> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.matter-vault.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bills, Payments & Negotiations

> Recording a bill, logging payments, and negotiating reductions.

<Frame caption="A bill with its payments and negotiation moves">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/layereightconsulting/9BOb40_avDa4FqlH/images/pi-guide/medical/add-bill-form.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=9BOb40_avDa4FqlH&q=85&s=0b7bee68aa2d62690646fe3f17f1ded8" alt="Adding a bill" width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/pi-guide/medical/add-bill-form.png" />
</Frame>

Each provider's bills are where the medical specials come from. A bill carries its own records, its payment history, and any reduction negotiation with the provider.

## Recording a Bill

The bill form captures the dates of service, the amount billed, insurance paid, and any adjustment — with the **balance** calculated for you. You can also record lien details, an agreed payoff to the provider at settlement, and a status such as pending, verified, reduced, or paid.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The full list of bill fields" icon="file-invoice-dollar">
    * **Future care estimate** — a checkbox marking this as a projection, not an actual invoice.
    * **Provider** and **treating physician**.
    * **Dates of service**, **billed**, **insurance paid**, **adjustment**, and the computed **balance**.
    * **Lien amount**, an **on-lien** flag, and an **agreed payoff** (what you'll pay the provider at settlement).
    * **Status** and **notes**.
    * **Balance verification** date and **retrieval cost**.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Payments

Expand a bill to see its **Payments** panel. Each payment records its date, amount, source (settlement, health insurance, Medicare, Medicaid, client out-of-pocket, or other), an optional method and reference, and notes. Payments reduce the bill's balance and feed the provider and case "Paid" totals.

## Negotiating a Reduction

The **Negotiation moves** panel tracks your back-and-forth with the provider over reducing the bill. You log each move — an offer or a counter, from your firm or the provider, with an amount and a response-due date — and the panel tracks whose move is active.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the negotiation">
    Add the firm's opening offer to start the chain.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Log each move">
    Record offers and counters as they happen, with amounts and dates.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Close it out">
    When the provider's move is the one you're accepting, click **Accept** — or **Reject** to close with no deal. You can reopen later if talks resume.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Accepting a move sets the provider's **agreed payoff** to that amount, which becomes the figure the Settlement tab uses for this provider. If there's no accepted payoff, settlement falls back to your reduction-target percentage instead.