How To Create a Custom Fee Slip

 

When using the Appointment Reminder you have the ability to create and use a Fee Slip (or routing form, whatever your office calls this paper).  The top portion of the page is pre-programmed and fills in with basic patient and claim information.  For example, it will show the Patient Account Number, Patient Name, Practitioner with whom the patient is scheduled, Next Appointment (if one is on file), Birthday, visit counters, Insurance Carrier and Responsible Person on this claim.  It will also show the Diagnosis currently in this claim, Outstanding account balances, and all important date fields.  The middle part of the fee slip is designed to print the last SOAP note from the patient file (NOTE: If your office does not utilize the SOAP notes options, this area may be reclaimed for other uses).

 

The bottom third of the page is ready for you to design as your own fee slip.  You have the ability to make this as simple or as fancy as your time and energy permits.

 

Start by going to the Reports Menu.  I strongly suggest that you copy the default and rename your fee slip layout for safety sake.  Page down until you see the Fee Slip – Default line.  Click once to highlight this item.  Next click on [Add/Copy] at the bottom of the screen.  This will make a copy of this report.  Now, click on [Edit] at the bottom of the screen.  This will pull up a list of all of the TPS2000 report line.  Arrow down until you see the copy you just created (it will read Fee Slip – Default Copy 10/10/00 (today’s date)).  Change the name by typing over it.  I suggest the following name for the form:

          1 Fee Slip – Custom Layout

The number 1 in the front will make sure that when you are using the fee slips, this customized one you created is the one that will be the automatic selection.  Once you have changed the name, click on the X in the upper right hand corner to close the Edit screen.  You will now be back on the Reports Menu screen.  With your new fee slip highlighted, click on [Layout].  This will pull up a screen that looks something like the following:

 

 

 


You will start by selecting the boxes below the Detail bar.  You may use your mouse to “capture” all of these by clicking in the upper left corner of the first box and holding down the mouse button as you drag the mouse to the lower right hand corner of the last box then release.  Or, you may hold the SHIFT key down on the keyboard, then click once on each box.  Once all the boxes are marked (you will see small dots around the boxes), hit the DELETE key on your keyboard to remove these boxes.

 

You are now ready to begin.  At the top of the screen, you have File  Edit  View  Report  Window  Format.  Click on View.  Then again on Report Control Tool Bar.  This will bring up a tool bar that looks like this:


From here, you may, if you wish select frames for your columns or insert pictures.  You also have the [A] which will allow you to type in whatever you wish to see on the fee slip.  If you click on the [A], then click where you wish to start typing on the screen, you are ready to type.  Each time you click on [A] you create what is called a label.  Each label may then be formatted (you may bold, make the type larger or smaller, underline, etc).  So if you wanted Category headings to stand out, you might click the [A], click on the screen, type   OFFICE VISIT, then click somewhere else on the screen to END the label.  If you again click on the words OFFICE VISIT, you will see it select (place 4 small dots at each corner).  You may then click on Format and choose FONT.  Make this title BOLD and Underline then click OK.  You are ready to continue.  Click once again on [A], then on the screen in the next location to type.  You will continue in this manner until you have all of the information in place.

 

Once you have the layout on the screen, you need to understand the options available on the Report Controls Tool Bar.


You will see the Report Controls Tool Bar.  This box contains the following choices:


 “Select Objects”  Click on this choice and you may select areas.


“Label”    Click on this action, then click where you wish to start typing.  This will place your cursor ready for you.  Start typing in what you want.  There is a limitation on the amount that may be entered for each label selection, you have up to 251 characters.  After you have reached this amount, if you have more that needs to be typed, simply click again on the ‘A’ and start a new label area.


“Field”    This will allow you to enter a formula to pull a specific field from the TPS2000 program.  If you do not the formula needed, contact TPS2000 technical support and they will assist you.


Line”    This will allow you to draw a line on your form or report.  (TIP:  if you need a little help to keep you line straight…hold down the CTRL key then move your mouse to draw the line.  Even if you move it to the bottom of the screen, the line will remain straight!)

 


“Rectangle”   You will use this action to create a box for your form or report.

“Rounded Rectangle”  You will use this action to create a rounded corner box for your form or report.

 


“Picture/ActiveX bound control”   With this action you may import a file or a picture to your form or report.


“Lock”  This will lock in your command action so that you don’t need to keep clicking on it.  For example, if you are going to be creating a lot of lines, click the line control, then the lock.  You may now click and draw several lines until you unlock this action.

 

A sample of what can be done follows:

 

 

 


TIPS and TRICKS:

 

Once a label has been created and formatted, you may realign it by using the arrow keys on your key board. 

 

If you use the Square or Rounded Square boxes for your layout, you may setup one up first to the exact size and thickness you want, then copy it to the other columns.  Quick copy is to click on the box to highlight (you will see the dots around the box).  Hold down the CTRL key and press the “C” to copy to clipboard.  Then hold down the CTRL key and press the “V” to paste.  This will paste the copy slightly over the top of the original, use the arrow keys or your mouse to move to the correct location.

 

When formatting the font, you are not limited to the listed character sizes.  For example, if the smallest size for “Courier New” is 8 and you would like a bit smaller, type in 7 in the upper window.

 

 

REMEMBER –

1.       CPT codes may be insurance company specific, so you don’t want to place them on the fee slip.  In this way, the front desk will be less likely to make a billing mistake.   

2.                  Prices are not needed on the fee slip, if you do not give into temptation to add them, then you won’t have to pull up this form and correct them whenever you have a price change in your office.