Overview

This article is meant specifically for users with Propelr, Bluefin or Stripe integrations.


Follow the steps below to issue a refund to the patient's credit card for payments processed in Cerbo. Note that you will refund directly from the patient's chart in Cerbo; NOT in the separate interface for the merchant services processor that you use (Propelr, Bluefin or Stripe). 


Here is a short video on how to refund a payment and then re-allocate the funds.



Typically, the steps to process a refund are:

  1. Refund the payment
  2. Mark the applicable charge(s) as voided
  3. (in the case of a partial payment refund) Re-allocate the non-refunded portion toward outstanding charges.


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Details

If a patient overpays, returns an item that is eligible for a refund, or you otherwise need to process a refund to their credit card, you can do so via Cerbo for payments processed in the EHR. 

This is done by right clicking on the applicable Credit/ Payment (not the charge) and selecting the Refund option. 

Then, if needed, you can void or adjust the corresponding charge(s) to fix the account balance.


1. Refund the payment

  1. In either the billing block, or the Charges/Payments box inside an encounter note, right-click on the applicable Credit / Payment (NOT the charge) and click the Refund option.
  2. Select Partial Refund or Full Refund, as applicable and finalize the refund by entering the necessary information.


This will un-allocate the payment from any charges in full (even if you are doing a partial refund). So the account will look like it has a balance owing. If that is not correct, you will follow the steps below to adjust the affected charges as applicable. 


Note that Debit card transactions can only be refunded before they settle. To refund a Debit card transaction after it has settled, you would need to reach out to Bluefin support.


For partial refunds, you will need to take the extra step (outlined below) to re-allocate the remaining payment amount.


If the refund is due to the patient wanting to change the payment card, then the refund is complete after this step. You would just take the payment via the correct card, and apply that toward charges as needed.


2. Adjust specific charge(s) (if applicable)

If the refund is due to a return or overcharge, and no additional payment is due on those specific charges, then you will adjust the charge(s) accordingly.


To void a charge in full, right-click on the charge name and select Mark as Refunded/Voided.


If you are also putting a returned item back in your inventory, you will want to select the option to restock the item to inventory.

For any charge that should be partially voided (for example, where the patient purchased 2 bottles of a supplement and is returning 1), you can right click on that charge and Edit the quantity, charge amount, discount, etc. as needed.




***FAQ: Why doesn't the system automatically adjust the charge amount when I refund the payment?


Answer: The system does not know if you are refunding the payment, for example, because the patient wants to pay with a different card (in which case the original charges should not be adjusted), or because the patient is returning an item for a full refund (in which case the original charge should be adjusted). So the charges are left intact and you choose what to do based on the circumstances of the refund.


For a partial refund, re-allocate the non-refunded portion back to outstanding charges


In the case of a partial refund, you may need to take an additional step of re-allocating the part of the payment that was not refunded. You can do this by clicking on the plus icon in the Charges block in a SOAP note or in the yellow Billing Block, and selecting "Apply Credit" (if the Apply Credit button is greyed out, it means there is no credit available to apply and this step is not necessary).


Refund a Credit Card Payment via Check

In some cases, you will want to refund the patient via check, rather than refunding their credit card. For example, if the credit card has expired or has been removed from the patient's chart, you cannot issue the refund to the payment card. In that case you would:

  1. Look at the specific charges that the refund applies to. 
    • If the charge(s) are being refunded in full, then right click on each charge name in the billing history and click on Mark as Refunded/ Voided.
    • If any charge(s) are being refunded in part, then right click on each charge and select the Edit option. Then edit the charge quantity and/ or price as applicable.
  2. Enter the refund as an Adjustment charge. An Adjustment is a built-in charge that can be negative (representing cash flow to the practice from the patient's account) or positive (representing cash flow to the patient's account from the practice). You will want to enter a positive (no minus sign - you don't need to add a plus sign) amount for your Adjustment in the amount of the refund. This will offset the positive credit balance in their account from voiding/ editing charges in in step 1 above. Add a note about why you are making this adjustment, with the check number if desired.
  3. Separately write them the check for the refund or otherwise issue the refund to the patient outside of Cerbo.


Other keywords: Chargeback voiding returns inventory