Re: [Gnumed-devel] GNUmed future billing concepts 'invoicing' and 'billed'

[Karsten Hilbert]

On Sat, Jul 07, 2012 at 05:23:01AM +0000, Jim Busser wrote:

> Presently, 'invoicing' involves
> 
> - selecting items within the current patient only, and
> 
> - actioning to 'invoice selected items'
> 
> which requires the existence of an address to which to 'address' the invoice.

Only the final step of creating a PDF requires an address.
You can create a bill just fine without one.

> 2. Does the constraint of requiring an address risk to
> reflect overly-rigid thinking? Scenarios:
> 
> 1. I have a patient who does possess a stable address,
> however she reports that her step brother had tried to have
> her killed and so does not wish her address to be on record.
> She has provided me her email address and her cel phone
> address. If I do need to invoice her, I can arrange for her
> to pick it up, or I can email it to her.

- use a fake address, perhaps even of type "fake"
- use the praxis address
- use the address of McDonalds across the street
- use the address of a relative to which to mail it
  with whom she can correspond in any way she wishes

> It seems to me that users should be permitted to generate
> an invoice without a street address.

That will not be a legally actionable invoice in many if not
most countries. Now, legal requirements aren't always
compatible with reality. See above.

> 2. I have had patients who live outdoors, or in shelters.
> A few of them would be willing to pay something, when they
> can afford it. Others may be in a position where some other
> charitable agency is willing to cover some or all of their
> charges. This presents two scenarios:
> 
> (a) same as in (1) -- that it may be relevant to print an invoice without 
> requirement for an address,

- invent some sort of address
- use the agency's address "on behalf of"

> (b) it may be helpful to be able to designate, within
> GNUmed, some responsible party (payor) other than the
> patient. This can be a family member, or a friend who exists
> in GNUmed, or it could be a non-person such as an
> organization, such as an insurer

I will not implement further billing functionality in the
foreseeable future.

As far as care is concerned, yes, that will eventually be
helpful.

All this awfully sounds like the requirement for using a
billing application.

Karsten
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