Invoice
Definition
An invoice in Care groups one or more billable charge items from an account and bills them to the patient or payer. Care uses the invoice to track the amount that is owed and whether the payer has paid it. Every invoice belongs to one account.
Key Attributes
| Components | What it captures |
|---|---|
| Account | The billing account that the invoice bills. This is required. |
| Charge items | The billable items on the invoice. You choose them from the account. |
| Title | A short name for the invoice. This is optional. |
| Payment Terms | The conditions for payment. This is optional. |
| Note | Extra information about the invoice. This is optional. |
| Issue Date | The date when you issue the invoice. Care sets this date when the invoice is issued. |
| Number | The invoice number. The facility's configuration usually generates it. |
| Status | The stage of the invoice in its lifecycle. |
Issue Date
The issue date cannot be a date in the future.
Charge items
While the invoice is in Draft, the line items follow the live charge items. When you issue the invoice, Care keeps a snapshot of the line items at that moment. A later change to a charge item does not change an invoice that is already issued.
A charge item becomes Billed when you attach it to an invoice. It becomes Paid when the invoice reaches Balanced.
Payments and credit notes
You record payments and credit notes through Payment Reconciliation. A payment or a credit note can target one invoice.
Status
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Draft | You are still preparing the invoice. You can change it. |
| Issued | You sent the invoice to the patient or payer. Care keeps a snapshot of the line items. |
| Balanced | The payer settled the invoice in full. This status is final. |
| Cancelled | You cancelled the invoice. This status is final. |
| Entered in Error | You created the invoice by mistake. This status is final. |
An invoice moves from Draft to Issued, and then to Balanced. From Draft or Issued, you can move the invoice to Cancelled or to Entered in Error. An invoice cannot move backward. For example, an issued invoice cannot return to Draft. An invoice also cannot move from Draft directly to Balanced.
Permissions
Care checks these permissions at the facility level.
| Permission | What it allows | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Can Write Invoice | Create an invoice, edit it, issue it, add or remove items, and mark it as balanced. | Facility Admin, Admin, Staff, Doctor, Nurse, Pharmacist |
| Can Read Invoice | View and list invoices. | Facility Admin, Administrator, Admin, Staff, Doctor, Nurse, Volunteer, Pharmacist |
| Can Manage Locked Invoice | Lock or unlock an invoice, and view the full detail of a locked invoice. | Facility Admin, Admin |
| Can Destroy Invoice | Cancel an invoice after the facility's free-cancel window ends. | Facility Admin, Admin |
Note: By default the free-cancel window ends immediately. Cancellation therefore usually needs the Can Destroy Invoice permission.
Related
- Flow: Create an invoice
- Flow: View an invoice
- Flow: Edit an invoice
- Flow: Issue an invoice
- Flow: Mark an invoice as balanced
- Flow: Cancel an invoice or mark it entered in error
- Flow: Lock or unlock an invoice
- Concept: Account
- Concept: Charge Item
- Concept: Payment Reconciliation