Patients · Responsible Party
Understanding the Responsible Party #
A responsible party or guarantor is the person or entity financially responsible under the account arrangement. This is not automatically the same person as the insurance subscriber.
Before you begin #
- Confirm the patient and case you are reviewing.
- Separate the concepts of patient, subscriber, and guarantor before changing data.
- Use your practice’s approved billing information when deciding who is financially responsible.
What to do #
- Open the intended patient and review the current case.
- Identify who is listed or documented as financially responsible for the account.
- Compare that information with the subscriber and patient information rather than assuming they match.
- Correct only information that your practice has verified.
- Save the patient record when a change is actually required.
Verify before you finish #
- The responsible party belongs to the correct patient/case.
- The responsible party is not being confused with the insurance payer.
- The guarantor/subscriber distinction is clear in the account information.
Important
A subscriber is the person under whose insurance coverage the patient is enrolled. A guarantor is the party financially responsible under the account arrangement. They can be the same person, but Phoenix users should not assume that they are.
Related information #
When the same information affects insurance, scheduling, or billing, review the patient’s current case and the related Phoenix Help articles before changing unrelated records.