Refund one line of a bill

Give back the money for one or more lines of a Billing Counter or pharmacy bill, such as a scan the patient no longer wants or a medicine handed back, without voiding the whole bill.

A patient sometimes pays for several things and then drops one: a scan they will have elsewhere, a test the doctor cancelled, a medicine they hand back. Refund just those lines; the rest of the bill stays as it is.

Before you begin

• You have the bill void right. See Users & Roles.
• Your cash shift is open, because the refund is paid out of your drawer. See Open and close a cashier shift.
• The bill was made at the Billing Counter or at the pharmacy. Other bills are voided whole on Hospital Bills.

Where to find it

Open Hospital → Finance → Hospital Bills.

Refund the lines

1. Pick the bill's day in the date box and find the bill by number, MRN or name.
2. Click the refund button on the bill's row. Its tip reads Refund some lines.
3. The Refund lines window lists the bill's lines with their amounts. Tick each line the patient gives back.
4. Type the Reason, for example Scan done at another hospital.
5. Click Refund selected.

A message shows the amount refunded. Hand that amount to the patient from your drawer.

Which lines can be refunded

Only work that has not been done yet comes back:

• a consultation, until the patient has been called in;
• a test, until its sample is collected;
• a scan, until it is started.

The refunded consultation token is cancelled. A refunded test or scan goes back to the patient's orders as unpaid, so it can be billed again later.

On a pharmacy bill, the ticked medicines go back into stock where they were issued from.

When every line of a bill has been refunded, the bill shows VOIDED, with the reason All lines refunded.

When the bill had a discount

Each line gives back its amount less its share of the discount. For example, a bill of Rs 3,000 had a Rs 300 discount. Refunding a Rs 1,000 X-ray gives back Rs 900.

What happens in the books

One refund voucher is posted:

• Each refunded line's department revenue ledger is debited with the line amount.
• Discount Allowed (5211) is credited with the lines' share of the discount.
• Your drawer's cash ledger is credited with the money given back. For a bill paid by card or bank, that method's ledger is credited instead.
• Doctor commission on the lines is reversed. If it was already paid, it is taken off the doctor's next payment.

The refund is recorded on your open shift, so it shows on your X and Z reports. For a pharmacy bill, the medicines' cost comes back out of cost of sales.

Common questions

There is no refund button on the bill. Line refunds are only for Billing Counter and pharmacy bills that are not on a panel. Void other bills whole.

It says Charity paid part of this bill. A bill with charity cover cannot be refunded line by line. Void the whole bill and bill the patient again for what they keep.

It says the sample has already been collected. The lab has started the work, so that line cannot be refunded. Ask the lab whether the test can be cancelled.

It says Open your cash shift first. Open your shift on Cash Register, then refund again.

Whose drawer pays the refund? The drawer of the person who clicks Refund selected, not the cashier who collected the bill.