Surgeons
Surgeon billing software that stops revenue leaking from theatre
Multiple procedures, assistants, consumables, PMB rules and scheme-specific requirements all create room for billing errors, and most go unnoticed until the money is lost. Mobile Theatre is billing and practice software built for surgeons in South African private practice. It follows every case from booking, through theatre, to payment. Claims go to medical schemes electronically, co-payments are invoiced with payment links, and a live dashboard shows what is paid, pending and rejected.
Why surgical billing goes wrong in South African private practice
Most surgeons lose revenue through preventable mistakes, not because they or their staff are careless, but because the billing system they rely on was never designed for the complex process of theatre work. Here is where the leaks happen:
Procedures missed from rushed notes
Op notes written at the end of a long list often leave out secondary procedures, modifiers and consumables. Once a case is incompletely recorded, that revenue is usually gone for good.
Assistant, locum and multiple-procedure billing complications
Billing for assistants and multiple procedures in one session is where errors multiply. Each medical scheme applies its own rules, and calculating them by hand is slow and error-prone.
Medical aid rejections and slow cash flow
Claims are commonly rejected for invalid ICD-10 codes, missing motivations or mismatched membership details. Each rejection starts an admin loop between surgeon, rooms and billing, and delays payment by weeks.
Surgeon billing software that fits the way you actually operate
One app follows the patient from booking to theatre to co-payment, replacing paper diaries, WhatsApp groups, spreadsheets and separate billing software.
Before surgery
- Patient quotations. Give patients a cost estimate, including expected co-payments, before the procedure.
- Medical aid eligibility checks. Mobile Theatre checks a patient’s medical aid membership and eligibility before surgery, so there are fewer surprises after the procedure.
- Digital consent forms. Filled in and stored in the app, available from rooms or theatre. No paper, no scanning.
In theatre: capture the case once, bill it correctly every time
- Live surgical charts. On your phone or iPad, captured between cases.
- AI dictation built for surgeons. Dictate op notes in plain language; they become structured records ready for coding, and that same record feeds the claim so nobody has to retype it.
- Automatic ICD-10 coding. Codes are suggested from your notes. You confirm or adjust them before submission.
- Claim checks before submission. Mobile Theatre checks claims for errors, such as missing modifiers or invalid ICD-10 codes, before they are submitted.
- Assistant and multiple-procedure billing. Fees are calculated according to each medical scheme’s rules, so you are not working them out by hand.
- Billing templates for common procedures. Pre-fill the usual codes and consumables, so routine cases are billed the same way every time.
Running your rooms: one calendar and live view of your practice
- Live calendar. Shows your availability and how many patients are in the waiting room.
- One calendar across hospitals and rooms. See every theatre list and set of rooms in a single diary.
- Patient self-booking. Send patients a booking link and they book themselves into your open slots, with no secretary needed.
- Automatic cancellation fees. Charged when patients cancel outside your cancellation window.
- Patient history at a glance. Available while the patient is still in the waiting room.
- Live inventory of consumables. Used in theatre and rooms. Stock usage flows onto the bill automatically.
Getting paid: from claim submission to co-payments in a single workflow
- Live earnings dashboard. A daily view of payments received, pending and rejected amounts across all health funds and cash patients.
- Pre-populated PMB motivation letters. Drafted from the case details and codes, ready for you to review and send to the medical aid.
- Co-payment invoices. Sent from the app by WhatsApp, SMS and email, each with a payment link.
- Automated co-payment reminders. Unpaid co-payments are followed up automatically, and patients can pay by card through the payment link.
- Revenue trends over time. See how your earnings change over time, not only daily totals.
Trust, security and access for busy surgeons
- POPIA compliant. Patient data is encrypted and stored in the cloud.
- On your phone, iPad or desk. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, and on any computer.
- Copy notes into hospital systems. A copy function lets you paste notes straight into Netcare’s Care-On.
How Mobile Theatre works in 3 simple steps
Capture
Set up your profile, procedures and templates with the Mobile Theatre team. Record each case live in theatre with surgical charts and dictation.
Review
ICD-10 codes and your procedure template produce a draft claim. You or your practice manager check it and adjust it in the app.
Submit and get paid
Claims go to the medical scheme electronically, with an average turnaround of 2.3 days. The dashboard shows what is paid, pending and rejected, and co-payments are invoiced from the same place.
Who Mobile Theatre is for
Solo surgeons
Moving between hospitals with little admin support. Booking links, in-theatre capture and templates replace hours of admin.
Surgical groups
Shared templates and inventory, with earnings visible per surgeon or across the whole practice.
Practices with in-house billers
Clean, structured case data instead of handwritten notes to retype.
Pricing for surgeons in private practice
Mobile Theatre Bureau
Our billing team handles coding, submission, reconciliation, debt collection and patient follow-up, so you only pay when you get paid.
Software only (specialists)
R3,900Your own team runs the billing on the same software. AI dictation and SMS/WhatsApp credits are extra: you load credits on your account and only pay for the credits you load.
Cancel anytime. Free trial available.
Frequently asked questions about surgeon billing software
How much does Mobile Theatre cost for a surgeon?
The Bureau costs 4.9% of collections with the software licence fee waived. Software only for specialists is currently R1,950 per month (limited-time price, normally R3,900) plus 1.9% of billed claims. Both prices exclude VAT, there is no long-term contract, and you can start with a free trial. AI dictation and SMS/WhatsApp credits are extra and work on a pay-as-you-go basis.
Can I keep my existing billing team?
Yes. Choose software only and your team bills from the same structured case data you capture in theatre. Or move to the Bureau and let Mobile Theatre’s billing team take over.
How do patients book appointments?
You send patients a booking link and they choose a time from the open slots in your live calendar, so you do not need a secretary to manage bookings. Cancellations outside your set window trigger a cancellation fee automatically.
How does Mobile Theatre help with PMB claims?
It drafts the PMB motivation letter for you, using the clinical details and codes from the case. You review it and send it to the medical aid, instead of writing each one from scratch.
Is Mobile Theatre POPIA compliant?
Yes. Patient records are sensitive health information, so compliance with South African data privacy law matters. Mobile Theatre is POPIA compliant. Patient data is encrypted and stored in the cloud.
Can I use it on my phone in theatre?
Yes. Mobile Theatre is on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and also runs on any computer, so you can chart in theatre and review accounts later from your desk.
Does Mobile Theatre check claims for errors before they are submitted?
Yes. It checks for problems such as missing modifiers and invalid ICD-10 codes before submission, and it checks medical aid eligibility before surgery, so fewer claims are rejected.
See it on your own theatre list
Fewer missed codes, faster payments, less admin. Book a demo and we will show you where your practice is losing revenue.
“This is an elegant product divided into two halves, medical record keeping and billing.”Roger Nattrass, Verified Google review