Fee estimates

Estimates are created by creating a new account which is flagged as an 'Estimate'. The patient, item and fee details are entered in the usual way. Most of these details are required for an accurate written estimate.

Estimates are more or less identical to accounts. However, they are kept in a separate list and are treated differently.

Moving between estimates and accounts

Either Accounts or Estimates are shown at one time, not both.

When viewing estimates, the Account details screen is clearly labeled 'ESTIMATE'. Menu buttons show 'Estimate details' and 'List of estimates'. The print button is labeled 'Estimate'.

Switch between lists of accounts and estimates by any of these methods:

Creating estimates

While viewing accounts in the main data entry screen, click the small <*> button on the top left of the <New> button.

If viewing estimates (see below), clicking the <New> button will create a new estimate.

Although you wouldn't normally do so, you can convert an account to an estimate, provided the account has not been issued. Click the <Convert to estimate> button to do this.

Enter patient details, items and fees as for a normal account.

Assuming the procedure is in the future, you will not have start and stop times. Enter an estimated duration in the 'Time' field on the Operation page to calculate an appropriate time item.

You can save an estimated operation duration in the Operations lookup table to assist in quickly creating estimates for specific operations.

If you would like to print a theatre list, enter an approximate start time which will be used to order the list. See Theatre List.

Select a fee and print the estimate with the <Estimate> button (normally labeled Print).

Printing estimates

Print the estimate with the <Estimate> button on the estimate details screen. (Estimates can also be printed in a batch from the List of Estimates screen.)

There is considerable scope to customize the format of the estimate printout. You may choose to include the patient's address, operation details and a declaration with a position for the patient's signature. There are three sections where customizable text may be included. You may insert a detailed estimate section with itemized gap fees, or a summary showing a total gap only. All the text sections may use field codes which will insert data from the estimate. Multiple estimate formats may be saved, so that different estimates can be printed in different formats or with different wording. A default format may be set up in the Options form (Print Format page). Open the estimate formats page from the Options form, or by clicking the button on the print estimates dialog box.

The standard estimate prints out with a custom message, plus fee and rebate details according to the fee and fund selected. A brief explanation of fee and gap is given.

When an estimate is printed, the fee and gap details are saved to the 'IFC details' field on the Fund page. If the field will not hold all the details, any existing details are first moved to the Notes field.

There is also a new field labelled 'IFC Status' where you can set up your own list of items to select from. When an estimate is printed, one of these can be inserted automatically, depending on the account type. This is set up when editing the lookup list for the IFC status field.

When printing from the 'List of estimates' screen, if no Medicare number is entered, Access Anaesthetics assumes that the patient is eligible for Medicare benefits in any case. When printing from the estimate details screen, you may choose whether to ignore a missing Medicare number.

Creating accounts from estimates

Click the <Convert to account> button to convert an estimate to an account. The estimate will be flagged as an account and will move to the list of accounts.

When entering a new account, after entering the surname, if there is an estimate in the current doctor's file with the same surname, the list of matching estimates will be shown automatically. This also happens after entering the Medicare number.

From the list of matching estimates, you may select one and convert it into an account.

The list of estimates shows only those estimates which match the patient's surname. You may optionally show estimates which match the patient's first name, Medicare number and/or all three. Click the <Show all> button to show all estimates, whether or not they match the current account details. The list of estimates may be reordered by clicking the column heading.

Group practices may additionally select a specific provider file to search for estimates, or may show estimates in all providers files. An estimate from any data file can be converted to an account in the current data file. Group practices may also specify a separate provider file to use for automatically searching estimates (Options > Print format page).

Click the <View Estimates> button on the Patient page at any time to view existing estimates, matched to the patient's details.

What can't be done with estimates

Batch payments and Eclipse functions (except OPV) are disabled for estimates.

Accounts can't be converted to estimates if they have a date issued, include a batch payment, or include any Eclipse claims other than OPV.

Quick Estimate Calculator

A new tool is provided for a quick estimate calculation. Click Tools > Estimate calculator from the menu bar on any of the main screens.

This allows you to store any number of procedure estimates, grouped into categories. For each estimate, you can store a set of appropriate items, and quickly add premed items, modifiers and time. This is useful if you need to quickly calculate fee and rebate details for commonly used procedures, without creating a new account or formal estimate. You can easily adjust the RVG unit value up or down to see how this affects the gap payment. Two RVG unit value fields are provided to easily compare one unit rate with another. The defaults for these are taken from the Options form (Unit Values page). Brief notes (255 characters) can be saved with each estimate calculation.

A button is also provided to create a formal estimate using the details in the calculation.

Related functions

Searching. When searching for an account number or name, if the account is not found in the current selection, both accounts and estimates will be searched.

Updating multiple accounts or estimates

When using the Estimate calculator, it is theoretically possible to generate a lot of written estimates which are not needed. Consequently we have provided the ability to delete a group of tagged estimates together in one process. First, tag the estimates you want to delete in the List of Estimates. Then select the Tools menu > 'Update multiple accts'. Finally click the <Delete> button on the lower left.

The above process also provides the ability to edit data for a list of tagged estimates or accounts together. This batch updating is available for Account date, Date closed, Category, Status, Surgeon, Hospital and Operation fields. (When updating the Surgeon and Hospital fields, the appropriate provider number and LSPN will also be entered.)

Transferring accounts between provider files. An account or estimate in one doctor's file can be transferred to another doctor's file (<Transfer> button on lower right of Patient page) provided it does not contain a batch payment or an Eclipse claim (OPV is OK). Accounts or estimates transferred are given the next available account number in the new file. You can optionally specify a destination account number, provided it does not already exist, and provided it is less that the current maximum account number. This is intended to be used where account numbers in the destination file have been deleted. If you want to move an account into the current doctor's file, go to the other doctor's file and transfer it (send it) into the current doctor's file.