---
title: "IPD Admission"
description: "How to admit a patient to IPD via Quick Actions — creating an in-patient encounter, form fields, and what happens after admission."
date: 2026-07-19
lastModified: 2026-07-26
category: "ipd"
author: "Dr. Umesh Bilagi"
beta: false
---

## Overview

IPD admission creates an in-patient encounter for a patient, marking the start of an inpatient stay. The admission form is a modal opened from the patient dashboard. Bed assignment, clinical charting, and billing are handled separately after the encounter is created.

Admission is not available on Lab or Clinic plans.

## Access

### From Patient Dashboard (Quick Actions)

1. Open the patient's record from patient management.
2. In the **Quick Actions** strip at the top, click **New IPD Visit**.
3. The admission form opens in a modal.

### Direct URL

You can also navigate directly to `/admin/patient/encounter/ipd/create/{patientId}`.

## Admission Form Fields

The admission form is a shared encounter component used for both OPD and IPD visits. When the type is "Admit," the form pre-configures certain fields for inpatient use.

| Field | Required | Default | Description |
|-------|----------|---------|-------------|
| **MLC** | Yes | FALSE | Whether this is a Medico-Legal Case. Options: FALSE (Not Medico legal case) or TRUE (Medico legal case). |
| **Status** | Yes | in-progress | Encounter status. Options: finished, in-progress, cancelled, entered-in-error, planned. For new admissions, leave as "in-progress." |
| **Class** | Yes | in-patient | Fixed to "in-patient" for IPD admissions. Not editable. |
| **Date Of Admission** | Yes | Current date/time | When the admission starts. Adjust if backdating or scheduling. |
| **Payor** | Yes | Self | Who is paying. "Self" for direct patient payment, or select from the organization's PAYOR accounts (e.g., insurance companies, corporate accounts). |
| **Tariff Name** | Yes | Default | The billing tariff to apply. Select from the organization's configured tariff names. |
| **Policy Id** | No | — | Insurance policy number, if applicable. Free-text field. |
| **Department** | Yes | General | The department responsible for the admission. Select from configured departments. |
| **Participants** | Yes | — | Multi-select of treating doctors (practitioners with "On Panel" or "Visiting" status). At least one participant is required — the form will not submit without one. |

### Referral Management

Below the main form, the **Referral Management** section allows you to:

| Field | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| **Referral Doctor** | Single-select from the organization's referring doctors list. |
| **Unlisted Requester** | Opens a modal to type a free-text name for a referring doctor not in the list. |
| **Network Requests** | "Based On" button — placeholder for future use. |

### Estimated Discharge Date

The system automatically sets an estimated discharge date **3 days** from the admission date. This is not shown on the form but is stored in the encounter and can be used for bed planning.

## Open Encounter Warning

If the patient already has an open encounter (in-progress), the form shows a warning:

> "This patient has an open encounter in progress."

A checkbox appears: **Close existing encounters and proceed**. Check it to finish the existing encounter(s) and create the new admission. Without this, the API returns an error and the admission is blocked.

## What the API Does

When the form is submitted to `POST /api/admin/ndhm/native/encounter/create`:

1. Checks for open encounters. If found and `closeExisting=true`, finishes them. If found and not closing, returns an error.
2. Auto-increments the organization's IPD counter (`ipdMaxId`) and assigns the next IPD number.
3. Creates the encounter in the FHIR store.
4. For facilities with ABDM integration, handles patient notification if the patient has a PHR address.

Note: unlike OPD visits, IPD admissions do **not** create doctor tokens — the token queue system is only for outpatient visits.

## IPD Console

Admitted patients appear in the **IPD Console** — a table of all in-progress inpatients accessible from the sidebar:

**Sidebar → Patient → Services → IPD Console** (`/admin/mis-reports/patient-stats/?onlyinpatientinprogress=true`)

The console shows these columns for each admitted patient:

| Column | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| **ID (MRN)** | Clickable patient ID that opens the Patient Dashboard |
| **Facility ID** | Organization-specific facility identifier |
| **Name** | Patient's full name |
| **IPD No** | Auto-assigned IPD admission number |
| **Payor** | Self, insurance company, or corporate account |
| **Mobile** | Patient's registered mobile number |
| **Consultants** | Assigned treating doctors |
| **Date of Admission** | When the encounter was created |
| **Date of Discharge** | When the encounter ended (empty for in-progress patients) |
| **Bed** | Currently allotted bed, if assigned |
| **Invoice** | Total invoiced amount during the stay |
| **Collection** | Total amount collected so far |
| **Balance** | Outstanding amount (Invoice minus Collection) |
| **Estimated Discharge Date** | Color-coded: green (3+ days away), blue (1–3 days), orange (< 1 day), red (overdue) |

Clicking a patient's MRN in the console opens the **Patient Dashboard**, which is the hub for all per-patient IPD actions.

## Next Steps After Admission

The admission form only creates the encounter. These are separate actions from the Patient Dashboard:

| Step | Where |
|------|-------|
| **Bed Allotment** | Patient Details → **Allot Bed**. See [Bed Management](/docs/bed-management). |
| **Initial Assessment** | Documents & Encounters → **Initial Assessment**. Clinical notes, vitals, and examination findings. |
| **Billing** | Quick Actions → **Billing**. See [Bill Transaction](/docs/bill-transaction). |

The patient's encounter also appears in **Search Edit Encounter** (`/admin/patient/encounter/search/{patientId}`) where it can be viewed and edited.

## FAQ

**Q: Can I change the bed after admission?**
A: Yes. Use the bed transfer feature. See [IPD Bed Transfer](/docs/ipd-bed-transfer).

**Q: How is the IPD number generated?**
A: Each organization has an auto-incrementing IPD counter. The number is unique per organization and assigned sequentially at admission.

**Q: What is an MLC admission?**
A: Medico-Legal Case — flagged for cases requiring police or legal documentation (accidents, assaults, etc.). Set MLC to TRUE on the admission form.

**Q: Can I admit a patient who already has an open encounter?**
A: Yes. Check the "Close existing encounters and proceed" checkbox. The open encounter will be marked as finished before the new admission is created.

**Q: Why is the "New IPD Visit" button not showing?**
A: IPD admission is not available on Lab or Clinic plans. If your plan includes IPD, verify your role has patient management permissions.

**Q: Can I backdate an admission?**
A: Yes. Change the Date Of Admission field to the desired date and time before submitting.