Why packages are good for patients and clinics
- Patients finish their treatment. Someone who has paid for ten sessions is much more likely to come for all ten than someone paying visit by visit. Better adherence means better outcomes.
- The clinic is paid up front, which helps with rent and salaries.
- Fewer conversations about money at the desk on every visit.
- A clear plan. "Ten sessions over five weeks" is easy for a patient to understand.
The problems with packages on paper
Most clinics that run packages on a register or Excel know these problems:
- Nobody is sure if this is session 7 or session 8.
- A patient is charged for a visit that their package already covered.
- A package bought eight months ago is still being used.
- The physio at your other branch does not know the patient has a package at all.
How packages work in Clinidiary
Set up your packages once
Under Manage → Items → Packs, create each package you sell:
- Name, for example "Knee rehab, 10 sessions".
- Number of sessions.
- Price, and whether it includes GST. Treatment packages are usually exempt; see GST billing for physiotherapy clinics.
- How long it is valid, for example 90 days from purchase.
- Which services it covers. A "Physio follow-up" package should not quietly cover an initial assessment or a home visit unless you want it to. A package can cover group classes too.
Sell a package
At the desk, add the package to the patient's bill and take the payment like any other bill, in cash, UPI or card. The package is now on the patient's file with its sessions, its price and its expiry date.
Sessions count down by themselves
When the patient comes for a visit that the package covers, the session is drawn from the package as the visit is billed. The front desk does not need to remember anything. The patient's file shows how many sessions are used and how many are left.
Clinidiary also refuses to leave a package visit as an unfinished draft bill, because then the package and the bill would disagree about whether the session was used. It is a small rule that saves arguments later.
One package, every branch
A package belongs to the patient, not to a branch. If a patient bought ten sessions at your main centre and continues at the branch near their home, the same package keeps counting down. See multi-branch physiotherapy clinic software.
When a package ends early
Sometimes a patient moves city or stops treatment. A package can be cancelled with a reason, and any refund is recorded as its own entry, so your accounts stay clear.
Packages for home visits
Home-visit patients after a joint replacement often take a package of daily sessions. Set up a home visit package that covers only your home visit service, and the sessions count down the same way. See home visit physiotherapy.
Seeing how packages are doing
Clinic reports show revenue and visits, so you can see how much of your income comes from packages and how many sessions patients actually use.
Tips for running packages well
- Keep the list short. Three or four packages are easier to explain at the desk than ten.
- Set a sensible expiry. Long enough to finish the course, short enough that the plan stays a plan.
- Tell the patient what is left. "You have three sessions remaining" at the desk is a gentle nudge to keep coming.
- Match the package to the treatment plan you wrote in the treatment notes.
Frequently asked questions
Can physiotherapy software track package sessions automatically?
Yes. In Clinidiary, each visit covered by a package is drawn from it when the visit is billed, and the patient's file shows the sessions left.
Can a package have an expiry date?
Yes. Each package has a validity, for example 90 days from purchase.
Can a package cover only certain services?
Yes. Choose which services, and which group classes, each package covers.
Do packages work across branches?
Yes. A package belongs to the patient and works at any branch of your practice.
What happens if a patient wants a refund on a package?
Cancel the package with a reason and record the refund. Both stay on record for your accounts.