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Discharging a patient in Cliniko

How to handle patient files when a patient is discharged.

Rachel Harkness avatar
Written by Rachel Harkness
Updated over a week ago

There are various reasons you may need to discharge a patient in Cliniko. A patient might complete their treatment, move to a new clinic, stop receiving care, or, in some unfortunate cases, pass away. While Cliniko doesn't have a specific "Discharged" flag, this guide will walk you through how to discharge patients while ensuring all records are appropriately maintained.


Update patient name

To denote that a patient has been discharged, one option is to adjust their name:

Patient file of Mrs. Luna Moon in Cliniko. Last name has [DISCHARGED] indicated.

The updated name will appear across your account, including the patient list, any appointments this patient had, "official" documents (such as invoices and treatment notes), and anywhere that there might be communication with the patient—for example, letters or invoice emails that use the last name placeholder.

If you prefer to leave the patient's name unaltered, consider using the extra information field, the medical alerts section, or custom patient fields.

To modify the patient's name, select the patient you're looking for, and edit their details:

Screenshot of the patient details page with the last name field highlighted.

Within the Last name field add “[DISCHARGED]” or any label that would help you or your team identity the patient’s discharge status.

Patient details page showing the last name field, which is highlighted for emphasis.

Once you Save, the name displayed on the patient's details page will immediately update.


Record a patient as deceased in Cliniko

When a patient passes away, it's important to update their records respectfully. While Cliniko doesn't have a specific "Deceased" flag, you can follow a similar approach to discharges.

To reflect that a patient has passed away, you can adjust their name by adding “[DECEASED]” to the Last name field:

Screenshot of the patient details page with the last name field highlighted.

Once the patient's name is updated and saved, it will immediately reflect on the patient’s details page and across all associated records.

Alternatively, if you prefer to leave the patient's name unaltered, you can also use the extra information field, the medical alerts section, or custom patient fields.


Custom patient fields

While certain patient fields like the extra information field and medical alerts section on the patient's file can be used to store details of the discharged patient, you might also consider adding custom fields.

Use custom patient fields to track any additional details that would help with your records. For example, adding the reason why they were discharged, date of discharge, discharge details, etc.

List of custom patient fields.

If you want to create additional fields to add to the patient details page, have an Administrator or Power receptionist head to Settings, and then select Custom patient fields:

Screenshot of settings with custom patient fields highlighted.

From here, if no custom patient fields have been added previously you'll want to click "create one":

Custom patient fields page with the create one button highlighted.

Within each section, you can add as many custom fields as needed. Once you've added your fields, make sure to Save your changes.

The next time you edit your patient, you'll now see the custom fields appear:

Patient details with a list of custom patient fields.

Using custom fields for discharge letter

If you set up custom patient fields, you can use them as placeholders to create a personalised discharge letter!

When creating your letter template just make sure to use the Patient placeholder dropdown:

At the very bottom of the list you'll see your custom fields that you can add into the content of your letters:

These placeholders will then automatically "pull" information into the actual discharge letter when you're writing it 🙌!

Example discharge letter:


Archive the patient

To prevent the patient from appearing in active lists or sent further communications, you'll want to archive their record.

It's crucial to only archive the patient and not delete them. If you archive the records, the patient records will still be stored and accessible in your Cliniko account.

To archive a patient, select the patient you're looking for, and use the Archive button on their file:

Patient details page showing the archive button, which is highlighted for emphasis.

You'll then see the date/time that the patient was archived, as well as the ability to make them active again:

Patient details page showing the archive notice, which is highlighted for emphasis.

View archived patients

To view archived records in the Patients list, tick "Show archived". An archived patent will show up as grey in the patient list:

Patient search page displaying a search for archived patients. The search results show 2 patient names.

You can also search the patient list by the label you've added for your patients:

Patient search page displaying a search for discharged patients. The search results show 2 patient names.

If you need to review their details, just select their name—and if you need to unarchive them for any reason, select Make them active again:

Patient details page showing the make them active again notice, which is highlighted for emphasis.

You can also edit archived patients if you need to update or add additional details in the future.


For further assistance reach out to our support team for guidance.

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