In early 2022 R1 Update versions if you tried to make an Unpaid Patient Claim you would get a 9202 error about the PatientContribAmount not being long enough.
This is because the amount is 0 for an unpaid claim.
Due to a last-minute change, this was sent as zero instead of a null value, which then causes the error.
We have since fixed the bug, and it is available in a newer update.
One way around this issue is to avoid submitting Unpaid Patient Claims.
This is because it is rarely beneficial to do so for you or the patient.
For you, it is much better to get an upfront payment, and the patient to receive an immediate rebate.
Even where there is a financial hardship for the patient, again we would suggest it would be better if you did not submit it until they could either pay it in full or pay a gap payment.
Basically, you would create the invoice as unpaid and *untick* the Medicare Online box in the billing screen. Then once they had made a payment (full or gap) you could use Invoice Copies and highlight their claim and Submit Claim.
If it is fully paid, the rebate goes straight to the patient.
Another alternative for hardship patients is of course to provide a bulk bill service, which would pay the provider much more quickly.