Procedure

Start a discharge

Begin the discharge of a ward patient, check the outstanding tasks and orders, and move the record towards a clean release.

You begin a discharge from the patient's record in Atlas. You check the outstanding tasks and orders, record the outcome, and move the record towards a clean release.

A discharge closes a visit once the patient is clinically ready and the account is settled or arranged. The discharge dialog gathers every check in one place and shows what remains.

What the dialog checks

Each section shows its own state: done, pending, or in conflict. The outstanding items stand out so you know where to work.

Section	What it shows
Diagnosis	The visit diagnoses and the discharge outcome.
Orders	Every order for the visit, with the open ones flagged.
Forms	The required and optional discharge forms and their status.
Processes	The processes that finish before release.
Finance	Whether the account is cleared or arranged.
Reason	The reason the visit closes.

Start the discharge

1
Open the discharge
Open the patient's record and press the Discharge button. The discharge dialog opens with a section for each check.
2
Check readiness
Press Check readiness. Pensieve reads across the checks and marks each section done, pending, or in conflict. The outstanding items rise to your attention.
3
Clear the outstanding tasks and orders
The Orders section flags the open orders; complete or cancel them. The required forms and processes show what remains before release.
4
Record the outcome and reason
Choose the discharge outcome, one of Cured, Improved, Unchanged, Worsened, Referred or Deceased, then set the completion reason from its list.
5
Initiate the discharge
Press Initiate. The patient enters the discharge list, and the billing counter sees the account to settle.
6
Release the patient
Once every check passes and the account reads cleared or arranged, the Discharge button opens. Press it to close the visit. The record becomes view-only, and the patient moves to the discharged list.

If a required check stands open, such as an unsettled account or an open order, the Discharge button stays greyed with the reason until you clear it.

The account gates the release

A discharge waits on the account. A finance employee clears it at the billing counter, and the Discharge button opens once the account reads cleared or arranged.

The discharge track

The dialog carries the visit from pending, through initiated, to ready, and then to discharged. Each Discharge press re-runs every check fresh.

Figure 1.Diagram showing the discharge track from pending to initiated to ready to discharged, with an item reopening the track.

Common questions

The Discharge button is greyed. Why?

A required check stands open, such as an unsettled account, an open order, or a flag that must be cleared. Resolve it and the button opens.

Who clears the account?

A finance employee at the billing counter clears the account in Vault. The discharge opens once it reads cleared or arranged.

Can I edit the record after discharge?

A discharged record opens view-only. A correction is a new entry, so the closed visit stays as it was.

Read how the account clears at the billing counter, and how the discharge finance gate holds a release until the account is settled.