Customizing Invoices
Shepherd supports several invoice customization settings. This means you can define what types of additional patient details automatically include on invoices, and a custom invoice note for your clients.
Including Additional Patient Details
To access your invoice patient details customization settings, follow:
Admin > Clinic Settings > Settings > Invoice Settings
Within your invoice settings, you have 4 main customization options:
Include Rabies Certificate
Include Discharge Instructions
Include Patient Reminders
Include Appointments
Include Rabies Certificate
When enabled, any Rabies Certificate created during an associated SOAP will automatically include after any primary invoicing details.
Include Discharge Instructions
When enabled, any Discharge Instructions included within the SOAP will automatically include after any primary invoicing details.
Include Patient Reminders
When enabled, any Patient Service Reminders for any patients listed on the invoice will automatically include after any primary invoicing details.
Include Appointments
When enabled, any upcoming scheduled appointments for any patients listed on the invoice will automatically include after any primary invoicing details.
Invoice Note
To include a custom invoice note, follow:
Admin > Clinic Settings > Settings > Notes & Disclaimers > Invoice Note
Within the provided text field, you can free-type define a custom message that will include on all invoices.
Accessing Invoices
There are a few places you can access an invoice
SOAP: An invoice is generated automatically while you work through a SOAP. The last tab of the SOAP is your charges tab. From here, you'll view treatments and prescriptions that were administered in that SOAP. Select View Invoice to access the invoice.
Client Profile: In the Client's profile, select the Financial tab. Click any invoice to access it.
Invoice section: Select Invoices from your Shepherd Menu. Search a client's name or the invoice number (if you have it) to generate matching results. Select the invoice you're looking for to access it.
Invoice Fields
The invoice itself is a snapshot of billable services. Invoices created automatically by administering treatments in a SOAP will be a snapshot of billable products and services from the SOAP.
New charges added through a SOAP will be added to the most recent active invoice by default.
You can manually assign charges to any of the client’s existing active invoices or to a new invoice from the Charges tab of a SOAP by using the ‘Change Invoice’ dropdown.
Additional charges can be added directly to an invoice but will NOT be associated with the patient's medical record (like a quick invoice).
Invoice Status
Next to the invoice number is the Invoice Status. Use these 3 status options to organize and/or sort your invoices, helping determine priority.
Active
Charges Complete
Checked Out
Print or Email an Invoice
If you want to print or email an invoice, you’re able to do that by using the icons on the right side of the invoice status box.
The printer icon opens the printable invoice in a new tab of your browser
The paper airplane icon allows you to send the invoice to the client with a custom subject and body text
View SOAP from Invoice
Click 'View SOAP' to be taken to the SOAP the charges on this invoice originated from. If you have multiple patients on one invoice, charges will be sectioned by patient; you'll have this button to view the SOAP for each patient.
Editing Invoice Line Items
When you click the three dots on the right side of the line item, you can:
Discount that line item
When you discount an item, you can either take a percentage or a dollar amount off the price. Discounts come out of the users production amounts.
These discounts are separate from automatic client discounts
(Re)assign a production user
Assigning a production user (assuming one wasn’t assigned in the first place) will add the product/service to the provider’s total production count. This can be viewed on the production report.
Outstanding Balance
The outstanding balance shows the total owed by the client with all invoices taken into account. If they're owed funds from a return or owe funds on another invoice, the total outstanding balance (+/-) will be reflected here, not just the balance on the invoice you're viewing.
Credit Balance
A credit balance is indicative of an amount owed to the client. When you process a return, you can refund the client's funds to their payment method OR apply it to their credit balance (allowing them to use it to pay for future invoices). You may also see a credit balance if a product or service is pre-paid for.
Invoice Notes
If there’s anything to be noted about the invoice, you can take notes here. These notes will be client facing and will show on the printed/emailed invoice under the payment details.
Internal Notes
These can be used for team communications, such as "please schedule a recheck in 2 weeks." These will not be client facing.
Activity Log
To ensure the invoice is as transparent as possible, any changes to the invoice will be noted in the activity log.
Invoice Summary
When you're viewing an invoice, the invoice summary will show you details for that invoice only (contrary to the outstanding and credit balance amounts described above)
Tax Exempt: Toggle this on for tax-exempt clients to remove tax amount from taxable products and services
Subtotal: Sum total of all invoice line items before discounts
Discount: Sum total of all discounts on all invoice line items
Tax: Sum total of tax on taxable line items based on client tax rate
Invoice Total: Equals the Subtotal - Discount + Tax (Total amount client is/was responsible for prior to any payments being made)
Paid: Sum of payments made toward the invoice
Refunded: Sum of refunds processed associated with the invoice
Balance Due: Amount still owed by client
Take Payment
This takes you to the payment screen, where you’re able to document transactions and take payments for your services.
Check out our guide for taking payments here.
Print or Email Invoices
If you need to email/print multiple or specific invoices for a client, you're able to do that in the Financial tab of the Client Profile.
Use the checkboxes to select all or specific invoices to email, download, or print the necessary invoices. This also applies to the Payment section of the Financial tab.
Quick Invoices
A quick invoice is a way to create an invoice for a client outside of a medical record. Generally, a quick invoice is used for over-the-counter items that do not need to be in the medical record.
To generate a quick invoice:
Select ‘Clients/Patients’ from your practice’s dashboard
Search for the client
Select their name to open their client dashboard
Navigate to the ‘Financial’ section of their dashboard
Select ‘Quick Invoice’ (this will generate a new invoice)
Once you’re in the new invoice, you’ll need to:
Search and select items in the ‘Add Invoice Items’ section
Note: Integrated labs and items that have reminders and/or automatic tasks linked to them should not be added to a Quick Invoice. Those items have to be administered in a SOAP in order to function properly.
Click 'Add'
From here you can select a Patient to associate the charges with.
Then click the checkmark icon the item to the invoice
Print or email the invoice (if they’d like a copy)
Select ‘Take Payment,’ which will take you to the payments section
Check out our guide for taking payments here.
Default Invoice Discount Behavior
If not discounts are defined for any included item rows, the discount column will not appear on invoice generation. If a discount is applied, the discount will appear.