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Overview of Close Out Feature

Faris Peerukannu Mohamed Kasim
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The 'Close Out' feature in CareStack is a system state that locks updates and deletions to certain items prior to the chosen Close Out date. For example, if you closed out for the previous month, you would not be able to make changes to procedures and such that occurred before the current month.

Every practice has the option of whether or not they want to use this feature. Also, be sure to avoid mistakes while utilizing this feature, as correcting those would be difficult.

Note: The Close Out enabled for your practice can be of two types: Account Close Out or Location Close Out. If you wish to change the type of Close Out enabled for your practice, contact support at support@carestack.com.

Topics Covered

  • Initiate a Pending Close Out
  • Finalize a Close Out
  • View Close Out History
  • Configure Auto Close Settings
  • Revoke a Close Out
  • Manage Permissions

Explore this video for an in-depth walkthrough.

To initiate a Close Out, perform the steps below.

  • Navigate to the System Menu > Close Out under Billing.

On the Location Close Out section:

  • Select the Location.
  • Enter the Close Out Date.
  • Select the Close Out Status as Pending.
  • Enter Closing Remarks to indicate why it is being initiated.
  • Click Initiate Pending Close Out.

  • Click Yes on the Confirmation modal.

Note: The following are the items that will be affected during the Close Out period:

  1. Deletion of receipts: Deletion of receipts whose payment date precedes the close out date will not be possible.
  2. Backdated addition of receipts: Backdating payment receipts for a date preceding close out will not be possible.
  3. Payable modification: Payable modification for procedure codes that are checked out and whose date of service is before the close out date will not be possible.
  4. Appointment details update: Modification of appointment details for appointments scheduled before the close out date will not be possible.
  5. Checkout of procedure codes: Procedure codes cannot be checked out on dates preceding the close out date.
  6. Procedure code details update: Modification of procedure code details for codes that are checked out and whose date of service precedes the close out date will not be possible.
  7. Deletion of checked out codes: Deletion of procedure codes checked out before the close out date will not be possible.
  8. Codes with a Completed status dated on or before the close out date cannot be changed to Proposed. Attempting a change will trigger a warning for codes locked by close out, in addition to other existing restrictions.

To finalize a Close Out, perform the steps below.

  • Select the Date and Location as needed.
  • Select the Close Out Status as Finalized.
  • Enter Closing Remarks > click Finalize Close Out.

  • You can also finalize a Close Out from All Close Out Details. Click Finalize on the intended Close Out from the grid.

To view the close out history, perform the steps below.

  • To see all Close Out history, click All Close Out Details.
  • You can see information such as the previous close out period, the users who Initiated and Finalized it, the close out Status and Closing Remarks.
  • You can select multiple items and perform bulk actions such as Revoke, Reject, or Finalize.

Practices can set an automated Close Out to help protect financial data by automatically processing a pending close out for transactions after a set period of time. Super Admins can override this when necessary and manually finalize transactions as usual.

  • Click on Auto Close Settings.
  • Click Edit.
  • Select the Location from the dropdown menu.
  • Enter the Close Out Interval.
  • Click Save.
  • Once Auto Close Out is enabled, you will see a banner on the Close Out page stating 'Pending Close Out is initiated automatically every day for records that are (X) days in the past.'
  • An entry will be created under Pending Close Out each time the system initiates Auto Close Out.
    • Review and take any necessary action as needed.

To terminate the saved auto close out settings,

  • Click Edit.
  • Select Terminate.
  • Click Proceed on the Confirm Termination pop-up.

If you need to revoke a Close Out for codes or insurance, follow these steps:

  • Navigate to the System Menu > Close Out under Billing.

  • Select the All Close Out Details tab below.
  • Locate the Close Out with the Finalized status you need to revoke.
  • Click Revoke next to the entry.

  • Click Yes on the warning modal to proceed.

Watch this video for a step-by-step explanation.

To enable Permissions for Close Out, 

  • Navigate to the System Menu > select Practice Settings > Administration > Profiles.

  • Click Manage Permissions on the intended profile.

  • Select General.

  • Under Close Out, select the relevant boxes to activate the required permissions.
    • View Close Out Details: Allows you to view previous close out details.
    • Initiate Close Out: Allows you to initiate a new close out.
    • Finalize/Reject Close Out: Allows you to finalize/reject a close out.
    • Revoke Close Out: Allows you to revoke a close out.
    • Allow Backdated Code Checkout During Pending Close Out: Allows you to add/checkout codes during pending close out.
    • Override Pending Close Out: Allows you to override pending close out
  • Click Save.
  • On the Confirm Action modal that appears, click Yes to proceed.
  • A toast notification appears on the top right stating, 'Profile updated successfully'.

Practices can use this simple guide to learn how to initiate a pending close out, finalize or revoke a close out, view close out history, and configure auto close settings in CareStack. 

Click here to explore the complete list of permissions and their descriptions. 

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