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 (password or email code). 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 |
|---|---|
| Invalid or expired code | The email code was wrong or too old. Request a new one. |
| 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. Contact Ordo. |
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.
- You drop a PDF (or TIFF / PNG / JPEG) on the EOB Dashboard.
- Ordo saves the file and starts reading it (extraction).
- You wait until the row is Extracted or Failed.
Status change (file).
Uploaded → Queued → Extracting → Extracted (ready) or Failed.
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; contact Ordo if it repeats. |
| File stays Extracting | Reading is still running, or stuck. Refresh; wait a few minutes. |
Accepted types: PDF, TIFF, PNG, JPEG. Reading today understands Cigna Dental standard remittances.
3. Extraction (automatic)¶
You do not click this. It starts after upload.
Who. The system.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. Ordo opens the PDF, looks for a Cigna Dental layout, and pulls out patients, claims, procedure codes, and plan covered amounts.
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 |
|---|---|
| Unsupported EOB format — expected Cigna Dental standard layout | This layout is not read yet. Post that check in Open Dental by hand. Archive the failed file so it does not sit in Failed. |
| No claims extracted / Parsed as Cigna Dental but found no claims or procedures | Layout looked Cigna-ish 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. Contact Ordo 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.
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.
- 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 → Integrations. |
| No Open Dental patients matched the EOB names | The replica search found nobody with those names. Check spelling on EOB Review, then fetch again. Search Open Dental yourself. |
| 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 contact Ordo. |
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.
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: insurance paid amount (
InsPayAmt), status Received, and your line remark if you typed one. - Marks the claim Received (
ClaimStatusR) and sets the date received. - Creates an insurance claim payment (the check) 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 | Posted | Money is on the claim. Remarks become read-only. |
| Chart changed | Needs review (match: push requires review) | Fetch, read the lines, approve again, post once. |
| API / network failure | Needs review (match: push failed) | See below. Do not hammer Post. |
Success toast. Posted to Open Dental with ClaimPaymentNum 897 when the API returns one. Keep that 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. |
| Post payment failed / Push failed / Open Dental API 400… | The write did not finish cleanly. Look in Open Dental first. If the money is already there, stop and contact Ordo. Do not post twice. Decoder: Open Dental errors. |
Double-post rule
After any post failure, open Open Dental and look at the claim. If the insurance payment is already there, do not click Post payment again.
11. Archive and restore (file)¶
Who. Permission Archive.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. Archive hides the remittance from Active and from Reports. 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 team and roles (Owner / Admin). Clinic settings → 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 team and roles.
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. The customer key and API URL are stored for this clinic. Saving does not replace Test — Test is how you know the key works.
Success. Toast such as Open Dental saved for Bright Smile Dental.
15. Sync (refresh the replica)¶
Who. Manage team and roles. Clinic settings → 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 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, Reports depending on the screen).
Writes to Open Dental? No.
What happens. Downloads the current filtered view, not the entire history.
Status change. None.
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 |
| 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 |