Billing And Invoices

The Billing And Invoices module is where you manage all financial transactions for patient care. This is where you create invoices, add charges for services and medications, track payments, and manage your clinic's financial records for both admitted patients and out patients.

Understanding Invoices

An Invoice is a bill for healthcare services provided to a patient. It includes:

• Services rendered (consultations, procedures, etc.)
• Medications prescribed
• Lab tests performed
• Any other charges

Key Points:

• Invoices can be linked to specific patient visits
• They track payment status (draft, issued, paid, etc.)
• They automatically calculate totals with taxes and discounts
• They provide professional billing for your clinic

The Invoices Page

When you open the Billing And Invoices section, you'll see all invoices in your system.

What You'll See:

1. Color-Coded Invoice Rows: Each invoice is color-coded by status:

   • Gray: Draft (not yet sent to patient)
   • Yellow: Issued (sent to patient, awaiting payment)
   • Blue: Partially Paid (some payment received)
   • Green: Paid (full payment received)
   • Red: Void (cancelled invoice)

2. Key Information Displayed:

   • Invoice Number: Unique identifier (auto-generated)
   • Patient: Who the invoice is for
   • Subtotal: Sum of all items before taxes/discounts
   • Tax: Tax amount added
   • Total Balance: Final amount owed (in UGX)
   • Issued At: Date invoice was sent

3. Status Legend: At the top of the table, a color guide helps you understand what each status means.

4. Hidden Columns (click eye icon to show):

   • Discount Amount
   • Due Date
   • Created/Updated Dates

Creating a New Invoice

Step 1: Select Patient & Visit

Option A: Start from a Visit (Recommended)

1. Open a patient's visit record
2. Create invoice directly from there (if supported)
3. System automatically links visit and patient

Option B: Create Manually

1. Click New Invoice
2. Select Patient:
   • Search by name or phone number
   • Select the correct patient
3. Select Visit (Optional but Recommended):
   • Search by visit number or date
   • Selecting a visit auto-fills the patient
   • Links invoice to specific medical services

Step 2: Set Invoice Details

Invoice Information:

• Invoice Number: Auto-generated, cannot be changed
• Status: Choose from:
  • Draft: Still working on it (default)
  • Issued: Ready to send to patient
  • Partially Paid: Some payment received
  • Paid: Full payment received
  • Void: Cancelled/not valid

Financial Details (Auto-calculated):

• Subtotal: Sum of all items (auto-calculated)
• Tax: Tax amount (auto-calculated)
• Discount: Any discounts applied
• Total Balance: Final amount (subtotal + tax - discount)

Dates:

• Issued At: When invoice is sent to patient
• Due At: Payment deadline (optional)

Notes:

• Add any special billing instructions
• Payment terms or methods
• Contact information for billing questions

Adding Items to an Invoice

Once you create an invoice, you need to add the actual charges (items).

How to Add Items:

From Invoice View Page:

1. Open the invoice
2. Look for the "Invoice Items" section/tab
3. Click "Add Item"

Types of Items You Can Add:

1. Drugs / Medications:

• Select "Drug / Medicine" as item type
• Choose from your drug database
• Auto-fill Magic: Selecting a drug automatically:
  • Fills in the description
  • Adds the unit price (from drug database)
  • Calculates total based on quantity

2. Miscellaneous Items / Services:

• Select "Miscellaneous Item / Service"
• Manually enter:
  • Description (e.g., "Consultation Fee", "Lab Test")
  • Unit Price
  • Quantity

Filling Out Item Details:

For All Items:

• Quantity: How many units (default: 1)
• Unit Price: Price per unit (in UGX)
• Total: Automatically calculated (Quantity × Unit Price)

Auto-calculation Tips:

• Change quantity → Total updates automatically
• Change unit price → Total updates automatically
• For drugs: selecting drug fills everything automatically

Understanding Invoice Statuses

Status	What It Means	When to Use	Can Edit?
Draft	Still being prepared, not sent	Adding items, calculating totals	Yes
Issued	Sent to patient, awaiting payment	Ready for patient to pay	Yes (carefully)
Partially Paid	Some payment received	Patient made partial payment	Yes
Paid	Full payment received	Payment complete	No (locked)
Void	Invoice cancelled	Mistake made, duplicate, etc.	No (locked)

Important: Once an invoice is Paid or Void, you cannot edit it.

Managing Payments

How Payments Work:

1. Create Invoice with all items
2. Issue Invoice to patient (change status to "Issued")
3. Receive Payment (cash, mobile money, insurance, etc.)
4. Update Status based on payment received:
   • Partial payment → "Partially Paid"
   • Full payment → "Paid"
5. Record payment details (in your accounting system)

Partial Payments:

• Useful for payment plans
• Update status to "Partially Paid"
• Add note about remaining balance
• Follow up for remaining payment

Full Payments:

• Update status to "Paid"
• Record payment date and method
• Provide receipt to patient
• Mark as complete

Viewing Invoice Details

What You Can See:

• Complete invoice with all items
• Patient and visit information
• All charges with prices
• Tax and discount calculations
• Payment status and history
• Notes and special instructions

How to View:

1. Find the invoice in the list
2. Click the View button (eye icon)
3. See complete invoice (read-only for paid/void invoices)

Actions You Can Take

On Each Invoice:

• View: See full details (always available)
• Edit: Update invoice (not available for Paid/Void invoices)
• Delete: Remove invoice (goes to trash)

On Invoice Items:

• Add Item: Include new charges
• Edit Item: Change details (if invoice not Paid/Void)
• Delete Item: Remove charges (if invoice not Paid/Void)

Bulk Actions (Multiple Invoices):

1. Check boxes next to invoices
2. Choose:
   • Delete Selected: Move to trash
   • Restore Selected: Bring back from trash
   • Force Delete: Permanently remove

How Invoices Connect to Other Modules

Important Relationships:

• Patients: Every invoice is for a specific patient
• Visits: Invoices often linked to medical visits
• Drugs: Medications automatically pulled from drug database
• Lab Orders: Lab tests can be billed through invoices
• Prescriptions: Medications prescribed can be invoiced

Billing Workflow:

1. Patient has visit (recorded in Visits)
2. Services provided (consultation, procedures, etc.)
3. Medications prescribed (in Prescriptions)
4. Lab tests ordered (in Lab Orders)
5. Invoice created with all charges
6. Patient pays invoice
7. Payment recorded and status updated

Best Practices for Billing

Do:

1. Link to visits when possible - creates clear medical billing trail
2. Use drug database for medications - ensures correct pricing
3. Add clear descriptions - helps patients understand charges
4. Update status promptly - especially when payments received
5. Keep notes - document payment arrangements or special terms
6. Review before issuing - check all items and totals
7. Follow up on unpaid invoices - use due dates as reminders

Don't:

1. Don't issue incomplete invoices - wait until all charges known
2. Don't edit paid invoices - creates accounting problems
3. Don't use vague descriptions - "Service" is not helpful
4. Don't forget taxes - required for compliance
5. Don't ignore partially paid invoices - follow up for balance
6. Don't delete invoices - void instead for record keeping
7. Don't share pricing mistakes - void and reissue if wrong

Common Tasks & How-to's

How to bill a consultation visit:

1. Create New Invoice
2. Select patient and their visit
3. Add Item → Miscellaneous
4. Description: "Consultation Fee"
5. Unit Price: [Your consultation fee]
6. Quantity: 1
7. Status: Draft → Issued
8. Save

How to bill medications:

1. Open invoice (or create new)
2. Add Item → Drug / Medicine
3. Select drug from list
4. Quantity: Number of units prescribed
5. System auto-fills price and description
6. Review and save

How to handle a payment:

1. Find the issued invoice
2. Click Edit (if not Paid/Void)
3. Update Status:
   • Partial payment → "Partially Paid"
   • Full payment → "Paid"
4. Add note: "Paid via [method] on [date]"
5. Save

How to correct a billing mistake:

If invoice is Draft or Issued:

1. Edit invoice
2. Correct items/prices
3. Save

If invoice is Paid:

1. Create new invoice with correction
2. Link to same patient/visit
3. Add note explaining correction
4. Consider voiding original if major error

If invoice needs to be cancelled:

1. Edit invoice
2. Change Status to "Void"
3. Add note explaining why
4. Save

How to create a payment plan invoice:

1. Create invoice with all charges
2. Status: Issued
3. Notes: "Payment plan: [details]"
4. As payments come in:
   • Edit invoice
   • Status: Partially Paid
   • Update notes with payment received
   • Save

How to find unpaid invoices:

• Filter by Status: "Issued" or "Partially Paid"
• Look for yellow or blue rows
• Check due dates if set
• Follow up with patients

How to bill lab tests:

1. Create invoice for patient
2. Add Item → Miscellaneous
3. Description: "[Lab Test Name]"
4. Unit Price: Test cost
5. Quantity: 1
6. Save

Quick Reference Guide

What you want to do	Steps to follow	Important Notes
Create invoice for visit	New Invoice → Select Visit → Add Items	Links medical services to billing
Add medications to invoice	Add Item → Drug → Select drug → Enter quantity	Auto-fills price from drug database
Mark invoice as paid	Edit → Status: Paid → Add payment note	Cannot edit after marking paid
Correct invoice error	Edit if Draft/Issued, or void and recreate if Paid	Keep records of corrections
Find overdue invoices	Filter by Status: Issued → Check due dates	Follow up with patients

Troubleshooting

If patient not in dropdown:

• Patient may not exist in system
• Check spelling of name
• Search by phone number
• Create patient record first if needed

If visit not linking to patient:

• Select visit first, then patient auto-fills
• Or select patient first, then find their visits
• Some visits may not be "Finalized" yet

If drug not in list:

• Drug may not be in your drug database
• Add drug to database first in Drugs module
• Use Miscellaneous item temporarily
• Contact pharmacy to add missing drugs

If can't edit invoice:

• Check if status is "Paid" or "Void" (cannot edit)
• Check your permissions
• Try refreshing the page
• Contact admin if problem persists

If totals not calculating correctly:

• Check all items have prices
• Verify quantities are numbers
• Refresh the page
• Re-enter items if needed

If invoice number missing:

• Should auto-generate on save
• Save invoice first
• Refresh if not appearing
• Contact admin if still missing

Time-Saving Tips

1. Start from visits - fastest way to create invoices
2. Use drug database - auto-fills save time
3. Create invoice templates - for common service packages
4. Batch process - issue multiple invoices at once
5. Use status colors - quick visual management
6. Set due dates - automated reminders if supported
7. Train receptionists - on basic billing tasks

Invoice Checklist

Before Issuing Invoice:

• ✓ All services/procedures included
• ✓ All medications included
• ✓ Prices correct and up-to-date
• ✓ Patient information correct
• ✓ Visit linked (if applicable)
• ✓ Notes clear and complete
• ✓ Totals calculated correctly

When Receiving Payment:

• ✓ Verify payment amount matches invoice
• ✓ Record payment method and date
• ✓ Update status promptly
• ✓ Provide receipt to patient
• ✓ File payment documentation

Monthly Financial Tasks:

• ✓ Review all issued invoices
• ✓ Follow up on unpaid invoices
• ✓ Reconcile payments received
• ✓ Generate financial reports
• ✓ Archive paid invoices
• ✓ Plan for next month

Financial Management Tips

For Small Clinics:

• Issue invoices daily or weekly
• Follow up promptly on unpaid invoices
• Keep simple pricing structure
• Offer clear payment options

For Larger Facilities:

• Designate billing specialist
• Establish clear billing policies
• Use payment plans for large balances
• Regular financial reporting
• Insurance billing coordination

For Multi-Service Practices:

• Standardize service codes
• Clear pricing for each service
• Bundle services when appropriate
• Regular price reviews

Remember: Professional billing builds patient trust, ensures clinic sustainability, and provides clear financial records. Good billing practices mean:

• Patients understand what they're paying for
• Clinic gets paid for services rendered
• Financial records are accurate
• Compliance requirements are met
• Business can grow and serve more patients

Effective invoice management keeps your healthcare practice financially healthy while providing clear, professional billing to your patients!