Skip to main content

Automatic Charges Explained

Automatic charges allow for specified products to be charged "automatically". You can control and manage automatic charges within Admin!

Written by Caroline Welch

Automatic Charges are used for items that bill in the background when other items are ordered to the Treatment Sheet.

Common examples include:

  • Fluid pump fees

  • Hospitalization charges

  • Daily monitoring or blood pressure fees

Products with an Automatic Charge are displayed with a dollar bill sign on the Treatment Sheet (hover over for more information):

How Automatic Charges are applied

If a treatment is ordered with an Automatic Charge linked to it, the Automatic Charge fee will be included on the Invoice at the scheduled start time. Additionally, automatic charges can be applied when an exam type is selected from the dropdown at the top of the treatment sheet. Any charges linked to that exam will be added to the invoice automatically.

Example:

If the current time is 12:00 PM and the order starts at 2:00 PM, the Automatic Charge will start at 2 pm.

Products with an Automatic Charge should not be ordered via:

  • One-off treatments

  • Treatments entered from the Vitals tab as this will generate a new charge.

  • For example, entering an IV fluid rate in the Vitals tab will send an automatic charge directly to the invoice. To prevent unintended charges, avoid recording fluids in the Vitals tab when an automatic charge is linked.

One-Time (“Once”) Automatic Charges

Automatic Charges set to Once are added to the invoice immediately when the treatment is scheduled.

Why this matters:

  • Ensures fees appear even if a treatment ends early

  • Reduces missed or forgotten charges

Note: If the treatment is canceled, the Automatic Charge must be manually voided from the invoice.

Hospitalization Charges

Hospitalization is one of the most common Automatic Charge workflows. When a hospitalization level is selected on the Treatment Sheet (drop-down menu), the hospitalization fee will start to charge at that time and the fee will go directly to the Instinct Invoice.

  • Example from ITP demo site:

  • The hospitalization charge will fall to the invoice at the set frequency set up in Admin:

Note: If the hospitalization level is changed, the original hospitalization selection will stop charging and the new one will start to charge.

Creating automatic charges

Automatic Charges are created the same way products and medications are created.

To create one:

  1. Go to Admin, select Products

  2. Click + New Product

  3. Under “Class”, choose “Automatic Charge”.

  4. Save the product

Linking Automatic Charges to Products

Once created, the final step is attaching it to the product within the product admin. To link an Automatic Charge: For exam fees, navigate to the Advanced Ordering section of the relevant product and click Add/Edit Charges next to Automatic Charges. Attach the charge and set the desired frequency (e.g., once per invoice).

  1. Open the product that should trigger the charge

  2. Edit the product

  3. In the Automatic Charges section, attach the relevant Automatic Charge

Managing Inactive Codes in Bundles

If inactive codes prevent adding new ones to a bundle, follow these steps:

  1. Remove the inactive code from the bundle, then add the desired code (e.g., "All Sales Are Final") and save.

  2. Reactivate the inactive code if still needed, refresh Instinct, and then add the new code.

  3. If both a discount code and another code are needed, ensure the discount code is active or create it as a Product if it is set up as an automatic charge and not selectable in bundles.

Note: If you’d like to inactivate an Automatic Charge, you must first remove it from each product it is attached to (Instinct will remind you if you try). If you need assistance, you can always reach out to us at [email protected]!

Deactivating a product code removes it from dropdown menus and estimate templates, ensuring it cannot be selected for future use. However, this does not affect items already present on open invoices or treatment sheets, which remain intact.

Automatic Charges can be added at set frequencies based on your charging schedule. In the example below, this order has a q12 ‘Fluids IV’ charge which lands on the invoice at the start time and every 12 hours thereafter. An additional one-time pump fee is also charged at the start time.

Here is an example of automatic charges linked to this IV Fluids - LRS product. Automatic Charges can be added at set frequencies based on your charging schedule. In the example below, this order has a q12 ‘Fluids IV’ charge which lands on the invoice at the start time and every 12 hours thereafter. An additional one-time 'Fluid Pump' fee and 'Extension set/admin set' is also charged at the start time:

Note: If you’d like to inactivate an Automatic Charge, you must first remove it from each product it is attached to (Instinct will remind you if you try). If you need assistance, you can always reach out to us at [email protected]!

Troubleshooting Automatic Charges

  1. Verify Product Configuration:

    • Ensure the relevant product or charge is added to the treatment sheet.

    • Check that the correct product configuration is in place by navigating to Admin > Exams and verifying the automatic charge setup.

  2. Check Frequency Settings:

    • Go to Admin > Products and search for the product.

    • Open the product setup page, select Add/Edit Charges, and update the frequency as needed (e.g., change from "Once" to "q12").

Example: Vitals and Automatic Charges

Not all vitals automatically incur charges. For instance, recording a ketone vital sign does not generate a charge, but blood glucose measurements can have an automatic charge linked to a predefined code (e.g., "Blood Glucose (Alphatrek) (DIAG-BGAUTO)").

Things to note about automatic charges:

  • The automatic charge will be captured on the invoice at the time that the treatment is scheduled for, not when it's completed. So if you scheduled the treatment order at 5 pm, but you complete the treatment order at 4:30 pm, the automatic charge will still be captured at 5 pm.

  • Automatic charges can not be ordered directly to a Treatment Sheet; only the products they are tied to can be ordered.

    For example, entering an IV fluid rate in the Vitals tab will send an automatic charge directly to the invoice. To prevent unintended charges, avoid recording fluids in the Vitals tab when an automatic charge is linked.

  • For EMR hospitals, automatic charges cannot be added directly to estimates; only the products that they are tied to can be added.

Related Articles
Did this answer your question?