Invoice Payments

The Invoice Payments module is where you record all invoice payments received from patients. This is your clinic's invoiced cash register - where you track money coming in, record payment methods, and maintain financial records for every payment made.

Understanding Invoice Payments

An Invoice Payment is a record of money received for a specific invoice. Think of it as a receipt or payment confirmation that connects directly to a patient's bill.

Important Connection:

• Invoice = The bill (what the patient owes)
• Payment = The money received (what the patient paid)

Key Points:

• Each payment must be linked to an invoice
• Multiple payments can be applied to one invoice (for partial payments)
• Payments update the invoice status automatically
• All payment methods are tracked (cash, mobile money, card, etc.)

The Invoice Payments Dashboard

When you open the Invoice Payments section, you'll see all payments received by your clinic.

What You'll See:

1. Payments List: All payments in chronological order (newest first)

2. Key Information Displayed:

   • Invoice: Which invoice was paid (invoice number)
   • Payment Method: How payment was made (with colored badges)
   • Amount Paid: Payment amount in UGX
   • Payment Date: When payment was received
   • Reference: Transaction ID or reference number

3. Payment Method Badges:

   • Cash: Green badge
   • Mobile Money: Yellow badge
   • Card Payment: Blue badge
   • Bank Transfer: Gray badge

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

   • Created Date
   • Last Updated Date
   • Deleted Date (for corrections)

Recording a New Payment

When to Record a Payment:

• When a patient pays their bill (full payment)
• When a patient makes a partial payment
• When receiving insurance payments
• When correcting previous payment records

Step-by-Step Payment Recording:

Step 1: Select the Invoice

1. Click New Payment
2. In the "Invoice" dropdown:
   • Search by invoice number
   • Select the correct invoice
   • Only unpaid or partially paid invoices appear

WARNING

Important: The system only shows invoices that still have a balance (total_amount > 0). If an invoice doesn't appear, it might already be fully paid.

Step 2: Enter Payment Amount

• Amount Paid: Enter the payment amount in UGX
• Tip: Keep the invoice total handy to verify correct amount
• Partial Payments: If patient pays part of balance, enter that amount
• Full Payments: Enter the full invoice amount

Step 3: Record Payment Details

Payment Method:

• Cash: Physical cash received
• Mobile Money: MTN, Airtel, etc. (most common in Uganda)
• Card Payment: Debit/credit card
• Bank Transfer: Direct bank deposit

Payment Date:

• When payment was actually received
• Defaults to current date/time
• Can backdate if recording late

Reference / Transaction ID:

• For Mobile Money: Transaction ID (e.g., M123456789)
• For Card Payments: Authorization code
• For Bank Transfers: Reference number
• For Cash: Can leave blank or enter receipt number

System Fields (Automatic):

• Recorded By: Your name (automatically added)
• Created At: Current timestamp

Step 4: Save and Update

1. Click Save to record payment
2. Automatic Update: The linked invoice status updates automatically:
   • Full payment → Invoice status changes to "Paid"
   • Partial payment → Invoice status changes to "Partially Paid"
3. Provide receipt to patient if needed

Understanding Payment Methods

Cash Payments:

• Best for: Small amounts, walk-in patients
• Reference: Receipt number (optional)
• Security: Keep cash secure, deposit regularly
• Records: Count cash daily, reconcile with system

Mobile Money Payments:

• Best for: Most Ugandan patients
• Reference: Always record Transaction ID
• Confirmation: Check patient's phone for confirmation
• Fees: Account for any transaction fees

Card Payments:

• Best for: Larger amounts, formal payments
• Reference: Authorization code
• Equipment: Need card machine/terminal
• Processing: May take 1-3 business days

Bank Transfers:

• Best for: Corporate clients, insurance
• Reference: Bank reference number
• Verification: Check bank statement to confirm
• Timing: May take 1-2 days to clear

Managing Different Payment Scenarios

Scenario 1: Full Payment at Time of Service

What to do:

1. Create invoice for services
2. Issue invoice to patient
3. Receive full payment
4. Record payment (links to invoice)
5. Invoice automatically marks as "Paid"
6. Give receipt to patient

Scenario 2: Partial Payment (Payment Plan)

What to do:

1. Create invoice with full amount
2. Issue invoice to patient
3. Record first partial payment
4. Invoice status becomes "Partially Paid"
5. Record subsequent payments as they come
6. Final payment marks invoice as "Paid"

Scenario 3: Multiple Invoices Paid Together

What to do:

1. Patient pays for several invoices at once
2. Record separate payment for each invoice
3. This maintains clear audit trail
4. Each invoice status updates correctly
5. Easier accounting and reconciliation

Scenario 4: Payment Correction

What to do:If payment recorded incorrectly:

1. Find the incorrect payment
2. Do not delete (keeps audit trail)
3. Create new payment with correction
4. Add note explaining correction
5. Contact admin if major correction needed

Viewing Payment Records

What You Can See:

• Complete payment details
• Linked invoice information
• Payment method and reference
• Date and amount
• Who recorded the payment

How to View:

1. Find the payment in the list
2. Click the View button (eye icon)
3. See complete payment record

Note: Payments are read-only records. To correct a payment, create a new one with adjustment.

Actions You Can Take

What You CAN Do:

• View: See payment details (read-only)
• Filter: Find payments by date or other criteria
• Review: Check payment records
• Export: Copy data for accounting (if supported)

What You CANNOT Do:

• Edit: Cannot modify payment records
• Create: Can only create new payments
• Change: Cannot alter existing payments
• Selectively Delete: Can only bulk delete (use with caution!)

Bulk Actions (Use Very Carefully!):

1. Check boxes next to payments
2. Choose:
   • Delete Selected: Remove from system (permanent)
   • Force Delete: Immediate removal
   • Restore Selected: Bring back from trash

Warning: Deleting payment records removes financial transaction history. This affects accounting, audits, and financial reporting. Only delete if absolutely necessary and you have proper backups and approvals.

How Payments Connect to Other Modules

Direct Connections:

1. Invoices: Each payment must link to an invoice
2. Patients: Payments are for patient invoices
3. Accounting: Payment data feeds financial reports
4. Audit Logs: All payments are logged for security

Automatic Updates:

1. Payment recorded → Invoice status updates
2. Full payment → Invoice marked "Paid"
3. Partial payment → Invoice marked "Partially Paid"
4. Payment reference → Stored for verification

Financial Reporting:

• Daily cash collection reports
• Payment method analysis
• Revenue tracking by period
• Outstanding balances calculation
• Tax reporting support

Best Practices for Payment Management

Do:

1. Record payments immediately - reduces errors and forgetting
2. Always get reference numbers - especially for mobile money
3. Verify amounts match - payment amount vs invoice amount
4. Update invoice status - happens automatically when payment recorded
5. Keep payment records secure - financial data is sensitive
6. Reconcile daily - match system payments with actual money received
7. Provide receipts - professional practice, helps patients

Don't:

1. Don't record payments without invoice - breaks the financial chain
2. Don't delete payment records - creates accounting gaps
3. Don't share payment access widely - financial security risk
4. Don't ignore reference numbers - needed for disputes
5. Don't mix payment methods in one record - one payment method per record
6. Don't delay recording - leads to errors and confusion
7. Don't skip daily reconciliation - money could be missing

Common Tasks & How-to's

How to record a cash payment:

1. Patient pays cash at reception
2. New Payment → Select invoice
3. Amount: Enter cash received
4. Method: "Cash"
5. Reference: Optional receipt number
6. Save
7. Give receipt to patient

How to record mobile money payment:

1. Patient sends mobile money
2. Ask for transaction ID
3. Verify payment on your phone
4. New Payment → Select invoice
5. Amount: Payment amount
6. Method: "Mobile Money"
7. Reference: Transaction ID (very important!)
8. Save
9. Confirm receipt with patient

How to handle partial payments:

1. Patient pays part of bill today
2. New Payment → Select invoice
3. Amount: Partial amount paid
4. Choose payment method
5. Save
6. Invoice status becomes "Partially Paid"
7. Tell patient remaining balance
8. Schedule follow-up for balance

How to find all payments from today:

• Use date filter for today's date
• See all payments received today
• Useful for end-of-day cash up

How to check payments for a specific patient:

1. Find patient's invoices first
2. Note invoice numbers
3. Filter payments by those invoice numbers
4. See all payments made by that patient

How to correct a wrong payment amount:

If under-recorded:

1. Create new payment for missing amount
2. Link to same invoice
3. Add note: "Additional payment for invoice [number]"

If over-recorded:

1. Create new invoice credit or adjustment
2. Or process refund if needed
3. Contact admin for major corrections

How to prepare daily cash report:

1. Filter payments by today's date
2. Group by payment method
3. Add up cash amounts
4. Add up mobile money amounts
5. Compare with actual cash/mobile money received
6. Investigate any differences

Quick Reference Guide

What you want to do	Steps to follow	Important Notes
Record cash payment	New Payment → Select invoice → Cash → Amount → Save	Give receipt to patient
Record mobile money	New Payment → Select invoice → Mobile Money → Enter Transaction ID → Save	Always get Transaction ID
Handle partial payment	Record partial amount → Invoice becomes Partially Paid → Follow up for balance	Track remaining amount
Find today's payments	Use date filter for today	Daily reconciliation
Check patient payments	Find their invoices → Filter payments by those invoices	Complete payment history

Troubleshooting

If invoice not in dropdown:

• Invoice may already be fully paid
• Check invoice status in Billing module
• Invoice might be void or draft
• Contact billing department if needed

If payment amount doesn't match invoice:

• Record partial payment if less
• Contact patient if overpaid (refund or credit)
• Never delete payment records
• Create adjustment if needed

If mobile money transaction ID missing:

• Ask patient to check their phone
• Check your mobile money account
• If lost, note in reference: "No ID, verified manually"
• Be extra careful with verification

If payment recorded to wrong invoice:

• Create new payment to correct invoice
• Add note explaining correction
• Contact admin if accounting adjustment needed
• Do not delete original payment

If cash doesn't match system records:

1. Reconcile all payments for the day
2. Check for unrecorded payments
3. Look for recording errors
4. Investigate discrepancies immediately
5. Report significant differences to supervisor

Time-Saving Tips

1. Record immediately - prevents backlog and errors
2. Use invoice search - faster than scrolling
3. Keep reference numbers - in notebook or digital notes
4. Batch record - if multiple patients pay same method
5. Train receptionists well - they handle most payments
6. Use daily checklist - ensures nothing missed
7. Automate reports - if system supports it

Daily Payment Checklist

Start of Day:

• ✓ Cash drawer counted and recorded
• ✓ Mobile money account checked
• ✓ Card machine ready
• ✓ Receipt book available

During Day:

• ✓ Record each payment immediately
• ✓ Get reference numbers for non-cash payments
• ✓ Verify amounts match invoices
• ✓ Provide receipts to patients
• ✓ Update patients on balances

End of Day:

• ✓ Record all payments
• ✓ Count cash in drawer
• ✓ Check mobile money received
• ✓ Reconcile with system totals
• ✓ Investigate any discrepancies
• ✓ Prepare deposit for bank (if needed)
• ✓ Secure cash overnight

Weekly:

• ✓ Review all payment records
• ✓ Follow up on partially paid invoices
• ✓ Prepare weekly revenue report
• ✓ Check for patterns or issues
• ✓ Plan for next week

Security & Compliance

Cash Handling:

• Keep cash secure at all times
• Regular bank deposits
• Two-person verification for large amounts
• CCTV in payment areas if possible

Mobile Money Security:

• Verify transactions before confirming
• Keep mobile money PIN secret
• Regular account checking
• Report suspicious transactions immediately

Data Protection:

• Payment records are sensitive financial data
• Limit access to authorized staff only
• Regular backups of payment data
• Secure storage of financial records

Regulatory Compliance:

• Keep records for required period (often 7+ years)
• Proper tax recording and reporting
• Audit trail maintenance
• Compliance with financial regulations

Remember: Accurate payment recording means:

• Patients trust your billing
• Clinic gets paid correctly
• Financial records are accurate
• Audits pass smoothly
• Business remains sustainable

Good payment management is essential for both financial health and patient satisfaction in your healthcare practice!