Theatre Professional Fee Payments

Theatre — Processing Professional Fee Payments

Overview

After professional fee bills have been created for surgeons and anaesthetists, the finance team processes the actual payment to each doctor. This generates a payment voucher confirming the amount paid, the payment method, and the doctor's details. Professional fee payments are separate from the patient's own inpatient billing settlement.

When to Use

• Paying a surgeon or anaesthetist for procedures performed
• Generating a payment voucher for a doctor's fee claim
• Processing a batch of professional fee payments at the end of a period

Required Privilege

TheatreBilling (professional fee access)

Navigating to Professional Fee Payments

1. Click Theatre → Professional → (select the payment option)
2. Or from the Professional Fees List page, use the payment action

Step-by-Step: Processing a Payment

Step 1 — Find the Professional Fee Bill

1. Search for the patient's surgery using the autocomplete (patient name, BHT, or surgery name)
2. The professional fee bills for that surgery are listed — showing bill number, date, doctor, total, and status

Step 2 — Select the Bill to Pay

1. Identify the Active fee bill(s) to be paid (Cancelled bills cannot be paid)
2. Click the Pay or Settle button next to the bill

Step 3 — Enter Payment Details

1. Select the Payment Method (Cash, Cheque, Bank Transfer, etc.)
2. Enter the Amount (pre-filled from the bill total — verify accuracy)
3. Enter any reference details (cheque number, transfer reference) if applicable
4. Click Process Payment

Step 4 — Print the Voucher

A payment voucher is generated showing:

• Doctor's name and role
• Surgery details (patient, BHT, procedure)
• Fee amount paid
• Payment method and date
• Prepared by and authorised by details

Print this voucher as the payment record.

Batch Payments

Note: The ability to generate payment vouchers for multiple surgeries by the same doctor in a single click is a planned enhancement (see GitHub issue #17489). Currently, vouchers must be generated one surgery at a time.

As a workaround, process each surgery's professional fee separately and consolidate the printed vouchers for the doctor.

Viewing Payment History

From the Professional Fees List page:

• Settled (paid) bills show their payment status
• Cancelled bills are shown with a cancellation marker

Understanding Messages

Success

• "Payment Processed" — The fee has been paid and a voucher is generated

Error Messages

• "Please select a payment method" — A payment method must be chosen
• "Invalid amount" — The payment amount must be greater than zero and match the bill

Best Practices

• Process payments promptly after surgery to avoid backlogs of unpaid vouchers
• Always verify the bill total against the doctor's claim before processing
• Keep printed vouchers on file as supporting documents for accounts
• If a fee was entered incorrectly, cancel the professional fee bill before processing payment — see Cancelling Professional Fees

Related Features

• Theatre — Managing Professional Fees — Creating fee bills
• Theatre — Cancelling Professional Fees — Voiding incorrect fee bills
• Theatre Management Module Overview