The account class identifies the billing classification of the patient, i.e. it determines the patient's daily bed charge. The most common codes used are as follows:
GPE General Public Eligible
GRE General Private (Single-Room) Eligible
GSE General Shared Eligible

Newborns
If a newborn changes status between unqualified and acute (also known as 'qualified'), then the account class must be changed. Hospitals should use xxQ for newborns with a qualification status of acute and xxUQ for newborns with a qualification status of unqualified when assigning an account class code.

Same day banded patient
Same day banded patients cannot have an account class change. If a patient is admitted as a same day banded patient, but remains in hospital overnight or longer (no longer a same day banded patient), then the admission account class must be updated. This can be done by recording an account class variation and selecting a 'Y' (yes) to the prompt to update the admission account class or by deleting and re-entering the admission with the appropriate account class applicable. Generally, only staff in the Accounts/Patient Billing area can carry out account variations.

Ineligible persons
Ineligible patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit and/or Coronary Care Units are admitted to these units using the appropriate account class code. This eliminates the need for journal adjustments to correct the daily fee.

Prisoners
Prisoners have their own admission account class code. Ensure this code is used together with the admission and discharge source codes indicating 'Correctional Facility'. The Medicare suffix must be P-N and the Funding source is 01 Health service budget (not covered elsewhere). Correctional facilities do not pay Queensland Health for the treatment of prisoners.