to pay again would skip that check.
Choose the next action
Choose the next step under your clinic's billing policy.
| What you found | Next action |
|---|
| A payment or credit may cover the invoice | Assign the billing check before requesting payment. |
| The insurer is responsible, or claim processing needs clarification | Assign the claim follow-up to the biller who handles that insurer. The insurance claim follow-up steps cover what to check and record. |
| A verified patient balance remains after the checks | Use your clinic's approved contact method. Explain the invoice and checked balance, and give the patient a way to ask questions. |
| The invoice, amount or responsibility is disputed or unclear | Assign the clarification and hold the payment request until it is resolved. |
Leave an owner and a date
Record the following in your clinic's approved billing or follow-up record:
- Reference: the account and invoice you checked.
- Checked on: the review date.
- Finding: what the invoice, payments, credits and payer check showed.
- Next action: the specific check, correction or contact needed.
- Owner: the person responsible for doing it.
- Next review: the date you will check the outcome.
Keep patient details within the clinic's approved records. If your clinic uses tasks on insurance claims, Jane's claim task guide explains how to turn a claim note into a task, assign a staff member and set a due date.
Finish with an explained balance and a clear next step where one is needed: an owner, the specific action and a review date. At the next review, check the invoice again and record whether the question was resolved or payment was received. A completed call or task is not evidence that the invoice has been paid.
Sources
Official Jane guides checked on October 2, 2026:
Rob SaricCo-founder & CEO at Caretrics