> ## 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.
# Care Settings
> How to configure Healthcare Settings for your home care service - patient notifications, billing rules, blood test approvals, free follow-ups, and all system-wide preferences.
Healthcare Settings is the master control panel for your home care system. The settings here affect every user, every patient, and every visit in the system. Configure these settings carefully before you go live, and review them whenever your service policies change.
Only users with the **Healthcare Administrator** role can access and change these settings.
***
## Opening Healthcare Settings
Go to Home Care workspace → **Healthcare Settings** (or search for it in the system search bar)
***
## Section 1: Patient Registration
These settings control what happens when a new patient is registered.
| Setting | Plain English Meaning | Recommendation for Home Care |
| ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Collect Fee for Patient Registration | Charge a fee when a patient signs up for your service | Enable if you charge a one-time registration or onboarding fee |
| Registration Fee | How much to charge | Set to your onboarding fee amount |
| Registration Item | The billing item for this charge | Link to a "Registration Fee" item |
| Link Customer to Patient | Automatically create a billing account for each patient | Keep ON - required for all invoicing |
| Patient Name By | How names are stored (First + Last, or Full Name) | Choose whichever matches your records style |
***
## Section 2: Notifications (SMS Messages)
Getting the notification messages right is important. Patients receiving home visits need to know when the caregiver is coming and to make sure someone is home to let them in.
| Setting | Plain English Meaning | Recommendation for Home Care |
| ------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Send Registration Message | Send an SMS when a patient is first registered | Enable with a welcoming message |
| Registration Message | The text of the welcome SMS | "Welcome to \[Company Name]. Your home care coordinator will be in touch to schedule your first visit." |
| Appointment Confirmation | Send an SMS when a visit is booked | Enable |
| Confirmation Message | The text of the confirmation SMS | "Your home care visit is confirmed for \[Date] at \[Time] with \[Caregiver Name]. Please ensure someone is home. Call us at \[Phone] if you need to reschedule." |
| Avoid Confirmation | Do not send a second confirmation if one has already been sent | Enable - prevents the patient getting the same message twice |
| Appointment Reminder | Send an SMS before each visit | Enable |
| Reminder Message | The text of the reminder SMS | "Reminder: Your home care nurse will visit you today at \[Time]. Please ensure someone is at home to let them in." |
| Remind Before | How far in advance to send the reminder | 2:00:00 (2 hours before the visit) is a good default |
**Tip:** The confirmation message is the most important message to get right. Include the caregiver's name, the exact time, and what to do if there is a problem (phone number to call). Elderly patients and their families appreciate clear, specific information.
***
## Section 3: Lab Configuration
These settings control how blood test results are handled.
| Setting | Plain English Meaning | Recommendation for Home Care |
| ------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Do Not Print or Email Lab Tests Without Approval | Results cannot be shared with the patient until a doctor has reviewed them | Enable - the doctor should always review results before the patient is told |
| Create Sample Collection for Lab Test | Automatically creates a sample collection record when a test is ordered | Enable for better tracking |
| Result Printed Message | SMS sent when a result is printed | "Your blood test result from \[Company Name] is ready. Your doctor will discuss the findings at your next visit." |
| Result Emailed Message | SMS sent when a result is emailed to the patient | "Your blood test result has been emailed. Please check your inbox." |
***
## Section 4: Billing
These settings control how billing works across the system.
| Setting | Plain English Meaning | Recommendation for Home Care |
| ----------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Show Payment Popup | Shows a payment collection screen when billing is done | Enable for in-person payment collection |
| Out Patient Consulting Charge Item | The default billing item for home visit consultations | Link to your "Home Consultation" or "Out-patient" billing item |
| Clinical Procedure Consumable Item | The default billing item for procedure supplies | Link to a general consumables billing item |
| Allow Discharge Despite Unbilled Services | Lets you close a patient's care episode even if bills are outstanding | Disable for routine cases; billing should be completed before closing |
| Process Service Request Only If Paid | Blood tests and investigations only begin after payment is received | Optional - enable if you require upfront payment before sending the lab technician |
| Income Account | The account in your accounting records where clinical income is posted | Link to your healthcare income account |
| Receivable Account | The account where outstanding patient bills are tracked | Link to your accounts receivable account |
***
## Section 5: Free Follow-ups
If your service includes any free revisits as part of a care package, configure this section.
| Setting | Plain English Meaning | Recommendation for Home Care |
| ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Enable Free Follow-ups | Allow certain follow-up visits at no charge | Enable if your care packages include free revisits |
| Valid Number of Days | How many days after the first paid visit a free revisit is allowed | Set based on your package terms (e.g., 7 days for a 1-week wound care package) |
| Number of Patient Encounters in Valid Days | How many free revisits are included | Set to the number of visits included in the free period |
**Example:** If your wound care package includes the first 3 visits for a flat fee and any extra visits within 2 weeks are free, set Valid Number of Days to 14 and Number of Encounters to 3.
***
## Section 6: Inpatient Settings
These settings apply if your service manages patients who are staying in a facility (not just receiving home visits).
| Setting | Plain English Meaning | Recommendation for Home Care |
| --------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Inpatient Visit Charge Item | The billing item for practitioner visits to admitted patients | Link to your inpatient visit fee item |
| Do Not Bill Patient Encounters for Inpatients | Do not charge separately for consultations if the patient is already admitted (covered by the admission fee) | Enable if consultations are included in your daily admission rate |
| Validate Nursing Checklists | Prevent a patient from being discharged until all nursing tasks are completed | Enable for safety compliance |
***
## Patient History Settings
This controls which types of records appear in the patient's history timeline when the care team views their record.
Go to Healthcare workspace → Settings section → **Patient History Settings**
Recommended inclusions for a home care service:
* Patient Appointment (all visits)
* Patient Encounter (all home visit records)
* Vital Signs (blood pressure, blood sugar readings from each visit)
* Lab Test (home blood test results)
* Clinical Procedure (wound dressings and other procedures)
* Observation (wound photos, mobility level, feeding ability)
* Clinical Note (nurse notes from each visit)
* Diagnostic Report (compiled medical reports)
Enabling all of these ensures the care team can see a patient's complete story at a glance.
***
## Summary of Recommended Settings for Home Care
| Setting | Value |
| -------------------------------- | ------------------ |
| Appointment Confirmation SMS | ON |
| Appointment Reminder SMS | ON, 2 hours before |
| Lab Test Approval Required | ON |
| Show Payment Popup | ON |
| Link Customer to Patient | ON |
| Validate Nursing Checklists | ON |
| Allow Discharge Despite Unbilled | OFF |
| Enable Free Follow-ups | ON (if applicable) |
| Send Registration Message | ON |
***
## Troubleshooting
**Confirmation SMS is not being sent when a visit is booked**
Check that Appointment Confirmation is turned ON in Healthcare Settings and that the Confirmation Message text field has content. Also check that the patient's mobile number is entered on their Patient record.
**Blood test results are being shared with patients before the doctor has seen them**
Turn ON "Do Not Print or Email Lab Tests Without Approval". Ensure at least one user has the LabTest Approver role assigned to their account.
**The home visit fee is not auto-filling when creating an invoice**
Check that the Out Patient Consulting Charge Item is set in Healthcare Settings and that the appointment type has a billing item linked to it.
**A patient's nursing tasks are not required to be completed before ending the visit**
Turn ON "Validate Nursing Checklists" in Healthcare Settings and ensure the Nursing Checklist Template is linked to the relevant procedure templates.
***
## Related Features
* [Scheduling Visits](/health-wellness/homecare-services/scheduling-visits): Notification settings directly affect confirmation and reminder messages
* [Laboratory](/health-wellness/homecare-services/laboratory): Lab approval settings determine when results are shared with patients
* [Billing and Finance](/health-wellness/homecare-services/billing-finance): All billing rules are set here
* [Nursing Care](/health-wellness/homecare-services/nursing-care): Nursing checklist validation settings apply to procedures