ECHS Claim Automation

👉 Start here: ECHS_COM_AUTOMATION_GUIDE.md

This repository automates generation of ECHS Contingent Bill (Appx ‘A’, IAFA-155) documents with a strict, non-negotiable constraint:

Formatting fidelity is more important than automation cleverness.

To guarantee exact underline, bold, spacing, and line-flow fidelity, the final document is rendered by Microsoft Word itself, via Windows COM automation.

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What this repository does (v1.0 scope)

• Takes human-validated claim data in claim_values.json
• Injects values into an authoritative Word template
• Produces submission-ready DOCX and PDF
• Ensures the output is visually indistinguishable from approved ECHS samples

There is no OCR or vision extraction in the current, supported workflow.

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Core files

• ECHS_Claim_template.docx
  Authoritative ECHS claim template.
  Formatting is locked; placeholders are embedded.

• place_holders_list.docx
  Final, approved list of placeholders.
  No new placeholders may be invented.

• run_claim_word_com.py
  Canonical Word COM automation script.
  This is the only execution entry point.

• examples/claim_values.sample.json
  Sample input showing the expected structure of claim_values.json.

• out/ (gitignored)
  Generated DOCX/PDF outputs.

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claim_values.json (single source of truth)

claim_values.json is the only input file consumed by the automation.

• Keys match placeholder names without braces
• Values are human-verified
• One file per claim
• Typically not committed (samples live in examples/)

The provenance, rationale, and creation process for claim_values.json are documented in detail in:

👉 ECHS_COM_AUTOMATION_GUIDE.md

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End-to-end workflow (canonical)

1. Create claim_values.json

   • By manual, human-validated reading of bill + prescription
   • Using examples/claim_values.sample.json as a starting point

2. Render

   py run_claim_word_com.py --template ECHS_Claim_template.docx --values claim_values.json --outdocx out\ECHS_Claim_filled.docx --outpdf out\ECHS_Claim_filled.pdf