> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bizaxl.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Clinic Settings
> How to configure the Healthcare Settings for your eye care center - notifications, billing rules, lab approvals, fee validity, and all system-wide preferences.
Healthcare Settings is the master configuration page for the entire eye care system. Everything here affects all users and all records. Configure these settings carefully before you go live, and review them whenever your clinic policies change.
Only users with the **Healthcare Administrator** role can access and change Healthcare Settings.
***
## Opening Healthcare Settings
Go to Healthcare workspace → Settings card → **Healthcare Settings**
***
## Section 1: Patient Registration
| Setting | What It Controls | Recommended for Eye Care |
| ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- |
| Collect Fee for Patient Registration | Charges a one-time registration fee for new patients | Enable if your center charges a joining fee |
| Registration Fee | Amount charged | Set to your registration rate |
| Registration Item | Billing item for registration fee | Link to your registration service item |
| Link Customer to Patient | Creates a billing customer record for each patient | Keep ON - required for invoicing |
| Patient Name By | Whether to use First+Last Name or Full Name | Match your records style |
***
## Section 2: Notifications
Proper notification setup is important at an eye care center. Patients who are coming for dilation or surgery need specific instructions in their reminder messages.
| Setting | What It Controls | Recommended for Eye Care |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Send Registration Message | SMS to patient on registration | Enable with a welcome message |
| Registration Message | Text of welcome SMS | "Welcome to \[Eye Care Center Name]. Please bring your glasses and any previous prescriptions to your appointment." |
| Appointment Confirmation | SMS on appointment booking | Enable |
| Confirmation Message | Text of confirmation SMS | "Your eye appointment is confirmed for \[Date] at \[Time] with \[Doctor Name]. Please bring your current glasses and any previous eye reports. For dilation appointments, please arrange transport as your vision will be blurred for 2-4 hours." |
| Avoid Confirmation | Skip if already sent | Enable to prevent duplicate messages |
| Appointment Reminder | SMS before appointment | Enable |
| Reminder Message | Text of reminder SMS | "Reminder: Eye appointment tomorrow at \[Time]. Bring your glasses. If your appointment involves eye drops, please arrange a driver." |
| Remind Before | How far in advance (hours:min:sec) | 2:00:00 (2 hours before) |
***
## Section 3: Lab Configuration
| Setting | What It Controls | Recommended for Eye Care |
| ------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Do Not Print or Email Lab Tests Without Approval | Prevents releasing pre-op results before review | Enable - pre-op results need clinical review before clearing the patient for surgery |
| Create Sample Collection for Lab Test | Auto-creates sample collection records | Enable for lab traceability |
| Create Lab Test on SI Submit | Creates lab tests when invoice is submitted | Enable if patients pay before tests are processed |
| Result Printed Message | SMS when result is printed | "Your test result from \[Eye Care Center] is ready. Please collect or discuss at your next appointment." |
| Result Emailed Message | SMS when result is emailed | "Your test result has been emailed. Please check your inbox." |
***
## Section 4: Billing
| Setting | What It Controls | Recommended for Eye Care |
| ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Show Payment Popup | Payment collection popup at billing moments | Enable for front-desk payment collection |
| Out Patient Consulting Charge Item | Billing item for outpatient consultations | Link to your consultation fee item |
| Clinical Procedure Consumable Item | Billing item for procedure consumables | Link to a general consumable item (IOLs, sutures may have separate items) |
| Allow Discharge Despite Unbilled Services | Permit discharge before billing is cleared | Disable - billing should be cleared before discharge |
| Process Service Request Only If Paid | Lab and investigation orders only start after invoice is paid | Enable if your center requires pre-payment for investigations |
| Income Account | Ledger for clinical income | Link to your income account |
| Receivable Account | Ledger for outstanding patient payments | Link to your accounts receivable |
***
## Section 5: Free Follow-ups
This section is particularly important for eye care centers that include post-operative follow-ups in a surgical package.
| Setting | What It Controls | Recommended for Eye Care |
| ------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Enable Free Follow-ups | Allows free revisits after a paid consultation | Enable for post-surgical follow-up packages |
| Valid Number of Days | Duration of the free follow-up window | 90 days for cataract surgery (covers Day 1, Week 1, Month 1, and Month 3 follow-ups) |
| Number of Patient Encounters in Valid Days | How many free follow-ups are included | 4 (for Day 1 + Week 1 + Month 1 + final review) |
***
## Section 6: Inpatient Settings (Day Surgery)
| Setting | What It Controls | Recommended for Eye Care |
| --------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Inpatient Visit Charge Item | Billing item for surgeon visits to admitted patients | Link to your inpatient visit fee |
| Do Not Bill Patient Encounters for Inpatients | Inpatient consultations not billed separately | Enable if consultations are included in the surgical package |
| Validate Nursing Checklists | Prevents discharge if nursing checklist is incomplete | Enable - ensures pre-op and post-op protocols are followed |
***
## Section 7: Clinical Orders
| Setting | What It Controls | Recommended for Eye Care |
| ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| Process Service Request Only If Paid | OCT, visual field, and other investigation orders do not start until the invoice is paid | Enable if your center collects investigation fees upfront |
| Default Intent | Default intent for orders | Routine |
| Default Priority | Default priority | Routine |
| Default Code System | Medical coding standard used | ICD-10 |
***
## Patient History Settings
This controls which record types appear in the patient's history timeline - important for the doctor to see a complete eye care picture.
Go to Healthcare workspace → Settings card → **Patient History Settings**
Recommended inclusions for an eye care center:
* Patient Appointment (all visits)
* Patient Encounter (all eye examinations)
* Vital Signs (pre-screening and pre-op measurements)
* Lab Test (pre-operative blood tests)
* Clinical Procedure (investigations and surgical procedures)
* Diagnostic Report (OCT reports, visual field reports)
* Clinical Note (any free text notes)
* Inpatient Record (day surgery admissions)
***
## Recommended Configuration Summary
| Setting | Value |
| ------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------- |
| Collect Registration Fee | Yes (if applicable) |
| Appointment Confirmation | ON |
| Appointment Reminder | ON, 2 hours before |
| Enable Free Follow-ups | ON, 90 days, 4 encounters |
| Lab Test Approval Required | ON |
| Show Payment Popup | ON |
| Allow Discharge Despite Unbilled | OFF |
| Validate Nursing Checklists | ON |
| Process Service Request Only If Paid | ON (for investigation pre-payment model) |
| Link Customer to Patient | ON |
***
## Troubleshooting
**Appointment confirmation messages are not being sent**
Check that Appointment Confirmation is turned ON and the Confirmation Message field is filled in. Verify the patient's mobile number is correct.
**Patients are being discharged before their surgical bill is cleared**
Turn off "Allow Discharge Despite Unbilled Healthcare Services."
**Pre-operative lab results are being released before the surgeon has reviewed them**
Turn on "Do Not Print or Email Lab Tests Without Approval" and confirm at least one user has the LabTest Approver role.
**The nursing pre-op checklist is not preventing discharge when incomplete**
Turn on "Validate Nursing Checklists" in Healthcare Settings and link a Nursing Checklist Template to your procedure templates.
***
## Best Practices
* Configure and test all notification messages with a test patient before activating for live patients - check that dilation and driver advice is included in the confirmation message for relevant appointment types
* Review the billing configuration with your finance team before go-live - the income and receivable accounts must be correct for financial reporting to be accurate
* The Free Follow-up setting needs to match your surgical package promise to patients - if you promise 3 months of free post-op care, set it to 90 days
* Revisit these settings once a year or whenever you change your pricing, package structure, or clinic protocols
***
## Related Features
* [Appointments](/health-wellness/eye-care-center/appointments): Notification settings directly affect confirmations and reminders
* [Laboratory](/health-wellness/eye-care-center/laboratory): Lab approval and notification settings
* [Billing and Finance](/health-wellness/eye-care-center/billing-finance): Most billing rules are configured here
* [Surgical Procedures](/health-wellness/eye-care-center/surgical-procedures): Nursing checklist validation affects surgical workflows