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Module 6 · Payment Posting & Accounts Receivable
Lesson 1 of 5

Payment Posting Fundamentals

Payment posting turns payer and patient payment information into accurate account balances. The goal is not simply to record cash; it is to post each payment and adjustment to the correct claim, service line and responsibility bucket.

Intermediate18-22 minFree lesson

What payment posting does

After a payer adjudicates a claim, the remittance advice explains what was paid, adjusted, denied or assigned to another responsibility. Payment posting applies that information to the billing system so the remaining balance reflects the payer decision accurately.

Payment

Money received from an insurer, patient or other source and applied to the appropriate account or service.

Adjustment

A non-cash change to the balance, such as a contractual adjustment or other remittance adjustment supported by the payer response.

Transfer

Moving a supported remaining balance to the next responsible party, such as a secondary payer or patient.

Typical posting sequence

Identify payment→Match remit→Post by claim/line→Apply adjustments→Assign balance→Reconcile batch

Accuracy checks

  • Confirm payer, payment date and total amount.
  • Match the payment to the correct ERA, EOB or other remittance.
  • Post line-level amounts when the remit reports line-level adjudication.
  • Use the remittance reason and group information when applying adjustments.
  • Confirm the posted batch total equals the source payment/remittance total.
Key principle: A posted account should tell the same financial story as the remittance. Unsupported write-offs or responsibility transfers can create compliance, collection and reporting problems.

Quick knowledge check

Is a contractual adjustment the same as a cash payment?

No. A payment represents money received; an adjustment changes the balance without representing cash received.

Why reconcile the posting batch?

To confirm the amounts posted in the billing system match the source payment and remittance.

What happens if a payment is posted to the wrong claim?

Account balances and follow-up work become inaccurate and may lead to incorrect patient or payer billing.

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Training note: This material is for education and staff development. Payer rules, plan benefits, coding guidance, contracts and regulations change; learners should verify current requirements with authoritative payer, CMS and coding resources when performing real billing work.