Overview
One of the biggest differences in how the setup and organization of Brightree and NikoHealth are different is in the relationship between Orders and Invoices.
Combined Records In Brightree
In Brightree, the operational work of fulfillment (confirming a sales order or ticket) and the financial process of billing (generating invoices) are combined in one record.
Confirming a sales order or ticket in Brightree also finalizes billing in one step.
This means that once a ticket is confirmed, your ability to change what was billed is now limited. If the invoice isn't generated properly or you need to fix mistake, you have to recreate the order, and tell coworkers to ignore one invoice and use the other. This gets confusing and messy.
Individual Records in NikoHealth
In NikoHealth, an Order and an Invoice are two different records with different purposes:
The Order represents the operational side: what was prescribed, what was delivered, which items were set up, and which documents support that service.
The Invoice represents the financial side: which HCPCS codes were billed, which payer is responsible, and what payments, adjustments, and denials have been posted.
You complete the Order when the work for the Patient has been done. You submit the Invoice when you are ready to bill.
This separation gives you more flexibility to correct billing without undoing valid delivery or clinical documentation.
Orders in NikoHealth: operational record of what you do
In NikoHealth, an Order is focused on operational and clinical details:
What was prescribed.
Which items are being delivered or installed.
Which physician and diagnosis apply.
Which documents and prescriptions are attached.
Which tasks and Playbook requirements apply.
You complete an Order when the work is done for the Patient—typically when the appointment is completed and the Patient has signed the delivery ticket. Completing an order updates Inventory and Patient Items, but it does not automatically submit a claim. Orders are moved through different statuses, depending on what's happening.
For more information on how to complete an Order, visit our collection of help articles on Understanding and Managing Orders in NikoHealth.
To view and work your Orders, you click on the Orders tab to open a queue. You can filter the Order queue by patient, status, location, payer, or provider. Clicking an order opens the Order workspace (pictured above) with tabs for details, items, documents, tasks, financial view, and audit.
Invoices in NikoHealth: financial record of what you bill
In NikoHealth, Invoices live in the Billing tab. You submit Invoices from the Billing module only after the Order is complete and the financial details are correct.
The Invoices tab shows a queue of Invoices with filters for Patient, Payer, status, date, and location.
Each invoice:
Contains the HCPCS lines being billed.
Tracks which payer or patient is currently responsible.
Shows the status of electronic submission and clearinghouse responses.
Links to payments, adjustments, and denials at the line level.
For more information, visit our help article collection on Invoices.
Brightree vs NikoHealth: Daily workflow comparison
At a high level, the lifecycle in NikoHealth looks like this:
Patient is prescribed equipment or supplies.
Intake creates or updates the patient in NikoHealth and adds/refines insurance.
An Order is created to represent the work you will do (items, prescriptions, documentation, scheduling).
The patient is scheduled and serviced (delivery, setup, pickup, etc.), often via the Niko mobile app.
The Order is completed when the work is done and documentation is in place.
A single Invoice is created for that order in the Billing module.
The Invoice is submitted to the primary payer via the clearinghouse.
The payer (and any secondary/tertiary) adjudicates the claim; payments and denials come back.
Payments (insurance and patient) are applied to the invoice until the balance is zero.
Optionally, Deposits are created to reconcile those payments against your bank deposits.