Recording payments on the clinical record screen

The first step in recording payments is to bring up the clinical record for the animal concerned. You can pay off multiple animals at once using the Tree View display card and this is explained later in the chapter. To enter a payment, you select 'C'ash from the clinical prompt line.

Premvet 5 will display the following details:

Last billed on 10.10.90 for   14.95
Current balance is            14.95
Amount to pay                 14.95

The system will prompt you for the payment method:

Paid by ...............

When paying the account from the clinical screen you can enter either a discount or surcharge at this point. Enter either an 'D' or and 'S' and the system will prompt you as required. See later section

Tip: If you giving Discounts frequently, setup a payment type 'D Disc', the system will treat this as a shortcut to discounts. The same applies to types starting C<space> and S<space>.

Select as appropriate or if paying by credit card you can swipe the card at this point or enter a 'C' to be prompted for manual entry. Following your selection, the system will ask you to enter the actual amount paid, with the outstanding balance in the default currency, as the default, like so:

Enter amount being paid (£) [14.95] ........

Note: Entering '0' at this point will exit the payment routine.

You may then be asked (see options):

Amount tendered (£) [xxx.xx] .........

This is to determine how much change the client is to receive. You should enter the amount received from the client. The system will calculate the client's change and display it on the bottom line of the payment window. This will alse be printed on any receipts.

Next, Premvet 5 will prompt you:

Enter Payment Ref ............. 

Premvet 5 will ask you if you need to print a receipt. Answer accordingly (you can set the default to this option via customisation). A standard receipt format is available which is used if the customised definition file 'receipt.def' is not present. For details of customising printed documents using reserved words and definition files, see Chapter 22.

If you are using the VAT cash accounting scheme i.e. your VAT is assessed on payments rather than work done, you will be asked to enter the VAT element included in the payments. This defaults to 175/1175 (7/47) if the VAT rate is 17.5%.

Paying in Euro's

Credit Card Slips

If you are reading credit cards electronically you should ensure you are NOT accessing the system via an un-secured means e.g. over the internet. In un-secured cases you should connect to the system using an encryption protocol such as ssh.

Paid amount - Default to Zero

Gen Apps -> Params -> Fields -> Options -> More -> 21

To Yes and the default amount will be set to zero forcing the entry of an amount.

Adding Discount/Surcharge to lookup table

To save you having to enter a 'D' (or 'S'/'C') at the prompt you can add them to the list of payment types. Enter as normal but leave a space after the letter e.g.

In some cases you may wish to offer the client a discount while you are recording a payment. As an incentive for clients to pay at the time of consultation, for example, you may offer a discount of 5%.

You can accomplish this in one of two ways:

• By Default You can alter a global setting. Premvet 5 will then always ask you if you wish to discount whenever you enter the 'C'ash routine.
• Manually You can enter a 'D' (for discount) at the 'Paid by .....' prompt.

Cash discount - <P>ercentage, <A>bsolute, <N>one [N] .

Note: You are NOT allowed to offer a discount if the client is in credit or the amount of discount is greater than the current balance.

Once you have entered the discount method and amount required, Premvet 5 will automatically calculate the discount and ask you to confirm it. Following confirmation a transaction is written into the client's record and the payment routine will continue.

System defaults for cash discounts
When you are offering discounts during the 'C'ash routine, the system will offer three default values, any of which can be altered:

1. The default percentage discount amount.
2. The default absolute discount amount.

   Both options are changed via Parameter set up:

   	(Fields & Defaults - Defaults - options 4 & 5).
   

3. The name of the discount. This is the text that will be added onto the record card. This text will precede the phrase:

   	xxxxxxxxx discount given
   

   This can also be changed within Parameter set up:

   	(Billing settings - Discount/Surcharge text - Option 3).
   

Access levels
You may require that only certain members of the practice staff are allowed to offer this kind of discount. An access level setting (92) will restrict the user from using the discount option. Access level (94) will allow users to offer discounts, but only using the default amounts.

Discounts & surcharges enacted during invoice production

During an invoice production run you may have told Premvet 5 to offer clients a discount for early payment or drug usage, etc. In addition, you can add or threaten surcharges. The 'C'ash routine will check the status of these figures whenever it is started. If discounts/surcharges are implemented the relevant figures will be displayed in the payment window, e.g.:

Last billed on 10.10.90 for        14.95
Discount (21.10.90) for            xx.xx
Surcharge amount                   yy.yy
Current balance is                 14.95
Amount to pay                      14.95

Discounts
If the last bill the client was sent indicated an early settlement discount, you will be asked:

Discount of 2.03 was offered - <C>ancel, <I>gnore or amount ..

Surcharges
If a late payment surcharge amount appeared on the client's last bill, you will be asked:

Abandon threatened surcharge? (Y/N) [Y]

Paying off multiple animals

  Amount   - A specified amount to account.
  Current  - The current balance outstanding
  Billed   - The amount the client was last billed for
  Discount - Current balance with discounts taken

1. The discount amount being given.
2. If a surcharge is to be applied, and if, so the amount.

Note: If a client has a threatened surcharge you will be prompted if you would like to abandon it when a payment is made.

There are 3 additional formats available in the receipt option from the clinical record prompt:

( See the billing section for details)

Today	Print on the POS printer a docket showing today's work.
POS	Prints on the POS printer an itemised receipt breaking the work done into analysis categories.
Itemised	As the POS option above except that it prints on the default printer.

Receipt default

<G>en -> <P>arameters -> <M>isc -> 23

The simplest way to record this work is create a new record card called 'shop sales'. Set the record number of this card in '<G>eneral Applications <P>armeters <M>isc 14'. This will identify to the system the shop card. When receipts are issued on this card they will only include items entered since the card was accessed. In other words the receipts will only cover the goods issued to that client. As soon as you leave the card you cannot issue another receipt. In addition, you will not be allowed to leave this card via the 'Quit' option if there is a balance outstanding. The system assumes that shop sales are paid for at the time.

Note: If you need to exit the card and leave a balance outstanding you should firstly switch to the management record and from there quit to the main menu.

The following Colour Events are used: