Procedure
Open a visit
Start a visit in Gate for a patient who arrives, choose the visit type, and link it to the record so care and billing follow.
When a registered patient arrives, you open a visit for them in Gate. A visit is a single contact between a patient and the hospital. You choose the visit type and link it to the record, so care, orders and billing follow from the moment it opens.
Before you start
If the patient has no record, register them first, then return here.
Visit types
You choose one visit type when you open the visit, and the desk offers the services that suit it.
| Visit type | When you choose it |
|---|---|
| Outpatient | A consultation with no overnight stay. |
| Inpatient | An admission that occupies a bed. |
| Emergency | An urgent arrival that opens through the emergency desk. |
| Day-care | A planned procedure the patient leaves the same day. |
| Self-referred | A patient who comes in on their own, such as for a lab-only visit. |
Urgent arrivals
An urgent arrival can open through the emergency record on the front desk in one step, with the patient's identity captured afterwards. Use the steps below for a planned or walk-in visit.
Open the visit
- 1
Open the patient's desk
Find the patient and select their result tile. Their desk opens, showing their demographics and any current visits.
- 2
Start the visit
Select Admit Now. The visit dialog opens against this patient. If the button is greyed, its tooltip gives the reason: a permission still loading, a permission you lack, or a visit already open for this patient.
- 3
Choose the visit type
Pick the type from the picker:
Outpatient,Inpatient,Emergency,Day-careorSelf-referred. The dialog then shows the services that suit that type. - 4
Set the service and care team
Choose the service, the responsible clinician, the care team and the location. These attach to the visit, so the ward knows who holds the patient.
- 5
Take any deposit
Record a deposit or an upfront payment where the visit calls for one. Read take a deposit for the money steps.
- 6
Confirm the visit
Select Admit to open the visit. It appears on the patient's desk as
Registered, and the record, orders and billing are ready. If the write times out, the dialog stays open and reports the failure, so you can retry against a whole visit rather than a half-open one.
A visit opens as Registered
A new visit is Registered and holds no clinical contact. It becomes Ongoing once a clinician opens the record, and Completed at discharge. Diagnoses, orders and charges attach to the visit, so the account and the history stay tied to one contact.
The visit lifecycle
A Registered visit that uses no service can close straight to Completed, for a patient brought in deceased, one who leaves before care, or a lab-only visit that finishes with no clinician contact. A Registered visit that has used no service can also be Cancelled. Completed and Cancelled are final.
Common questions
Can a patient have two open visits at once?
A patient holds one active visit at a time. Complete or cancel the current visit before you open another.
What is the difference between a visit and an appointment?
An appointment is a booked future slot. A visit is the live contact that opens when the patient arrives. Read book an appointment.
Who can open a visit?
The desk opens the visit for staff whose role and relationship to the patient allow it. The Admit Now button stays greyed, with its reason, until your permission is confirmed.
Take a deposit against the visit you have just opened.