To edit or add to your master charge list, go to Admin > Manage > Charge List.
Existing charges can be sorted by any column by clicking on the column name. Click again to sort in reverse order. Search by charge name or nickname in the search bar at the top to find a specific charge. The system will search, narrowing the full list of charges, as you type.
Click on any charge name in your Charge List to open the entry for editing.
To add a new charge to your charge list, click on the "+ Add New Charge" button at the top.
Add New Charge
(NOTE depending upon your configuration settings, there may just be a table/ grid for differentiated Plan A/ B billing, rather than a single Price field as shown in the below screenshot).
At a minimum, you must enter a charge name.
Charge Name and Nicknames
Enter a name for the charge. This will be how you search for the charge and how it is displayed in patients' billing histories and receipts/ invoices (unless you set a custom display for insurance invoices).
You can also add nicknames in order to have alternate ways to search for the charge. The nicknames will appear in search results but will not otherwise appear in association with the charge.
Billing Codes (optional)
You may associate one or more billing codes with the charge. Billing codes are generally required for third-party (insurance, Medicare, etc.) reimbursement. Associated billing code(s) will automatically appear with the charge when it is added to a patient's account, though associated code(s) can be edited or removed at that time.
- Multiple billing codes should be separated by commas.
- Enter billing code modifiers after the relevant code by typing the code followed by either a space or a colon, followed by the modifier.
- To indicate multiple instances/units of the same code, type "x3", e.g., immediately after the code with no spaces.
For a charge in your charge list that has with multiple billing codes, you can manually set each component billing code to display as a separate line item when you generate an insurance invoice or superbill. This may be needed because many insurers will reject claims when more than one billing code is listed on a single line on the submitted invoice.
Barcode UPC
Our system supports using most USB/ Bluetooth barcode scanners to search for charges (during checkout) or when managing your inventory (under Admin > My Inventory). To set this up, you would add the barcode/ UPC to the charge definition in this field.
You can type the UPC code in the field, or you can place your cursor in that field and scan the barcode to enter the code. Once you have the barcode in, you can use the scanner in any search field that pulls up charges or inventory items.
We don't have a specific list of barcode scanners that we recommend, but almost any USB or Bluetooth barcode reader should work.
** Some USB scanners will send a carriage-return after it enters the barcode. If it does this, the system will automatically select the first matching item and jump to the next step. This is normally the preferred setting, but if you stock products with identical barcodes (for instance, you sell products that come in multiple colors or flavors, the different lines will often have the same manufacturer barcode) you'll want to check with the manufacturer to make sure that the device does not fire a return character after reading the code or that it's setting that can be disabled - that way you're able to select which of the matching sub-products you want to pull up.
"Charge is submittable for insurance"
Check the box to indicate whether the charge is something that is generally covered by insurance. If this box is checked, the charge will appear as an insurance-reimbursable charge on insurance invoices that you generate covering the relevant visit.
If your build has the ability to allocate between insurance and patient responsibility turned on, fields to allocate the total due between the two will appear when you are adding the charge to a patient's account if Add to Insurance Invoice is checked.
"Is this a supply/product?"
Check the box if the charge is associated with a supply or product that the patient takes home. If this is checked, a quantity option will appear when the charge is added to a patient's account. This must be checked for charges that apply to inventory items. It also enables the system to generate reports on items sold.
Charge Type
Use the drop down menu to set a charge type, either by selecting one of the existing options or by typing to create a new charge type. Charge types are mainly used for reporting purposes, but can also be used to change how different categories of charges appear in the EMR.
Display Color
Use the drop down menu to change the color of the text used to display the charge name anywhere it appears inside the EMR (note: does not affect how the charge is displayed on the Patient Portal). Display color is often used in conjunction with the Charge Type category to make different categories appear in different colors within the EMR.
Price
Enter the price that you charge for this item or service.
If you would like the price to vary based on (1) the role of the user who adds the charge to the patient's account, and/or (2) whether the patient is categorized into Plan A (discounted), or Plan B, we can enable a setting for this. You would then see a charge amount table, with pricing options based on user role and patient billing plan, rather than a single box for the charge amount. If this is enabled:
- Plan B would be the default/ regular pricing, and Plan A would be for patients who receive a discounted rate.
- To enter a single amount, regardless of who adds the charge or Plan A/B, enter that amount into the top leftmost pricing field and press the tab key - that amount will automatically be copied into the other price fields.
Description
Add text that will appear when you hover over the charge or click to open/edit the charge. This text is for internal reference, and is not visible to the patient.
Deleting or Disabling a Charge
If you have a charge that you no longer use, you can edit the charge in your Charge List to inactivate it or, if it hasn't been used in any patient charts, delete it.
You can always mark the charge as inactive, which will prevent it from appearing when you search for charges, though it would still appear (greyed out) in your Charge List.
You can delete the charge if it has never been added to a patient chart by selecting the "Delete Charge" option, which will remove it from your Charge List entirely.
If the "Delete Charge" button grayed out, this indicates that it has been added to a patient chart and therefore cannot be deleted (you will need to disable/ inactivate instead).