Summary
In this article we will review the Patient Credit feature in Barti . Patient Credit lets staff convert a patient's prior payment into reusable credit instead of refunding it to a card. Credit can be applied to any future invoice for that patient or for any related patient in the same guarantor group (family).
Issuing a credit happens inside the existing Refund workflow: open Refund on a payment, then select Patient Credit as the Refund Method. The modal reshapes itself for a credit instead of a card-back refund.
Issue Credit on a Payment
1. Invoice
Open the invoice from the patient's Invoices tab or the Billing view.
2. Select Payment
Scroll to Payment and Credit History and find the payment you want to credit.
Click the three-dots menu on the payment row and click Refund.
3. Issue the Credit
Set Refund Method to Patient Credit. The modal updates to reflect a credit:
- The submit button label changes to Issue Credit.
- The "Refund Original Payment" shortcut changes to Credit Original Payment.
- The warning appears: "Once issued, these funds cannot be refunded."
- DUPLICATE and FRAUDULENT are removed from the Credit Reason options.
Select a Credit Reason (required):
- Requested by Customer
- Prescription Issue
- Lab Error
- Quality
- Overpayment
- Other
Enter the credit amount per line item, or click Credit Original Payment to auto-fill each row to its maximum remaining refundable amount.
- Each line is capped at Amount Paid − Previously Refunded (which includes any prior credits against this payment).
- The Total Amount to Credit must be greater than $0 to submit.
Click Issue Credit to convert the selected amounts to Patient Credit. The staff member who issued the credit is recorded in the invoice history.
Find Available Credit
- The patient's Profile Info Bar shows Patient Credit when the patient has an overpayment, along with a Patient has credit indicator.
- The Invoices tab shows Family Balance Due (for grouped patients) or Patient Balance Due, plus an Account has overpayment of $X.XX message when credit exists.
- During payment entry, the Patient Credit - $X.XX option in the Payment Method dropdown displays the total credit available to the patient or family.
Apply Credit to an Invoice
1. Invoice
Open the invoice the patient (or family member) needs to pay.
2. Select Payment
Click Patient Payment in the Payment and Credit History section.
3. Apply Credit
Select the Payment Method dropdown. When credit is available, Patient Credit - $X.XX appears as an option, showing the total available across the patient and any related guarantor group members.
Click Apply Max Credit to instantly distribute the credit across the invoice's line items.
- Credit is applied top-down: 100% of the first item, then the next, until the credit is exhausted.
- If credit doesn't cover the full balance, the remaining amount auto-defaults so you can record a second payment (for example, a Stripe card payment).
Click Apply Credit to record the payment.
4. View Credit History
Credit transactions appear in the invoice's Payment and Credit History:
Payments that have an associated credit cannot be deleted until the credit itself is removed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the "Issue Credit" button?
There isn't a standalone one. Open the existing Refund action on a payment row and choose Patient Credit as the Refund Method — the modal then becomes an Issue Credit modal.
Can I issue a credit if there's no payment on the invoice yet?
No. Credit is always issued against an existing payment, so the patient (or family) needs to have paid on the invoice first.
Can I refund a credit back to a card?
No. Once credit is issued, it cannot be refunded. Choose a direct refund method from the start if the patient may need the funds returned to a card.
What happens to credit if a patient leaves a guarantor group?
The patient retains any credit issued from their own prior invoices. They lose access to credit issued from other family members' invoices.
Can I split a single credit between the patient and a family member?
No. Each credit action moves funds into a single pool. Once in the pool, any group member can use it, but the original action can't be split between recipients.
Can I create credit without an invoice (e.g., as a prepayment)?
Not at this time. Credit is always issued from an existing invoice payment.
Can I issue a credit if the original payment was on Stripe but Stripe is restricted on my org, or if the card is expired?
Yes. Credit can be issued in both of these scenarios where a card refund would otherwise fail.
If you have any questions, please refer to Barti's Help Center or create a support ticket at support.barti.com.