Overview
When a patient's package counter does not reflect the number of sessions you expect, the good news is that the information is all still in the system, it simply requires a bit of detective work to find where the discrepancy occurred.
This article walks you through the most common causes and the exact steps to investigate them one by one. In almost every case, the answer becomes clear once you review the patient's invoice history and appointment records in full.
How Package Session Tracking Works
Understanding the logic behind package tracking will help you identify what went wrong:
A package becomes active only once it has been fully paid. Partial payments will not activate the package, so sessions will not deduct.
Sessions are deducted from the package when a patient is checked in and the applicable service is charged to an invoice.
The service on the invoice must match a service included in the package. If a different service type is charged (e.g., a 90-minute session against a 60-minute package), no deduction will occur.
The package invoice must exist before the service invoices — sessions billed prior to the package purchase date are not deducted retroactively.
When you sell a package, you are presented with a prominent checkbox to deduct the first session at the time of sale. If this is skipped, the first session is not counted as used.
Common Causes of a Wrong Session Count
Cause 1: The first session was not deducted at the time of sale
When a patient purchases a package, AcuBliss shows a checkbox to deduct one session immediately (typically because the patient is receiving treatment on the same day as purchase, or has already received one). If this checkbox was not selected, the first session was never counted against the package.
How to check: Go to the patient's invoice for the package purchase. Scroll down to the charges section and look at whether any session deduction was applied at that point.
Cause 2: An appointment was not checked in (or no charges were applied)
Every visit that should count against a package requires two things: the patient must be checked in, and a service must be charged on an invoice. If a patient was seen but never checked in through the system, or if the appointment was marked with "No Charges," no session will have been deducted.
How to check: Go to the Appointments page of the patient's chart. Reset all filters and set the date range to All Time. Review each appointment and look for visits that are not marked as Attended, or that show a "No Charges" label. These are visits where no billing activity took place.
Cause 3: An appointment was permanently deleted from the schedule
If a staff member permanently deleted an appointment (rather than cancelling it), there will be no record of it in the appointment list. This can cause confusion because the patient may have been seen, but there is no corresponding visit or invoice to account for the session. If you notice a gap in appointment dates that does not match what you would expect, a deleted appointment may be the reason.
Cause 4: The invoice exists but the service was not matched to the package
If an invoice was created but the service type on that invoice is different from the services included in the package, the session will not be deducted. This can happen if the service name was changed after the package was set up, or if the wrong service was selected during check-in.
How to check: Open each invoice and confirm that the service listed matches one of the services included in the patient's package.
Step-by-Step: How to Investigate
Follow these steps in order. In most cases, you will identify the cause before reaching the end.
Step 1 — Review the Invoice History
Go to the patient's chart and click on the Invoices tab.
Clear all active filters.
Set the date range to All Time so that every invoice is visible.
Find the earliest invoice — this should be the package purchase invoice. Confirm that it shows the package as fully paid and check whether a session was deducted at that time.
Go through each subsequent invoice one by one and confirm that the service on each invoice is a service included in the package, and that each one is recorded as paid via the package.
Step 2 — Review the Appointment History
Go to the Appointments page of the patient's chart.
Reset all filters and set the date range to All Time.
Look at every appointment date. For each one, confirm the appointment is marked as Attended and that an invoice with a service charge exists.
If any appointment shows a status other than Attended, or shows a "No Charges" label, that visit was not counted against the package.
Look for any unexplained gaps in the appointment timeline that cannot be accounted for by the invoices. A gap may indicate a deleted appointment.
Step 3 — Fix Any Missed Sessions
Once you have identified the visit where the session was not deducted, you can correct it:
If the invoice for that visit still exists and is unpaid, open it using the blue Edit button, remove the service using the trash icon, and add it back. When saved, it should deduct correctly from the package.
If the first session was not deducted at the time of package purchase, locate the invoice for the visit that should have used the first session and apply the correction there.
If the appointment was deleted and no invoice exists, you will need to recreate the invoice for that visit manually and apply the package service to it.
Important Reminders for Avoiding This in the Future
Always check in patients and apply a service charge, even for package visits. This is what triggers the session deduction. Skipping the check-in or leaving an appointment without charges will mean the session is not tracked.
Always select the 'Use First Session' checkbox when selling a package on the same day as a visit. If this is skipped, the first session will not be counted as used.
Avoid permanently deleting appointments. If a patient cancels or a visit needs to be removed, cancel the appointment rather than deleting it entirely. Permanent deletions cannot be recovered and can cause tracking confusion.
Make sure the correct service type is selected at check-in. The service must be one that is included in the patient's package or it will not be deducted from the package balance.
Still Need Help?
If you have worked through the steps above and the count still does not add up, reach out to us through the messenger and share the patient ID. We will review the invoice and appointment history with you directly.
We are happy to walk through it together. 🙂