LIMS Admin Collecting Centre Setup

Collecting Centre Setup

A collecting centre is a remote sample collection point affiliated with the main laboratory. Setting up a collecting centre involves creating an institution record in the LIMS and configuring its connection to the lab, fee schedule, payment method, and credit limits. This article walks through the full setup process.

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What a Collecting Centre Configuration Controls

Setting	Effect
Lab institution / department	Which main lab receives and processes samples from this centre
Fee list type	The price list used at this centre (may differ from the main lab's walk-in prices)
Commission percentage	The collecting centre's share of each bill
Payment method	Whether the centre collects cash, posts to a credit account, or both
Credit limits	Maximum outstanding credit balance before further credit billing is blocked

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Creating a Collecting Centre

1. Go to Menu > Admin > Institutions (or Menu > Admin > Managing Institutions).
2. Click Add Institution.
3. Set Institution Type to Collecting Centre.
4. Fill in the Basic Details tab:

Field	Description
Name	Full name of the collecting centre (e.g., "Galle Road Collection Centre")
Short Name / Code	An abbreviated identifier used in reports
Route	The geographic route or area (optional — useful for courier route planning)

5. Go to the Lab Configuration tab and fill in:

Field	Description
Lab Institution	Select the main laboratory institution that will process samples from this centre
Lab Department	Select the specific lab department (if the hospital has multiple labs)

6. Go to the Pricing & Payment tab:

Field	Description
Fee List Type	Select the fee category / price list for this centre. If the centre has negotiated different prices from the standard walk-in list, create a separate fee list category and assign it here.
Percentage	The collecting centre's commission as a percentage of the bill total. For example, 20 means the centre retains 20% and the lab receives 80%.
Payment Method	Select Cash, Credit, or Both
Allowed Credit	Tick this to allow credit billing at this centre
Maximum Credit Limit	The absolute maximum outstanding balance before credit billing is blocked (e.g., 500,000)
Standard Credit Limit	The normal operating credit limit. Bills are still accepted above this limit up to the maximum, but the system may display a warning.

7. Go to the Contact Details tab and fill in:

   • Phone number(s)
   • Email address
   • Owner / manager name
   • Physical address
   • Website (if applicable)

8. Click Save.

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Assigning Users to the Collecting Centre

After creating the centre:

1. Go to the User Management section.
2. For each staff member who will work at this centre, open their user account.
3. Set their Institution to this collecting centre.
4. Assign the required privileges (Sample Collection, Report Printing, etc.).
5. Save.

Staff members associated with this centre will see only their centre's patients when they log in.

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Testing the Setup

1. Log in with a collecting centre staff account.
2. Create a test patient and raise a lab bill.
3. Verify that the correct fee schedule is applied.
4. If credit billing is configured, select credit and verify the bill posts to the credit account.
5. Generate a barcode and verify it prints correctly.
6. Log in as a lab technician at the main lab and confirm the bill and sample appear in the reception queue.

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