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LIMS Collecting Centre Billing
A collecting centre is a remote sample collection point — a clinic, pharmacy, or standalone phlebotomy outlet — that is affiliated with the main laboratory. Patients visit the collecting centre to have their samples taken, and the samples (or results) are shared with the central lab. This article explains how billing works in a collecting centre setting, including fee sharing, credit, payment methods, and home visit charges.
When a bill is created at a collecting centre, the system automatically applies the fee schedule configured for that centre. The total fee is divided between:
- The laboratory — the portion that covers testing costs.
- The collecting centre — a commission or percentage retained by the centre for the collection service.
The split is configured by the lab administrator per collecting centre. Staff at the centre do not need to calculate this manually; the system handles it at the time of billing.
- Log in at the collecting centre workstation.
- Go to Menu > Lab > Lab Bill (or the equivalent billing screen configured for the centre).
- Search for the patient and select the correct record. Register a new patient if this is their first visit.
- Add the required investigations using the investigation search field.
- If applicable, add any additional charges such as a home visit fee (see below).
- Select the Payment Method:
- Cash — collected at the centre, reconciled during the day-end process.
- Card — processed at the centre's POS terminal.
- Credit — posted to the patient's or company's credit account (only available if a credit limit has been configured for this centre).
- Click Save Bill. A bill receipt with a barcode is printed for the patient.
When a courier or phlebotomist travels to a patient's home to collect a sample, a home visit fee can be added to the bill.
- After adding investigations, locate the Additional Services section.
- Click Add Service and select Home Visit (or the relevant service item).
- The home visit charge is added as a separate line on the bill and is included in the total amount collected.
The home visit charge is billed at the time of the visit. It is separate from the investigation fee and does not affect the laboratory's share of the test fee.
Note: The available additional service items depend on configuration. Contact your lab administrator if the required service is not listed.
Collecting centres can have credit arrangements with companies or insurance payers. When a patient presents with a valid company credit card or letter:
- Select Credit as the payment method.
- Choose the appropriate Credit Company or Credit Account from the list.
- The bill is posted to that account. No immediate payment is collected.
- Credit bills are consolidated into a periodic statement sent to the company.
Credit limits are set by the lab administrator per collecting centre. If the centre has reached its credit limit, the system will prevent further credit billing until the outstanding balance is settled.
The lab administrator can assign a specific fee list to each collecting centre. This means:
- The investigation prices at the centre may differ from the main lab's walk-in prices.
- Packages or promotions specific to the centre can be configured separately.
- Discounts negotiated with the centre are built into the fee list, not applied manually at billing time.
If you notice that prices appear incorrect for your centre, contact the lab administrator to verify the assigned fee list.
- Collecting centre bills are tracked separately in the system.
- End-of-day cash reconciliation is performed at the centre level.
- The lab administrator can run collecting centre reports to see total bills, collections, and outstanding credit per centre.
See Summaries & Reports for available report types.
Can a collecting centre raise a bill for a patient registered at the main hospital? Yes. Patient records are shared across the system. Search by registration number, name, or mobile number.
What happens if a patient pays at the collecting centre but the test is done at the main lab? The payment is recorded against the collecting centre. The lab's share is credited internally. No separate payment is needed at the main lab.
Can the centre print the final lab report? Yes. Once the report is approved at the main lab, the collecting centre can log in and print the report for the patient. The authorising signature is embedded in the report automatically.