Give a charity discount (welfare cover)

Let a fund pay all or part of a deserving patient's bill, either at the counter when the bill is made or afterwards from the Cover a bill tab.

A charity discount in a trust hospital is not an ordinary discount. A fund, or the hospital as a concession, pays the patient's covered share, and the fund's balance shows the money that reached patients. There are two ways to do it.

Before you begin

• The patient is assessed onto a welfare band, or the hospital has a default band. See Set up welfare bands (who pays).
• The fund has money. A restricted fund pays only for what its donor named.
• To cover a bill already paid in cash, your cash shift is open. See Open and close a cashier shift.

Where to find it

• At the counter: Hospital → Finance → Billing Counter.
• Afterwards: Hospital → Finance → Donations & Funds, tab Cover a bill.

At the counter (recommended)

When Settle cover at the counter is on:

1. Bill the patient at the Billing Counter as usual.
2. Under the bill, read Charity covers and Patient pays.
3. Collect only Patient pays. A fully covered bill needs no payment.

The fund's share is posted in the same entry as the bill, so the drawer and the shift are right with nothing to reverse.

Cover an existing bill

1. Open the Cover a bill tab.
2. Search by bill number, patient or MRN, and choose Not covered.
3. Click Cover on the bill.
4. Check the split: Patient pays, From the fund and Written off.
5. To tell a donor which patients their money treated, choose the sponsorship in Charge it to a sponsorship.
6. Click Apply cover.

To undo it, click Remove on a covered bill and give a reason. The money goes back into the fund.

What happens in the books

The covered share is debited to Charity care funded by donations (5920) when a fund pays, or Charity concession (5930) when the hospital writes it off. At the counter these debits sit in the bill's own entry next to the cash the patient paid. Afterwards, a separate cover entry credits what the bill was paid with. For a cash-paid bill that is your drawer's cash ledger, and a refund row goes on your open shift.

Common questions

The counter took the full amount. Settle cover at the counter is off, or the patient's band has no subsidy. Check the Who pays tab.

The fund ran short. Depending on the setting, the counter refuses and names the fund, or the hospital absorbs the rest as a concession.

Remove says to void the bill instead. The patient was given cash back when the cover was applied. Void the bill on Hospital Bills and bill again.

Cover says to open my cash shift. The bill was paid in cash, so the cover gives money back from a drawer. Open your shift first, or cover bills at the counter before payment.

A sponsorship was refused. It has no money received yet, it is for another patient, or it was cancelled. The message says which.