> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sigmahmis.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Sigma HMIS Quick Start: Account Setup to First Claim > Create your Sigma HMIS account, configure your clinic workspace, and walk through your first patient visit, invoice, and insurance claim submission. This guide walks you through everything from creating your account to submitting your first insurance claim. By the end, you'll have a fully configured clinic workspace, a test patient on file, and a clear picture of how billing, claims, and payments flow together in Sigma. Plan for about one hour to complete the full cycle — most clinics are live and operational within a single working day. Navigate to **sigmahmis.com/auth/register** to open the registration form. 1. Enter your **clinic name** and **country**. The country field defaults to **Malawi** — update it if your clinic is based elsewhere. 2. Review and accept the **Terms of Service** and **Privacy Policy**. 3. Click **Continue**. Sigma will send a confirmation email to the address you provided. Open that email and click the verification link to activate your account. If the email doesn't arrive within a few minutes, check your spam folder before requesting a resend. No credit card is required to create your account. Your free trial starts automatically once your email is verified. After logging in for the first time, Sigma will prompt you to complete your clinic profile. This information appears on every invoice and claim you generate, so accuracy matters. * **Clinic details** — confirm your clinic name, physical address, and primary contact information. * **Locations** — if you operate more than one site, add each location now so billing and claims can be attributed correctly. * **Insurer schemes** — add the medical aid schemes and insurers you bill. For each scheme, provide the scheme name, payer ID or code, and claim submission address. * **Team members** — invite your billing and reception staff by email. Assign each person the appropriate role to control their access to billing, claims, and payment data. See [Account Setup](/account-setup) for a detailed walkthrough of each configuration section. Navigate to **Patients** in the left sidebar and click **New Patient**. Enter the patient's basic demographic details: * Full name * Date of birth * Contact number or email * Medical aid scheme (if applicable) and membership number Save the record. The patient is now available to link to visits and invoices. Open the patient record you just created and click **New Encounter** to start a visit. 1. Select the encounter date and the treating provider. 2. Attach the relevant charges — consultations, procedures, or dispensed items — from your configured fee schedule. 3. Click **Finalise Encounter**. Sigma automatically generates a visit-linked invoice from the encounter. You'll see the invoice appear in the **Billing** module with a status of **Draft**. Review the line items, confirm the totals, and mark the invoice as **Ready** when you're satisfied. From the finalised invoice, click **Prepare Claim**. Sigma pre-fills the claim form using the patient's scheme membership, the visit data, and your insurer configuration. Before submitting, verify that the following fields are populated: * **Authorization number** — required by most schemes for pre-approved services * **Scheme code** — the insurer's unique identifier for the patient's plan * **Diagnosis codes** — ICD codes linked to the encounter Once all required fields are complete, click **Submit Claim**. The claim status changes to **Submitted** and Sigma logs the submission timestamp. You can track the claim's progress — Submitted, Awaiting Response, Approved, Rejected, Paid, or Waiting — from the **Claims** module. Claims submitted with missing authorization numbers or incorrect scheme codes are likely to be rejected by the insurer. Double-check these fields before submitting — resubmission delays affect your cash flow. When the insurer processes your claim and sends a remittance advice, navigate to **Payments** in the left sidebar and click **New Remittance**. 1. Enter the remittance details — payment date, insurer, and total amount received. 2. Sigma will suggest matching open claims based on the claim reference numbers in the remittance. 3. Confirm the matches and click **Reconcile**. The matched claims move to a status of **Paid** and the payment is recorded against each invoice. Any unmatched amounts or short payments are flagged for your review so you can follow up with the insurer directly. The Sigma team offers guided onboarding sessions to help you configure your workspace, map your insurer schemes, and train your billing staff. Reach out at **[hello@sigmaconnect.org](mailto:hello@sigmaconnect.org)** to book a session before you go live. ## Next Steps Now that you've completed the full billing cycle, explore the individual modules to understand the full depth of each feature. Review workspace configuration in detail — locations, scheme rules, and user role assignments. Learn how to manage fee schedules, billing rules, and invoice workflows at scale. Dive into claim lifecycle management, rejection handling, and resubmission workflows. Understand remittance matching, partial payment handling, and reconciliation reporting. This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.