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Document Numbering

The platform automatically assigns unique numbers to every financial and clinical document your clinic creates. You control the format — add prefixes, include dates, and set zero-padding to match your clinic’s conventions or regulatory requirements.
Admin only — document numbering is configured in Clinic Settings > Document Settings.

Supported document types

You can configure independent numbering formats for each of these document types: Each document type has its own format configuration and its own independent sequence counter.

Format tokens

Build your numbering format using these tokens: You can combine tokens with any prefix, suffix, or separator characters.

Configuration


Format examples

Here are some commonly used formats:
Output: INV-202604-00001, INV-202604-00002, …A popular choice for invoices — includes the year and month for easy sorting, with a zero-padded sequence for clean alignment.
Output: REC-1, REC-2, REC-3, …A simple format for receipts with no padding or date component.
Output: QT-2026-0001, QT-2026-0002, …Quotation format with year and 4-digit zero-padded sequence.
Output: MRN-000001, MRN-000002, …Medical record number with a 6-digit padded sequence — useful for patient IDs.
Output: CLM-20260419-001, CLM-20260419-002, …Insurance claim format with full date and 3-digit sequence.
Output: RX/26-0001, RX/26-0002, …Prescription format with a two-digit year and slash separator.

How sequences work

Independent per clinic

Every clinic has its own sequence counters. If your organization operates multiple clinics, each one maintains separate numbering — Clinic A’s invoices start at 1 independently of Clinic B.

Race-safe numbering

The system guarantees that no duplicate numbers are ever generated, even when multiple staff members create documents at the same time. Each number is assigned atomically, so concurrent invoice creation always produces unique, sequential numbers.

Sequence continuity

The sequence counter increments continuously and does not reset automatically. If your format includes {YYYY} or {MM}, the date portion changes naturally, but the sequence itself keeps counting up.
If you want a visual “reset” at the start of each year, include {YYYY} in your format. The sequence number will continue incrementing, but the year prefix makes it clear which year each document belongs to. For example: INV-2025-00847, then INV-2026-00848.

Changing the format

You can update the numbering format at any time. When you do:
  • Existing documents keep their current numbers — they are never retroactively renumbered.
  • New documents use the updated format starting from the next sequence number.
  • The sequence counter continues from where it left off.
Changing the format mid-year can produce numbers that look inconsistent (e.g., some invoices with the old format and some with the new one). Plan format changes at natural boundaries like the start of a new year or fiscal period.

Best practices

Use zero-padding

Padding (e.g., {SEQ:5}) ensures your document numbers sort correctly in spreadsheets and file systems. Without padding, INV-10 sorts before INV-2.

Include the year

Adding {YYYY} to your format makes it easy to identify when a document was created and helps with annual record-keeping.

Keep it readable

Use clear separators (hyphens, slashes) between the prefix, date, and sequence. Avoid overly long formats that are hard to read or communicate verbally.

Plan for growth

If your clinic creates hundreds of documents per month, use at least 4-5 digits of padding to avoid running out of space.

Yes. Each clinic configures its own formats independently. If your organization has multiple clinics, each one can use a different format for the same document type.
Every document type must have a format configured. If no custom format is set, the system uses a default format (typically the document type abbreviation plus a simple sequence).
Yes. Any text outside of the {...} tokens is treated as literal text. For example, ACME/INV-{SEQ:4} would produce ACME/INV-0001.