Re: [Gnumed-devel] Introducing myself and questions on billing/accounting

[Chris Travers]

On Thu, May 19, 2011 at 4:15 PM, Jim Busser <address@hidden> wrote:
> On 2011-05-19, at 3:50 PM, Chris Travers wrote:
>
>> BTW, there is some talk on this list about deleting stuff from the
>> billing schema.  I'd actually suggest moving to a system where stuff
>> is marked billed so a greater paper trail is preserved.
>
> meaning that once a billing item was initiated
>
> 1) even when it is
>        - nonclinical
>        - immediately understood to have been in error
>        - did not yet go anywhere
>                (did not yet get sent to the accounting system)
>
> are you proposing "do not delete it but instead mark it as "voided"?

Well, that could go either way.  That sort of thing could be deleted.
Or it could be marked voided.  Probably something to hear a lot of
other feedback first.
>
> 2) even after it has been exported
>        - keep it permanently viewable in the EMR even 10 years later?

If that's the data retention policy......  The idea is that data could
be periodically deleted, say, after 5 years, or whatever, after it's
no longer needed for auditing purposes, etc.
>
>> Data could
>> then be purged periodically based on local requirements.
>
>
> and only purge periodically from the accounting system based on local 
> requirements?

Currently LSMB doesn't even support purging old data.  Data could be
anonymized or bills could be converted into simple GL transactions,
but fully purging the data poses problems and we aren't really
prepared to go there at present.  However, the individual transaction
lines against accounts must be kept in place.  In future versions,
this process will become easier, but not entirely sure how  we'd want
to deal with a request to purge data at present except as involves
severing customer identities and billable services from the financial
records.

Best Wishes,
Chris Travers