What each operation does¶
This page is the catalog of buttons and automatic steps. For every operation it answers: who can do it, what happens, which status changes, and what a success or failure looks like.
If you only need the Monday morning ritual, start with Post a payment. Use this page when you want the full picture of a single click.
Nothing is written to Open Dental until Post payment (or a reject remark that you chose to send). Approve is not a post.
How to read this page¶
Each operation has:
| Heading | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Who | The permission (and typical role) that sees the button. |
| Writes to Open Dental? | Whether live charts can change. In Demo the answer is always no. |
| Status change | What the file row, patient row, or match status becomes. Full map: Statuses. |
| If it fails | The usual message and the next step. Open Dental API wording: Open Dental errors. |
1. Sign in¶
Who. Anyone with an account (or the Demo sample user).
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. You pick Demo or Actual, then prove who you are (Continue with Google, or username/email and password). Ordo loads the modules your role allows.
Status change. None on files. You land on the EOB Dashboard if you can see it.
Success. The sidebar shows your name, the mode (Demo or Actual), and the modules you can open.
Typical failures.
| You see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Wrong password / sign-in failed | Check username or email spelling, or use Forgot password?. |
| Waiting for access | You signed up, but no Owner has invited you yet. |
| No organization found for your account | Your login is not attached to a practice. Email help@perfect.ventures. |
Story: Sign in.
2. Upload EOBs¶
Who. Permission Upload EOBs (Owner, Admin by default).
Writes to Open Dental? No. The file is stored in Ordo only.
What happens.
- On the EOB Dashboard you open Upload EOB Documents.
- Choose a mode: Upload, Detect & upload, or Fill from sample.
- Drop a PDF, JPG, or PNG (or a filled sample for Fill from sample).
- With Detect & upload, review the detected payer and click Process EOB (or Later).
- Wait until the row is Extracted or Failed.
Status change (file).
Uploaded → Confirm layout (when a layout is detected) → Queued → Extracting → Extracted (ready) or Failed.
Plain Upload may sit at Uploaded until someone processes it from the row menu or inside the file.
Success. The row shows patient / claim / procedure counts. Example: Cigna_Remit_Aug24.pdf → 3 patients, 3 claims, 8 procedures.
Typical failures.
| You see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| You must be signed in to upload / Session expired | Sign in again, then drop the file. |
| Upload failed | The file did not save. Try once more; email help@perfect.ventures if it repeats. |
| Unsupported on detect | Layout not recognized. See supported layouts. |
| File stays Extracting | Reading is still running, or stuck. Refresh; wait a few minutes. |
Accepted types: PDF, JPG, and PNG (up to 50 MB). Prefer a text remittance from the payer portal; photos and scanned PDFs are read with on-server OCR. Layouts: What files and layouts Ordo reads.
2b. Confirm & process / Process EOB¶
Who. Permission Upload EOBs.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. After detect, the remittance type is known but patients are not extracted yet. You confirm from:
- The upload dialog — Process EOB / Process EOBs
- The dashboard row ⋯ menu — Process {payer} or Process EOB
- Inside the file — Confirm & process {payer}
Status change (file). Confirm layout → Queued / Extracting → Extracted or Failed.
Success. Same as a finished extraction: patient counts on the row.
If it fails. Same extraction messages as below. The file may return to Failed; re-upload or ask support with the EOB ID.
3. Extraction (automatic)¶
You do not click this. It starts after you confirm process (or when a file is already queued for reading).
Who. The system.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. Ordo opens the file, uses the detected remittance layout (you do not pick a carrier), and pulls out patients, claims, procedure codes, and plan covered amounts. Text PDFs are read directly. JPG/PNG images and scanned PDFs (no selectable text) go through on-server OCR first. Catalog: What files and layouts Ordo reads.
Status change (file).
While it runs: Extracting (extraction status Processing).
When it finishes: Extracted (extraction Completed), or Failed (extraction Failed).
Success. Patients appear when you open the file. Extraction does not fetch Open Dental. That is a separate click.
Typical failures.
| You see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| We don't read this layout yet / Unsupported EOB format | This printed template is not read yet. See supported layouts. Post that check in Open Dental by hand. Archive the failed file so it does not sit in Failed. |
| OCR ran but found little readable text / older OCR is not supported / Need a text PDF from the portal | A photo or scan was unreadable, or an older failed job still shows the old wording. Try a clearer image or a text PDF from the payer portal. |
| No claims extracted / Recognised this as … but found no claims or procedures / No claims found on this file | Layout matched but no claim lines were found. Re-export a clean PDF from the payer portal. |
| Could not download EOB file | The stored file could not be opened. Email help@perfect.ventures with the EOB ID. |
A notification such as “extraction finished” or “extraction failed” may appear if your practice enabled it.
4. Open a file¶
Who. Permission EOB dashboard (view).
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. You click a dashboard row and see the patient list for that remittance.
Status change. None. Opening is always safe.
Success. You see names, amounts, and a review status on each row. Download EOB and Workflow guide sit in the header.
Download original EOB¶
Who. Anyone who can see the file on the Dashboard or inside the EOB.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. The original uploaded PDF or image is saved to your computer. This is the remittance you dropped, not an Ordo spreadsheet export.
Where. Dashboard row menu → Download EOB, or the Download EOB button on Inside an EOB.
Status change. None.
Success toast. EOB downloaded.
Typical failure. Download failed / Could not download EOB file — the stored file is missing. Email help@perfect.ventures with the EOB ID. Do not attach the whole remittance unless we ask.
5. Fetch Open Dental¶
This is the most important habit after upload.
Who. Anyone who can open the file (you need patients selected).
Writes to Open Dental? No. Fetch reads charts. It does not post money.
What happens.
- Tick one or more patients.
- Click Fetch Open Dental.
- Wait for Fetching from Open Dental… (spinner on the button and on the Open Dental tab).
- In Actual, Ordo looks up those names in Open Dental (via the API), copies matching patients / claims / procedure lines into Ordo’s replica, then scores claim candidates.
- In Demo, Ordo uses sample charts. You still must click Fetch.
Status change (patient row).
| Before | After a successful fetch |
|---|---|
| Not fetched | Needs review if candidates exist, No match if none, Failed if the call errored |
The file stays Extracted. Fetch does not change the file-level status.
Success toast (example). Fetched Open Dental for 2 patients — 2 OD patients · 3 claims.
Typical failures.
| You see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Nothing new to fetch | Those patients were already fetched. Use Refetch if you need a fresh copy. |
| Open Dental is not connected… | An Admin must save the customer key and Test under Clinic settings → PMS Integrations. |
| No Open Dental patients matched the EOB names | The replica search found nobody with those names. On the Open Dental tab use Find possible patients (DOB / similar names) instead of only fixing spelling. You can still correct a misread PDF on EOB Review, then fetch again. |
| Open Dental fetch failed / Open Dental API 401… | The wire to Open Dental failed. See Open Dental errors. |
| Patient row Failed | Fetch recorded an error on that person. Read the remark; retry fetch. |
Do not skip Fetch
Opening a patient before Fetch only shows the EOB. The Open Dental tab looks empty. That is expected, not a bug.
You can fetch again later (Refetch) if someone just entered a claim in Open Dental and you need a fresh copy.
6. Refetch Open Dental¶
Who. Same as Fetch.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. Same as Fetch, but only for patients that were already fetched. Use this after a chart change in Open Dental, or after you edited a name on EOB Review.
Status change. The patient row is re-scored. An old Approved match is not automatically undone by refetch — if the chart changed after approve, Post payment will stop and ask you to review again.
Typical failure. Nothing to refetch — you selected people who have never been fetched. Use Fetch instead.
7. Edit extracted data (EOB Review)¶
Who. Permission Edit extracted data.
Writes to Open Dental? No. You are correcting what Ordo read from the PDF.
What happens. On EOB Review, you fix a name, date, code, or amount that the reader got slightly wrong.
Status change. The extracted fields update. Match status may still say Pending or Needs review until you Fetch (or refetch) so scoring uses the new values.
Success. Example: MARIA SANT0S (zero) becomes SANTOS. After refetch, name similarity rises and Approve may become available.
Typical failure. The save did not complete (session or permission). Sign in again. Confirm your role includes edit.
8. Approve match¶
Who. Permission Approve match.
Writes to Open Dental? No. This only locks the selected Open Dental claim inside Ordo.
What happens.
- On the Open Dental tab, you select a candidate (the recommended one is pre-selected when Ordo is confident).
- You confirm it is not a Hard mismatch.
- You click Approve match.
- Ordo stores a push package — a snapshot of the procedure amounts it will write later. Nothing is sent to Open Dental yet.
Status change.
| Where | Becomes |
|---|---|
| Patient row | Approved |
| Match | Approved |
| Push package | Approved (ready to post) |
Success toast. Match approved — Claim 18421 → OD 18421. Nothing posted yet.
Typical failures.
| You see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Button missing | Your role does not include Approve. |
| Button disabled | No candidate, already approved, already posted, or Hard mismatch. |
| Pick a candidate without a hard mismatch | The selected claim failed identity checks. Open Audit, pick another claim, or reject. |
| Cannot approve a hard-mismatch candidate | Same rule, from the server. |
| EOB claim not found. Refetch Open Dental… | Fetch again, then approve. |
| That Open Dental claim is no longer a valid match… | The replica changed. Refetch, then approve again. |
| Approve failed | Session, permission, or server. Try once; then email help@perfect.ventures. |
9. Reject match¶
Who. Permission Reject match.
Writes to Open Dental? Usually no. If you tick Add remark to Open Dental and type a note, Ordo may write that note onto a procedure (Note) so the reason is not lost. The money is still not posted. If that note write fails, the reject in Ordo still succeeds.
What happens. The current match is discarded. The patient is not posted.
Status change.
| Where | Becomes |
|---|---|
| Patient row | Rejected |
| Match | Rejected |
| Push package (if one was approved) | Rejected |
Success. Toast Match rejected. If you sent a remark: Remark written to Open Dental or Remark saved in Ordo.
Typical failures.
| You see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Enter a remark, or uncheck Add remark | You ticked the box but left it blank. |
| Reject failed | The Ordo save did not complete. Try once. |
| Unavailable after Posted | You cannot reject a successful post. |
10. Post payment¶
Who. Permission Post payment. Disabled until the match is Approved. After a successful post it is off.
Writes to Open Dental? Yes in Actual when connected. In Demo it is a simulation.
What happens in Actual (the real write). Ordo talks to Open Dental in this order:
- Re-reads the claim procedure lines. If they changed since approve (amount, code, or a line disappeared), it stops and asks you to review again.
- Updates each matched procedure that is not already on a check: insurance paid amount (
InsPayAmt), status Received, and your line remark if you typed one. If the line is already on a check with the same amount, Ordo skips that write. - If other procedure lines on that claim are still NotReceived (for example a replacement code that was not on this remittance), Ordo sets those leftovers to Received @ $0 so Open Dental will accept the claim as Received.
- Marks the claim Received (
ClaimStatusR) and sets the date received. - Creates an insurance claim payment (the check) if one does not already exist, and returns a claim payment number when the API does.
- Double-checks that the amounts now sitting in Open Dental match what Ordo intended.
Status change.
| Result | Patient / match | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Success — new write | Posted | Money is on the claim. Remarks become read-only. Post payment is off. |
| Success — same amounts already on a ClaimPayment | Already Posted | Not a failure. Ordo skipped the write. Same locks as Posted. |
| Chart changed, or an attached check has a different amount | Needs review (match: push requires review) | Fetch, read the lines, approve again, post once. |
| Real API / network failure | Needs review (match: push failed) | Approve again, then post. Check the chart first. |
Success popup. Posted to Open Dental with ClaimPaymentNum when Ordo wrote a new payment, or Already Posted when Open Dental already had matching amounts on a check. Failed posts open a popup with the error and View audit (the patient’s Audit tab). Keep the claim payment number if the dentist asks “did it really post?”
Typical failures.
| You see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open Dental changed since approval | Someone (or another process) edited the claim after you approved. Do not post blindly. Fetch, confirm, approve, post once. |
| Open Dental is not connected… | Connect and Test first. |
| Cannot post payment: Open Dental ClaimNum is missing | The match snapshot has no claim number. Reject, fetch, approve again. |
| Push package not found / documentId and an approved push package are required | Approve again, then post. |
| Already Posted (success, not an error) | Open Dental already had matching amounts on a check. You are done. |
| Post payment failed / Push failed / Open Dental API 400… | A real write failure. Look in Open Dental first. If the money already matches the EOB, Ordo should show Already Posted on retry — not Failed. If the amount is different, fetch and review. Decoder: Open Dental errors. |
11. Archive and restore (file)¶
Who. Permission Archive.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. Archive hides the remittance from Active and from Posting Analytics. Restore (from the Archived tab) puts it back. Nothing is deleted.
Status change (file). Archived, or back to its previous working status (usually Extracted).
When to use it. Duplicate uploads, test files, remittances you will not post.
12. Archive a patient (not the whole file)¶
Who. Permission Archive, on the Patients list.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. That person drops off the Patients Active list. The rest of the remittance stays.
Status change. That patient row is archived (overlay). Use this for a duplicate extraction, not for “we posted her.” Posted patients stay posted; archive is about clutter.
13. Test Open Dental connection¶
Who. Permission Manage PMS integrations (Owner / Admin). Clinic settings → PMS Integrations.
Writes to Open Dental? No. Ordo only reads a small claim list (GET /claims with status Sent) to prove the keys work.
What happens. Ordo sends your developer key (held by Ordo) and customer key (your practice) to the Open Dental API.
Status change. Connection tested (success) or failed. Last test is recorded in Audit and API Logs.
Success toast. Connected to Open Dental API.
Typical failures.
| You see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Add the clinic customer key… | Paste the practice key, then Test. |
| The Ordo developer key is not configured… | Ordo staff must add it under Administrator. Not something a Reviewer can fix. |
| Connection test failed / Open Dental API 401… | Keys, eConnector, or permissions. See Open Dental errors. |
14. Save Open Dental connection¶
Who. Manage PMS integrations.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. The customer key and API URL are stored for this clinic. Saving does not require a successful Test — you can save keys that are not registered in Open Dental yet. Test is still how you know the key works before Fetch and Post.
Success. Toast such as Open Dental saved for Bright Smile Dental, or Open Dental keys saved. Test when the keys are registered in Open Dental.
15. Sync (refresh the replica)¶
Who. Manage PMS integrations. Clinic settings → PMS Integrations → Sync. (Fetch on a file is a patient-scoped sync plus match. This Sync is the clinic-wide refresh.)
Writes to Open Dental? No. Read-only copy into Ordo.
What happens. Ordo copies patients, claims, and procedure lines it needs for matching. Matching itself still waits until someone clicks Fetch Open Dental on a file.
Status change. Last sync time and counts update. A failed sync stores an error on the connection (visible on PMS Integrations).
Success. Something like Synced 120 patients, 40 claims.
Typical failures.
| You see | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Open Dental is not connected… | Save keys and Test first. |
| Open Dental returned no Sent or Waiting claims | The office has no claims in those statuses for the sync to copy. Confirm claims exist in Open Dental. |
| Open Dental sync failed / Open Dental API 400… | eConnector, keys, or timeout. See Open Dental errors. |
Until Sync (or Fetch) has succeeded at least once, matching has nothing to compare against.
16. Export¶
Who. Anyone who can see the current list (Dashboard, Patients, inside an EOB, Posting Analytics, fee schedules, depending on the screen).
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. Downloads the current filtered view, not the entire history.
Status change. None.
17. Run payment analysis (inside an EOB)¶
Who. Anyone who can open the EOB (View dashboard).
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. On the file’s Payment Analysis tab, Run analysis / Run again compares each procedure’s paid amount with the contracted fee for that insurer and date of service. The result is saved with the fee schedules used and the time. A patient’s Payment Analysis tab loads the saved result, or runs on first open; Refresh recalculates. Details: Payment Analysis inside an EOB.
Status change. None to the file or patient. Gaps of $10 or 5% and up become work items (status Needs review).
18. Review an underpayment¶
Who. Permission Edit extracted data.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. Review on a flagged line opens Underpayment review. Pick Confirm Underpayment, Valid Adjustment, Fee Schedule Incorrect, Not an Underpayment, or Needs Manual Review, and type a reason.
Status change (work item). From Needs review to the decision you picked. It leaves the default list in Payment Analytics → Remittances.
19. Submit a fetch job (Historical Analysis / Missing Posting)¶
Who. Permission View analytics.
Writes to Open Dental? No — it only reads claims.
What happens. Pulls claims from Open Dental in the background: Received claims for up to 30 days (Historical), or Sent and Received claims for one day (Missing Posting). You then pick the finished job and Run analysis. Details: Analytics.
Status change (job). Queued → Fetching → Complete, Partially complete, or Failed. Archive hides a job for good. Finished jobs are removed after 90 days.
20. Add a fee schedule or date map¶
Who. Permission Manage fee schedules.
Writes to Open Dental? No. (Fetch fees reads an Open Dental fee schedule.)
What happens. Clinic settings → Insurance → an insurer (or Office Fee / UCR). Add fee schedule saves a list of CDT fees; Add date map says which dates it covers. Overlapping ranges for one insurer are refused. Details: Fee schedules and date maps.
Status change. None. Re-run payment analysis afterwards — saved results keep the fees they were calculated with.
Pocket map — operations vs Open Dental¶
| Operation | Reads Open Dental | Writes Open Dental |
|---|---|---|
| Upload / extract / edit EOB | No | No |
| Fetch / Refetch / Sync / Test | Yes | No |
| Download original EOB | No | No |
| Approve match | No | No |
| Reject match | Only if you send a remark | Note only, not money |
| Post payment | Yes (to verify) | Yes — amounts, claim received, claim payment |
| Payment analysis / review an underpayment | Ordo’s copy only | No |
| Fetch job / Fetch fees | Yes | No |
| Fee schedules and date maps | No | No |