- A provider in a dialysis unit sees up to fifty patients during a 4-hour shift. In most cases, the charge information remains the same for all patients. The only piece of information that changes is the patient name.
- A PCP evaluates his/her patients during a routine evaluation. For the most part, these are E&M encounters that share the same diagnosis and CPT codes; the only information that changes is the patient name. When it comes time for a provider to enter charges, s/he must enter the same diagnoses, CPT codes, and charge headers again and again for each patient. Batch Charge Entry streamlines this process by enabling providers to create or edit one charge that is applied to multiple patients on their patient list.
Availability of the Batch Charge Entry on Web versus Handheld Platforms
Once configured, the Batch Charge Entry feature is available on only the web platform. It is not available on the Android or Apple platforms.Using Batch Charge Entry with Other Charge Capture Features
Batch Charge Entry can be used in conjunction with the following features:- Automated Code Entry. If a user enters a master code on the Batch Charge Entry screen and then submits it for multiple patients, the appropriate additional charges, modifiers, and/or diagnoses are automatically added to each patient’s charge transaction in the batch. See Configuring Automated Code Entry.
- Charge Data Master (CDM). When a provider applies a charge code to a batch of patient visits, the appropriate CDM codes will be retrieved for each transaction in the batch, if the charge code is mapped in the CDM, and the transaction meets all of the criteria for applying CDM codes. See Implementing a Charge Data Master (CDM).
- Hold for Review. When entering charges via the Batch Charge Entry option, the user can select one or more visits on the main screen and choose to hold them for review. See Configuring the Hold for Review Workflow.
- Selection of NDC Codes. Batch Charge Entry allows a provider to apply a charge code to a batch of multiple patients. Since the provider only enters the charge code once for the entire batch of patients, and they are not able to specify the individual drugs and NDC codes that were used for each patient, the transaction is assigned a “Missing/invalid NDC code or quantity” error. See Configuring the Selection of NDC Codes During Charge Capture.
- RVU Management. If a user enters one or more charge codes on the Batch Charge Entry screen that have RVU values associated with them, and then submits those charges for multiple patients, the charges are saved with the appropriate RVU values. In addition, if appropriate, the charge codes are auto-sorted based on RVU, the RVU values are multiplied, and a modifier is added. See Configuring RVU Management. Batch Charge Entry cannot be used in conjunction with the following features:
- Custom Charge Capture Screens. Any custom screens you have designed via the Custom Charge Capture Screens feature are not available for use in the Batch Charge Entry option (see Configuring Custom Charge Capture Screens).
- PQRS. When using the Batch Charge Entry option, the Commure Pro Clinical Metrics screen does not display after saving a batch of charges, even if the charges qualify for quality reporting (see Configuring PQRS/MIPS).
Steps for Configuring Batch Charge Entry
The steps for configuring Batch Charge Entry are listed in the table below. Each of these steps requires changes to settings that are found on the Admin tab.| Step | Where Documented |
|---|---|
| 1. Enable the Batch Charge Entry option for your system. | Enable Batch Charge Entry for the System |
| 2. Determine which Charge Headers should be used on the Batch Charge Entry screen. | Select Charge Headers for Batch Charge Entry |
| 3. Determine in which departments the Batch Charge Entry option should be available. | Enable Batch Charge Entry for Specific Departments |
| 4. Determine for which individual users the Batch Charge Entry option should be available. | Enable Batch Charge Entry for Specific Users |
Enable Batch Charge Entry for the System
The first step is to simply turn on the Batch Charge Entry feature for your system, using setting below. When set to Yes, the Batch Charge Entry settings at both the department and user levels become available. Admin - Institution - Charge Capture - Enable Batch EntrySelect Charge Headers for Batch Charge Entry
A charge transaction header contains basic information about the charge transaction as a whole (commonly referred to as a transaction-level header), or additional information about a specific charge on the transaction (commonly referred to as a charge-level header). Some examples of transaction-level headers are Service Date, Billing Provider, Billing Area, and Service Site. An example of a charge-level header is Rendering Provider, since there might be a different Rendering Provider associated with each charge in a charge transaction. Charge transaction headers are created at the institution level, and can then be modified at the user level for a specific user, if necessary, using the following options: Admin - Institution - Charge Capture - Add/Edit Charge Headers Admin - User - Charge Capture - Add/Edit Charge Headers The Batch Charge Entry attribute for a charge transaction header determines whether the header is visible in the Batch Charge Entry option. When enabled for a transaction-level header, the header is displayed at the top of the main Batch Charge Entry screen. When enabled for a charge-level header, the header is displayed on the Charge Transaction screen within the Batch Charge Entry option (when selecting the charge and diagnosis codes). There are four required charge transaction headers for the Batch Charge Entry feature: Service Date, Service Site, Billing Provider, and Billing Area. Each of these has the Batch Charge Entry header attribute selected by default and cannot be changed. To enable any additional transaction-level or charge-level headers to appear in the Batch Charge Entry option, you must select the Batch Charge Entry attribute for those headers. If you wish to use a set of parent/child dependent headers, you must select the Batch Charge Entry header attribute for the parent header, as well as for all of the dependent headers. See Add Dependent for more information. Please note that the Visibility attribute must also be set to “Visible” in order for any header to display in the Batch Charge Entry option. This includes the four default headers listed above, any additional transaction-level headers including parent/child headers, and any additional charge-level headers. Also note that initial and subsequent default values are handled differently for charge transaction headers in the Batch Charge Entry option. See Initial Default Value and Subsequent Default Value for more information.Enable Batch Charge Entry for Specific Departments
Enable the Batch Charge Entry feature for all departments where you want it to be used, via the setting below. When you turn on Batch Charge Entry for a department, it becomes available for all users of that department. Admin - Department - Charge Capture - Enable Batch EntryWhen configuring Batch Charge Entry settings, user-level settings can override department-level settings. See Enable Batch Charge Entry for Specific Users.
Enable Batch Charge Entry for Specific Users
Enable or disable the Batch Charge Entry feature for specific users, via the setting below. When you turn on Batch Charge Entry for a user, the Charges > Batch Charge Entry tab becomes available for that user. Admin - User - Charge Capture - Enable Batch EntryWhen configuring Batch Charge Entry settings, the user-level settings can override department-level settings. See Enable Batch Charge Entry for Specific Departments.