Concept explainer
Packages and overrun
Describes how a care package sets an agreed scope and price, how Vault tracks charges against it, and how overrun is recognised.
This page describes how a care package sets an agreed scope and price, how Vault tracks charges against it, and how overrun is recognised. It follows the money from the agreed figure at admission to the amount that stands at discharge.
What a package sets
A care package is an agreed scope of services at one fixed price, set for an admission before care begins. It names what the price covers, a bundled procedure with its usual bed nights, consultations, standard investigations and consumables, and it fixes the figure the patient or payer meets for that scope.
Vault holds the package as the price authority for the admission. Every charge the stay raises is measured against the package: a charge inside the agreed scope draws on the package price, and a charge outside it stands on its own.
Charges against the package
As orders arrive in Forge, Vault raises a charge for each chargeable one and reads it against the package scope. A charge that the package includes is absorbed at its line, so the patient meets the package price rather than the sum of the individual items. A charge for a service the package leaves out is priced on its own and added to the account.
| Charge | In the package scope | Effect on the account |
|---|---|---|
| Bed nights within the agreed stay | Yes | Absorbed into the package price |
| Standard investigations in scope | Yes | Absorbed into the package price |
| Extra night beyond the agreed stay | No | Priced on its own and added |
| Additional investigation outside scope | No | Priced on its own and added |
The package price is the floor the account starts from. In-scope charges keep the account at that figure. Out-of-scope charges lift it above the figure, and that lift is what the finance head watches.
Recognising overrun
Overrun is the amount by which an admission exceeds the agreed package: extra nights, added services, or quantities beyond what the scope allows. Vault recognises overrun the moment a charge falls outside the package scope. That charge is priced on its own terms and stands beside the package price rather than inside it.
Because each charge carries the price in force on its service date, overrun is priced as it stood at the time. The finance head reads the package price and the overrun as two figures on one account, so the agreed scope and the excess stay legible side by side.
The package closes at discharge
At discharge, Vault confirms the package is closed as part of the finance readiness check: the in-scope charges are settled against the package price, and the overrun is settled or arranged on its own. The discharge finance gate holds the release until the account is clear.
How a payer meets a package
When an insurer or scheme covers the package, the agreed price is the covered figure and the claim is built from it. Overrun splits the same way each charge does: a share the payer covers under its terms, and a share the patient meets. A sub-limit or a coverage cap can push part of the overrun to the patient even where the package itself is covered.
Common questions
Does a package change the price of an included charge?
A charge inside the package scope is absorbed at its line, so the patient meets the package price rather than the individual amount. The charge is still raised and recorded, which keeps the account complete.
When is overrun recognised?
Vault recognises overrun the moment a charge falls outside the package scope. That charge is priced on its own and added to the account beside the package price.
Who meets the overrun?
Overrun splits by the same terms as any charge. The payer covers the share its terms allow, and the patient meets the remainder. A sub-limit or coverage cap can move more of it to the patient.
See how the agreed and actual figures sit in the account in receivables and ageing.