* Electronically Signing Service Plans

The electronic signatures functionality enables staff and clients to sign service plans for the purposes of approving their content or verifying their accuracy. Once signed, plans are locked from further editing, as are any previous plans from which information in the signed plan is derived.

Staff with the authority to sign service plans (as determined by a given program's business rules) can sign those plans using a Click to Sign link available when viewing the plan in report mode. Those staff members who can sign the plan will also see an Allow Client to Sign link on the plan (when client signing has been configured in the program's business rules), and can use it to assist clients in signing the plan. (This link will not be available for staff who do not have the authority to e-sign the plan themselves.)

NOTE: Clients with AWARDS logins can also sign plans on their own without staff assistance if the program has been set up to allow them to do so.

To access and electronically sign a service plan, or to assist a client in doing so, complete the following steps:

NOTE: The process of electronically signing a service plan varies slightly for clients with their own AWARDS logins. Such clients can complete the signing process without assistance, by selecting Client Records from the AWARDS Home screen, clicking Service Plans, and then clicking the date link for the plan to be signed. From there, there signing process is the same as that laid out beginning with step 8 below.

NOTE: The following instructions detail the process of generating a service plans report to access a plan for signing. Plans can also be accessed for signing purposes on the confirmation pages displayed after plan data entry updates are saved, and by going into the service plan index in data entry mode and clicking the underlined plan date to open the individual plan in report mode. The Client History Report in the Client Search module can also be used to access plans for signing. If you access a plan in either of those ways, skip ahead to step 10.

NOTE: Keep in mind that by default only COMPLETED service plans (not including admission notes) can be signed, as indicated by a Done setting of "Yes" and a date in the Done Date column. This default is overridden if the "Allow Signatures on Plans not yet marked Done" option was selected for the program during the process of Setting Individual Program Rules for Electronic Signatures. To mark a plan as complete, use the Update Schedule feature from the service plans index in data entry mode.

From the navigation bar, click Reports (or the Reports icon). The Reports index is displayed.

Click the Program drop-down arrow in the upper-right corner of the page and select the individual program for which the report is to be run, or select a group of programs using one of the available "All" or "Custom" grouping selections.
If you previously bookmarked the Service Plans Report it is displayed on the reports index by default; otherwise, from the left-hand menu bar, click All under "Show Reports."
Use the navigation features in the bottom-right corner to locate the Service Plans Report in the index, or enter "service plans" in the Search field in the upper-right corner.
Click Service Plans Report from the reports index. The Service Plan Client Selection page is displayed.

Click the Client drop-down arrow and select the client for whom the plan is to be signed.

TIP: If the plan to be signed is for a former (discharged) client, first click the Roster Archives checkbox.

NOTE: When working with the records of a discharged client, only staff members can electronically sign service plans using a PIN and saved images. The discharged clients themselves cannot electronically sign the plans after discharge unless the optional signature pad functionality is turned on.

Click CONTINUE. The Individual Service Plan Index page is displayed.
Click the Selected radio button next to the service plan to be signed.
Click CONTINUE. The service plan is displayed.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page. Based on the program's electronic signature rules and who has or has not already signed the plan, you will see up to two signing links.

Click to Sign - Available for staff that are eligible to sign the plan if they have not already done so. If the electronic signature rules for the program do not allow you to sign the plan, or if you have already completed the signing process for the plan in question, this link is not displayed.

Allow Client to Sign - Available for clients who are eligible to sign the plan and who have an AWARDS login. Also available when staff are assisting eligible clients with the plan signing process, as long as the staff member is also eligible to sign that plan him/herself. If the electronic signature rules for the program do not allow clients to sign plans, or if the client has already completed the signing process for this plan, this link is not displayed.

NOTE: For more information on the rules that govern electronic signing in each program, see Configuring a Program's Electronic Signatures Rules.

The service plan can now be electronically signed. To do so, click the appropriate signing link and complete the corresponding signing process, or assist the client in doing so:

Click to Sign (for use by staff)

Allow Client to Sign (for use by staff assisting clients)

If a default signing method for clients was specified during your signature setup process, the Electronic Signatures Client Signing dialog box is immediately displayed, prompting the client to complete the corresponding signing process.

If a default signing method was NOT specified and more than one signing method is available (as determined by "Touch" and/or "Signature Pad" selections under System Setup > Business Rules > global Electronic Signature Rules),a series of radio buttons on the page will note those methods. Click the appropriate radio button, click OK, and then complete the corresponding signing process.

Signing by PIN - Plans can be signed using initials or full name images. Click the Sign With radio button next to the type of image with which the client is to sign this plan - "No Image," "Initials Image," or "Full Name Image."

NOTE: Sign with options are only available for the images uploaded during the process of setting up the client's electronic signature. For example, if only a full name image was uploaded, not initials, only the "No Image" and "Full Name Image" options will be available here.

IMPORTANT! If the client does not have a PIN, and you do not have the ability to assist him/her in setting one up, he/she will be prevented from signing the plan at this time. If you DO have the ability to assist the client in setting up a PIN, click the Click here to Assign a PIN link displayed at this time.

In the PIN field, direct the client to type his/her five-digit PIN to confirm his/her identity.

To exit without signing the plan, click Cancel.

Signing by Signature Pad - Direct the client to use the signature pad to enter his/her signature. Click Draw to give focus to the signing area before the client signs on the pad, Clear if you'd like to clear what has been entered using the pad, or Cancel to exit without signing the plan.

Signing by Touch - Direct the client to use his/her finger or a stylus to enter his/her signature directly on the screen when using a tablet, touchpad, or other touch-enabled device, or to use the mouse to sign on the screen if the device is not directly touch-capable. Click Clear if you'd like to clear what has been entered, or Cancel to exit without signing the note.

Once the appropriate signing method has been used, continue with step 12 to complete the signing process.

Click SIGN NOW or have the client do so, if applicable.

IMPORTANT! Clicking the SIGN NOW button is an acknowledgment that the individual doing so is the authorized signer. An electronic signature constitutes a legally binding symbol that authenticates the document to which it is attached.

When SIGN NOW is clicked, the following takes place:

The service plan is signed and the electronic signature is displayed with that plan on the service plan report page. The signature for staff members is composed of authority level, followed by signer name and credentials (if included), job title, the signature or initials image if one was selected or the image captured with the signature pad, and the date and time on which the plan was signed if that information was set to be included. For clients, the signature includes the signature or initials image if one was selected or the image captured with the signature pad, "Client" (or relevant label if clients are referred to differently in your AWARDS database), and the date and time on which the plan was signed.

NOTE: Job title information is taken from your Staff Information record in the Human Resources module. If you are a staff member the signature will always display your job title as of the time the plan was signed, regardless of whether that title changes in the future.

Keep in mind that if any other staff members of the client previously signed the same plan, the new signature is added to those existing signatures.

The service plan is locked from further edits (with the exception of done date and done status if using the "Allow Signatures on Plans not yet marked Done" option set here), as are any previous plans (with the exception of the admission note, if applicable). Plans that have been signed and locked by signatures are shown with a lock and key icon next to them in the service plan index in data entry mode. Any plans locked because a subsequent plan was signed are shown with a bullet next to them in the index.

IMPORTANT! While the plan content cannot be added to or changed as a result of an electronic signature, if your program is set to "Allow Signatures on Plans not yet Marked Done" (under Business Rules) the update schedule functionality will remain available from the service plan index in data entry mode to allow for changes to the status and/or done dates of locked plans until a done date is entered. Once a done date has been entered and saved all fields for that plan on the update schedule page are locked from further edits.

The process of electronically signing a service plan is now complete.

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