Theatre Timed Services - hmislk/hmis GitHub Wiki

Theatre — Timed Services in Surgery

Overview

Timed Services are charges calculated based on how long a resource was used during a surgical procedure — for example, operating theatre time charged per hour, ventilator time, or recovery room time. Theatre billing staff record the start and end times of each timed service, and the system automatically calculates the charge based on the duration and the configured rate.

When to Use

  • Recording OT room usage time for a surgical case
  • Billing for ventilator, anaesthetic machine, or recovery room time
  • Any duration-based charge that is linked to a specific surgery

Required Privilege

TheatreBilling

Navigating to Add Timed Services

From the Surgery Workbench:

  1. Open the Surgery Workbench for the patient
  2. Click Add Timed Services
  3. The page opens with the surgery pre-loaded

From the Theatre menu:

  1. Click Theatre → Add Timed Services
  2. Search for and select the patient's surgery using the autocomplete

Step-by-Step: Recording a Timed Service

Step 1 — Select the Surgery (if not pre-loaded)

If entering from the menu, type the patient's name, BHT, or surgery name in the search field and select from the results.

Step 2 — Add a Timed Service

  1. Click in the Timed Item field
  2. Type part of the service name (e.g., "OT Time", "Ventilator") and select from the autocomplete
  3. Set the Start Time using the calendar/time picker — this is when the resource usage began
  4. Click Add Time Service

The service appears in the consumed timed services table.

Step 3 — Finalise the Service (Set End Time)

If the end time is not known when the service is first recorded, you can finalise it later:

  1. Find the service in the timed services table
  2. Click the Update button (or Finalise button) next to the service
  3. Set the End Time (when the resource use concluded)
  4. Click Save — the system recalculates the duration and charge

Tip: If you click Finalise without setting an end time, the system sets the end time to the current time automatically.

Step 4 — Review the Timed Services

The timed services table shows all recorded entries for this surgery:

Column Description
Service Name The timed item name
Start Time When the service began
Stopped Time When the service ended (blank if not yet finalised)
Total Calculated charge (duration × rate)
Date Added When this record was created
Added By System user who recorded the entry
Update / Remove Edit the entry or remove it

Entries shown in red indicate deleted/removed services.

How the Charge is Calculated

The system uses the start and end times to calculate:

  • Duration in the billing unit configured for that timed item (hours, minutes, or days)
  • Charge = Duration × Rate per unit

Example: If "OT Time" is configured at 500 per hour and the surgery ran for 2.5 hours, the charge would be 1,250.

Removing a Timed Service

To remove a service that was added in error:

  1. Click the Remove button next to the entry in the table
  2. Confirm the removal
  3. The entry is removed and the surgery bill total is updated

Note: Removal is only possible while the admission is not finalised.

Understanding Messages

Success

  • "Timed Service Added Successfully" — The timed service has been recorded and linked to the surgery bill

Error Messages

  • "Please select a timed service" — A timed item must be chosen before clicking Add
  • "Please select a surgery" — A surgery must be loaded first
  • "End time cannot be before start time" — Correct the end time before saving
  • "End time cannot be the same as start time" — A minimum duration is required
  • "Admission has been finalised" — No new timed services can be added

Best Practices

  • Record the start time at the moment the resource begins to be used — do not rely on memory
  • Always finalise open-ended services before the patient is discharged so the final bill is accurate
  • If multiple resources are used (e.g., both OT Time and Ventilator Time), add each as a separate timed service
  • Review the timed services table in the Surgery Workbench before the patient's final bill is generated

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