Charges and payments

The coordinator records a service description and amount against the encounter as a draft charge. Set up Admin charge authority, then have Admin check the visit and amount before approval. Invoiced and voided are distinct later charge states. A payment records the patient, received date, amount, reference and status; confirmation is a separate check.

• Encounter charge. Keep the service description and amount on the charge linked to the visit.
• Charge decision. Check a draft against the encounter before recording approval.
• Patient receipt. Keep received amount, date and reference on the separate payment record.

Charges refer to encounters, while payments refer to patients. That distinction matters when a patient has more than one visit. Draft Charges gives the reviewer the service and amount beside the encounter reference. Patient Receipts shows the received amount, reference and status for a patient. A confirmed payment is evidence of a receipt; it does not automatically identify which encounter charge it settles, so staff reconcile the two records during billing review.

Agree the service descriptions staff will use and who reviews draft amounts. Decide how invoiced and voided charges are handled in the clinic ledger. Establish how payment references are verified before a receipt is confirmed and how refunds are recorded.

Rehearse a patient with more than one consultation and a draft charge on only one encounter. Give Admin the agreed charge authority and have that person inspect the correct visit before approval. Use a payment with a reference that needs checking and a refunded example so staff agree how those states appear in their ledger. Keep the receipt separate from the charge.

Take a completed consultation with a draft charge. Confirm the charge points to the correct encounter and matches the service performed. With charge authority in place, have Admin review and approve it. Record a patient payment with a reference, then check that reference before marking it confirmed. Verify the charge and payment remain separate records with their own statuses.

The Clinical Coordinator prepares the draft, then Admin checks its encounter, service and amount. Ask a second person to locate the patient receipt and verify the reference before confirming it. If the payment belongs to the wrong patient, correct the patient link before reconciliation. Review both statuses at the end; a confirmed receipt must not silently change an unrelated charge.

• Draft Charges — Check the service description, amount and linked encounter before a charge decision.
• Patient Receipts — Compare each patient payment reference and received amount with its current status.

See consultation intake, clinical review, follow-up coordination and service billing for the handoffs between these records.