Once services for a case have concluded and 100% of payments have been collected, you're ready to close out a case in Gather. If you're wondering how to finalize or fully complete a case in Gather, we've created your step-by-step guide below:
Lock The Death Certificate
Lock The Obituary
Freeze The Statement
Upload Case Financials to Your Accounting Software
Archive The Case
Using KeepTrack™ (our tracking system add-on) to track the physical location of every decedent in your care? Don't miss these few extra steps to finalize a case in our system.
1️⃣ Lock The Death Certificate
First things first, you'll want to lock the death certificate. This will prevent anyone else from editing the data in Gather. To complete this step:
Navigate to the case's 'Vitals' section.
Once in the 'Questions' section, scroll through to verify that all data is accurate and complete.
Add any additional notes that you'd like.
Select 'Approve Answers', or select 'Approval' at the top of the overview page.
Then, verify that the correct informant or NOK is selected, and select 'Lock Data'.
Once the death certificate is locked in Gather for the case, navigate to the 'Overview' tab to view the completed death certificate or print it.
Pro Tip: ensure that you add the home address and contact information for the informant or Next of Kin (NOK) before locking the death certificate.
2️⃣ Lock The Obituary
From your dashboard, search for the case that you're looking to wrap up and archive. Click on the 'Obit' word count towards the bottom of the case card.
Once you're viewing the obituary for the case, lock the obituary by selecting the 'Lock' button in the top left corner of the screen. You'll then be prompted to proceed with locking the obituary.
Pro Tip: locking the obituary for a case prevents family members from making changes to the obituary that your staff is unaware of. This gives your business more control over what is being edited on the obituary, and at what time.
3️⃣ Freeze The Statement or Contract
Freezing the statement or contract for a specific case prevents any additional discounts or line items from being added to the statement. To freeze a statement or contract:
Select the case that you're managing so that you're taken to its 'Organize' page.
From the 'Organize' page, select the '$' icon in the top right corner of the page.
Select 'View Statement' to navigate to Statement Builder.
Once viewing the case's statement, freeze the statement by scrolling to the bottom and selecting 'Freeze Statement' or clicking on the pencil icon in the top left corner.
Pro Tip: if a statement is signed and frozen, but the family requests additional services for the case beyond the original contract, you have the option to add the item to the original statement still, or record the item outside of the statement as a one-off transaction.
4️⃣ Upload Case Financials to Your Accounting Software
Be sure to reconcile the financials for the case with your accounting software. It's recommended that you invite your bookkeeper or accountant into Gather as a team member to keep track of collected revenue.
5️⃣ Archive The Case in Gather
Lastly, you'll want to archive the case in Gather. To complete this step, navigate to your dashboard, and search for the case you're ready to archive. Then, select the 3 dots in the top right of the case card, and select 'Archive Case'.
Important Note: after you archive a case, you're still able to search for the case and access all of its information in Gather using our Global Search feature. Archived cases are included in case reports, and you also have the option to 'unarchive' any case that you'd like.
Need more help? Chat with our team anytime, or give us a call at (208) 908-0488.