---
title: "IPD Discharge"
description: "How to discharge a patient from IPD — discharge summary, final billing, medication at discharge, and follow-up instructions."
date: 2026-07-19
lastModified: 2026-07-19
category: "ipd"
author: "Dr. Umesh Bilagi"
beta: true
---

## Overview

Discharging a patient from IPD involves finalizing the clinical record (discharge summary), settling the bill, and providing post-discharge instructions and medications.

## Step 1: Initiate Discharge

1. Open the patient's IPD encounter from **My Patients > IPD** (as a doctor) or the IPD census (as reception/admin).
2. Click **Discharge**.
3. Confirm the discharge date and time.

## Step 2: Complete the Discharge Summary

The discharge summary auto-populates from the IPD chart — pulling in admission notes, daily progress, lab results, procedures, and medications administered. Review and complete:

| Section | Source |
|---------|--------|
| **Admission details** | Admission form |
| **Diagnosis (admission)** | Admission notes |
| **Diagnosis (discharge)** | Final/confirmed diagnosis |
| **Procedures performed** | Procedure records during admission |
| **Lab/radiology summary** | Key investigation results |
| **Hospital course** | Daily progress notes summary |
| **Discharge medications** | New prescription for post-discharge |
| **Follow-up advice** | When to return, which doctor, any precautions |

You can use the AI-assisted discharge summary feature (if enabled) to generate a draft from the IPD chart data.

## Step 3: Final Billing

Before the discharge is finalized, settle the bill:

1. Go to **Billing > IPD Bill**.
2. Review all charges:
   - Room charges (per-day x number of days)
   - Doctor consultation fees
   - Procedures and surgeries
   - Lab and radiology charges
   - Pharmacy/consumables
   - Any miscellaneous charges
3. Apply any advance payments already recorded.
4. Generate the final bill.
5. Collect outstanding payment.

The patient status remains "Discharged But Dues Not Cleared" until the bill is fully settled.

## Step 4: Discharge Medications

Prescribe discharge medications the same way as an OPD prescription:
1. Click **New Prescription** from the IPD encounter.
2. Add medicines with dosage, frequency, and duration.
3. The prescription is delivered via print or WhatsApp as usual.

## Step 5: Finalize Discharge

Once the summary is complete and the bill is settled:
1. Click **Finalize Discharge**.
2. The patient status changes to "Discharged."
3. The bed is released (status changes to "Available" or "Cleaning").

## NHCX Insurance Discharge

For PMJAY/insurance patients, the discharge workflow may also involve NHCX:
- Submit discharge notification to the payer.
- If required, submit a claim along with the discharge summary.
- Track claim status from the NHCX dashboard.

See [NHCX Claim Workflow](/docs/nhcx-claim) for details.

## FAQ

**Q: Can a discharge be reversed?**
A: Contact support for reversing a finalized discharge. It requires careful handling to restore bed status and billing state.

**Q: What if the patient leaves against medical advice (LAMA)?**
A: Note this in the discharge summary. The discharge workflow is the same — complete the summary and settle the bill.

**Q: Can the discharge summary be printed on letterhead?**
A: Yes. The letter pad header configured for patient records is used for discharge summaries as well.