Outpatient visits in Tasy: encounter, visit and closing

Outpatient visits are the highest-volume and lowest-value encounters in most hospitals. That is why small problems multiply: one extra minute per visit becomes hours of queue per day, and an encounter left open by mistake becomes hundreds of stalled accounts by the end of the month.

The outpatient encounter

In Tasy, each outpatient visit or procedure is an encounter, linked to the patient, the payer, the professional and the unit. Everything that happens in that visit (consultation, procedures, tests ordered, prescriptions) is tied to that encounter.

The encounter moves through statuses, which vary with the setup:

The visit workflow

1. Front desk opens the encounter from the booking, with payer and category (the front desk in Tasy).
2. Queue ordered by arrival or appointment time, with the status visible to the professional.
3. Visit: the professional calls the patient and records history, examination, plan and requests in the record of the right encounter.
4. Outpatient procedures done during the visit (minor procedures, injections) posted on the same encounter.
5. Referrals: tests, follow-up, admission, another specialist.
6. Administrative closing of the encounter.

Why closing matters

An outpatient encounter left open:

• does not move on to billing at the right pace, so the account stalls;
• appears in KPIs as an encounter in progress;
• can receive another visit's entries by mistake.

An end-of-shift routine solves it: the day's encounters still open, by professional, closed by the front desk or the professional.

What is usually missing from the outpatient account

• A procedure done during the visit and not posted.
• Supplies used (dressings, an injection) not posted.
• A follow-up visit charged as a first visit, or the other way around, against the payer's rule.
• The payer's claim form or authorization not attached.

Outpatient KPIs

• Visits per professional per shift, compared with the schedule.
• Waiting time: from arrival to the start of the visit.
• Visit time: from start to end, by specialty.
• No-show rate (scheduling in Tasy).
• Encounters open at the end of the day.
• Revenue per visit and revenue by specialty (average revenue per patient).
• Conversion: visits that led to tests, procedures or admission.

Conversion is the KPI the board most underestimates: in many hospitals, the outpatient clinic pays for itself through the tests and procedures it generates, not the visit.

Outpatients and the medical record

The visit record is what supports billing and continuity of care. Recording on the wrong encounter (the previous visit's, for example) is a common cause of denials and history confusion. See the electronic medical record in Tasy.

Who writes this

Domínio has worked for more than 20 years with hospitals that run Tasy, from the outpatient clinic to the books. If your outpatient clinic has many stalled accounts or revenue that does not add up, talk to us on WhatsApp or at comercial@dominiocontabil.com.br.

Related questions

Is a visit and a test on the same day the same encounter?

It depends on the hospital's and the payer's rules. Many hospitals open separate encounters for visits and external tests. What matters is that the rule is the same for everyone.

Who closes the outpatient encounter?

The professional, when finished, or the front desk in an end-of-shift routine. The hospital defines it in the setup.

How do I measure waiting time in Tasy?

From the difference between arrival and the start of the visit. For that, both timestamps must be recorded when they happen.

Is a follow-up visit billable?

It depends on each payer's contract. The rule should be set up in Tasy, not kept in the front desk's memory.