How to Create a Neat & Simple System for Tracking Medical Claims & Other Pending Items

If you are like most people, it's a challenge to keep track of pending items in your life like:


Medical claims submitted to your health insurance company (have you been reimbursed?)
Returns of unwanted items to stores (have the refunds been posted to your credit card?)
Expense reports you’ve submitted at work (have they reimbursed you?)
Things you’ve lent to people. (did you ever get that book back you lent to your co-worker?)
Here are some tips for organizing a pending file system so you never lose track of your pending items again!
Make a "Pending" file! Yeah, that's a boring name, I know. To me it's sounds too much like work. So, why not have a little fun naming the file Perhaps something like: "Money on it's Way" or “Did I Get Reimbursed Yet?" or "They OWE Me Money!" Be creative!
Put pending items in your folder as soon as you can. Pending items include:
Copies of medical claims you've submitted, or keep a log of claims sent & dates mailed.
Receipts for credit card returns you made and want to make sure they get credited to your account.
A list of items people have borrowed from you. Note the date, item and to whom you lent it
Expense reports for work
Deposit slips that you want to make sure get posted to your account
Confirmations for online purchases that you are waiting to receive (especially backordered items!)
When you make a purchase over the phone make a note of it and put the note in this folder.
Notes on Rebate Offers you've submitted
Anything you are waiting for approval on, or to get paid for!
Anything you've submitted a request, application, or proposal and are waiting for a reply.
Before you put an item in your file, note the date you expect to receive the reimbursement for it, or the shipment, etc.
If you have many of one kind of pending item, such as health insurance claims for a long-term illness, make a separate pending folder just for that item.
Keep your pending file folder handy to your bill-paying and mail processing area, perhaps make it the first folder in your financial file drawer, or the first folder in a Desktop Action File system.
Check the file on a regular basis. Every week, month, or every time you pay bills, look through it to make sure you have gotten paid or reimbursed.
If something takes much longer to happen than you expected, move it to your Action Paper system to follow-up on it.
When you have received the check, credit, shipment, deposit, reply, etc. you can either toss the item or note the date received and file it appropriately.
As with any system, developing the habit is the hardest part! To help you get started, consider putting weekly reminders in your calendar for the next 8 weeks to go through the folder. You might also keep the file on your desk for a while to remind you to put your pending items in it!

If these tips don't work for you, you may need to use a binder, a basket, a pile on a shelf, or a more custom approach. Consider consulting a professional organizer to help you figure out why your pending system is not working and help you design a custom pending system that fits your unique organizing style!

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