Concept explainer
Effective dating
Explains how Vault applies a price or rule as of the date it takes effect, so a later change leaves earlier charges as they stood.
Vault applies a price or a rule as of the date it takes effect. A later change carries its own effective date, so earlier charges stay as they stood.
What effective dating means
Effective dating means every price, rate card, tax rate and policy carries the date from which it applies. Vault resolves the value that was in force on the date a charge was raised, in place of the value in force today.
The date that fixes a price
A charge takes its price from its service date, the day the service was given. When the charge is raised, Vault reads the price in force on that date and freezes it onto the charge. From then the charge is fixed.
What carries an effective date
Each dated value is stored as a run of versions, and a change opens the next version rather than overwriting the last.
| What is dated | How it is used |
|---|---|
| The charge master base price | The starting price for an item, read as of the service date. |
| Rate cards and tariff tiers | The rate for a payer or tier, read as of the service date. |
| Care packages | The agreed bundle price, in force for the dates it covers. |
| Pricing and tax policies | Discounts, concessions and tax, applied as of the service date. |
| Payer agreed rates | What a payer is billed, in force for the dates the contract covers. |
| Statutory values | Tax slabs, thresholds, response clocks and price ceilings, each in force for its dates. |
How a change is applied
A change to a dated value closes the current version and opens a new one, and the prior version is retained.
- 1
Close the current version
The current version is closed on the day before the change takes effect, and it stays on record.
- 2
Open the new version
A new version opens from the effective date, carrying the new value forward.
- 3
Resolve each charge
Each charge resolves against the version in force on its service date, so the charge reads the right value for its day.
Two dates on every version
Two dates travel with each version. One is the date it takes effect for care. The other is the date it was recorded. A backdated correction carries both, so a later reader sees the value that applied and the moment the hospital entered it.
A change in force
A ward changes its daily rate from INR 4,000 to INR 4,500 with effect from the first of the month. A charge for a night before that date carries INR 4,000, and a charge for a night after carries INR 4,500. The change reaches charges from its effective date forward.
Why a charge stays fixed
Effective dating is why a posted charge holds its value even as the price list moves. The charge resolves once, on its service date, and keeps that value.
Common questions
Which date sets the price on a charge?
The service date, the day the service was given, sets the price on a charge.
Does updating the price list change past bills?
An update takes effect from its own date forward. Charges raised before it keep the earlier value.
How is a backdated correction handled?
It opens a new version with an earlier effective date and its own recorded date, so the trail shows the value that applied and when it was entered.
Read how a posted charge holds its value in a charge stays fixed.