Inward Timed Services

Overview

Inward Timed Services are charges applied to inpatients for time-based care such as ICU stays, theatre time, and room occupancy. The system tracks the start and end time of each service and automatically calculates the bill based on the number of time blocks consumed.

From version 3.x onwards, each timed service supports tiered block charges — the first block can have a different rate from subsequent blocks, allowing facilities to offer a lower (or higher) rate after the initial period.

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How Timed Billing Works

Each timed service is divided into time blocks (e.g. 1-hour slots). When a patient consumes a timed service:

1. The start time is recorded.
2. When the service ends, the stop time is recorded.
3. The system counts how many whole blocks were consumed.
4. The bill is calculated by applying the correct fee per block.

Tiered Block Charges Example

Block	Fee	Notes
Block 1 (first hour)	Rs. 500	Slot Order = 1
Block 2 (second hour)	Rs. 300	Slot Order = 2, Repeating = Yes
Block 3, 4, 5 …	Rs. 300	Automatically uses the last repeating slot

For a 4-hour stay: 500 + 300 + 300 + 300 = Rs. 1,400

If only a single fee is configured (the original behaviour), it repeats for every block automatically — existing services continue to work without any reconfiguration.

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Setting Up a Timed Service

Step 1 — Create a Timed Item Category

Navigate to Inward → Manage Timed Services → Timed Service Categories.

1. Click New.
2. Enter a category name (e.g. "ICU Services", "Theatre Services").
3. Select the Institution and Department.
4. Click Save.

Step 2 — Create a Timed Item

Navigate to Inward → Manage Timed Services → Timed Services.

1. Click New.
2. Fill in the service name (e.g. "ICU Hourly Charge").
3. Select the Category created in Step 1.
4. Select the Institution and Department.
5. Click Save.

Step 3 — Configure Block Fees

Navigate to Inward → Manage Timed Services → Timed Service Fees.

1. Select the timed service from the dropdown.
2. For each fee slot, fill in:
   • Fee Name — a descriptive label (e.g. "Block 1 – First Hour")
   • Fee — the local patient rate
   • Foreigner Fee — the rate for foreign patients
   • Duration Hour — the length of one block (e.g. 1 for hourly)
   • Over Shoot Hours — grace period before the next block is charged
   • Slot Order — position in the tier (1 = first block, 2 = second block, etc.)
   • Repeating — check this on the last slot to apply it to all remaining blocks
3. Click Add.

Repeat for each tier. A single-slot configuration (one fee with no Slot Order) works exactly as before.

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Consuming a Timed Service

1. Navigate to Inward → Timed Services → Consume Timed Service.
2. Search for the patient by BHT number or name.
3. In the Timed Service panel, select the service from the autocomplete.
4. Verify or adjust the Start Time.
5. Click Add Service — the service appears in the Consumed Timed Service table with the current time as the stop time and the calculated total.
6. To correct the stop time, edit the Stopped Time field in the table row and click Update — the total recalculates immediately.

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Billing Calculation Rules

Scenario	Result
1 block consumed	Fee from Slot 1
2 blocks consumed	Fee from Slot 1 + Fee from Slot 2
More blocks than defined slots	Remaining blocks use the last slot fee (if marked Repeating)
Only one slot defined	All blocks use that single fee (implicitly repeating)
Block beyond defined slots, last slot not repeating	No charge for extra blocks
Theatre (minute-based)	Fractional blocks are charged proportionally against the applicable slot fee

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Removing or Updating a Consumed Service

In the Consumed Timed Service table:

• Update — saves changes to start/stop time and recalculates the total.
• Remove — deletes the consumption record for that service.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I have more than two tiers? Yes. Add as many fee slots as needed (Slot Order 1, 2, 3, …). Mark the last one as Repeating to cover all blocks beyond the defined list.

What if the start time was entered incorrectly? Edit the Start Time field in the consumed service row and click Update. The total recalculates based on the corrected times.

What happens to existing services configured before this feature? Existing single-fee timed services work without any changes. A single fee is always treated as repeating, so the total is count × fee as before.

Why does the total change when I adjust the stop time? The system recalculates the number of blocks and applies the tiered fees each time Update is clicked.