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In this issue:
FootholdConnect Events
Highlights from the Project Pipeline
What's New in AWARDS
This Month in HMIS
Tip of the Month - Using Your Browser Spell Check with AWARDS
Foothold News & Blog
For more information on upcoming FootholdConnect events, please go to FootholdConnect on the AWARDS Home screen's navigation bar, or visit the Upcoming Events page of the Foothold Technology web site. And don't forget... If you've missed any recent FootholdConnect events, you can access the recordings for those in Online Help here!
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Highlights from the Project Pipeline
Two-Factor Authentication
Keeping your AWARDS database secure is Foothold's top priority. Behind the scenes we've done a lot of work to keep your users safe and we've also provided system administrators with a number of tools to make sure the users they've provided access to are actually the users logging in. In the next few months we're going to be adding another powerful tool to that tool kit. Two-factor authentication adds another layer of security to complex passwords and good user behavior by creating a token on a personal iOS or Android mobile device that must be used to log in. If a password was compromised and the attacker attempted to log in, they would also need access to the user's mobile device to get a code, which resets every thirty seconds. A database protected with two-factor authentication greatly decreases the success rate of brute-force and phishing attacks. We look forward to sharing more about our two-factor plans shortly, including configuration and on-boarding instructions. Once available, we'll encourage all administrators to enroll in two-factor authentication so that your database is as secure as possible.
Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Update - Vendor Selected!
We are excited to announce that we have selected an EVV vendor that we will be integrating with to help our customer agencies meet this Federal documentation requirement. After much research and many demonstrations of various tools, we have chosen to work with CellTrak, who we feel will be an excellent partner in this work. Initial work is already underway and as we have more to share regarding timeline and features to expect, we will provide updates in FootNotes.
If you will be looking to utilize EVV functionality in AWARDS, please reach out to your Foothold Customer Success Division representative. We will add you to a targeted distribution list.
Household Functionality
As many of you learned last month during our FootholdConnect preview, we are hard at work enhancing Household Functionality, scheduled to be released in September. All users of Household functionality will experience an increased ability to specify who is in a household, and who is the primary client for every program episode. With these enhancements also come workflow changes and label changes on tabs and fields. For these reasons, we encourage you to watch or attend the upcoming preview. These changes will not be incremental and we want to ensure users are comfortable with the new look and feel before the changes are made live within AWARDS.
New York State Office of Mental Health 2019 Patient Characteristics Survey (PCS)
We are happy to announce that we have begun work on updating our New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) Patient Characteristics Survey (PCS) functionality in AWARDS so that it will be compliant with the upcoming 2019 survey. The 2019 survey tool in AWARDS will function as the 2017 survey did, and will be updated to reflect all the changes to the 2019 version released by OMH. This year's survey week is set for October 21 - October 27, 2019, and the OMH Practice Platform opens on September 19, 2019. As always, AWARDS will have the 2019 PCS feature ready and available in time for our customers to use the OMH Practice Platform. Stay tuned to future FootNotes for further updates.
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As we have done in previous months, we are continuing to make available a new set of useful features and functions to users of AWARDS. As always, this round of upgrades is provided free of charge to all AWARDS users and is described below. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to the Help Desk. We hope these enhancements improve the way you use AWARDS and provide services!
Deployment Date: 8/7/19
Audit Trail ReportBuilder - Merge Duplicate Client Record Details Enhancement
When client records are merged, the Audit Trail ReportBuilder will now show the AWARDS Client IDs, not just of the client that was kept, but also the client that was merged. For more information about the process of merging duplicate client records, click here. For instructions on using the Audit Trail ReportBuilder, click here.
E-Signatures - Setup and Signing Updates
This month we've deployed several enhancements to e-signatures configuration functionality, impacting both the Builders & Tools > E-Signatures Configurations feature, and the e-signatures component of the PlanBuilder. Specifically:
Progress Notes E-Signatures Configurations - Signing Window Now Available for Editing - This update applies to progress note E-Signatures Configurations that use a signing window. Previously, in order to edit a signature signing window, you needed to inactive the entire signature set for the note type/program type being worked with and create a new signature set. With this enhancement, you are now able to edit the signing window without having to inactivate the signature set.
PlanBuilder - New Lock Employee Drop-Down Option for Signatures - A new Lock Employee Drop-Down option is now available for PlanBuilder signature configuration. This option is only displayed during configuration of signatures with a Signer Type of "Employee" that have Default Signer Role selected. Click the drop-down arrow and select "Yes" to prevent the worker listed as the default signer on a client record from being changed when entering or signing the record. If "No" is selected, or if this option is left at its default "blank" value, the default signer selection can be changed if needed.
Pre-Selected Authority Level When Signing Progress Notes, Monthly Checklists, and Plans and Reviews - Previously, when signing progress notes, monthly checklists, or plans and reviews, if a default authority level was specified for a particular signature line during signature configuration, that default level still had to be manually selected by the person signing the record. Now, if a default authority level is specified for a particular signature line, it displays as a pre-selected checkbox when signing the record. This checkbox is not required and can be deselected.
Similarly, in the past, if a default authority level was NOT specified for a particular signature line but an "other" option was made available, the Other authority level displayed on the page had to be manually selected by the person signing the record. Now, the Other authority level displays as a pre-selected checkbox and a text field is automatically displayed for the signer to enter his or her own authority level. This checkbox is not required and can be deselected.
NOTE: If neither a default authority level or "other" option was specified for the signature line, no authority level information is shown when signing the record.
FormBuilder - Medications Dynamic Section Updates
We have made several improvements to the Medication Information dynamic section available when creating FormBuilder forms. These changes, which were designed to make the Medication dynamic section more intuitive and user-friendly, include the following:
All field options available under the Modify Fields link are now alphabetized
Addition of the following fields as options to the dynamic section:
Consent
Consent End Date
Consent Start Date
Drug Type
Medication Expiration Date
Medication Flag
Quantity
Rx/OTC
RxNorm
Start Time
Refills has been relabeled as # of Refills
MedSupport - New eMAR Now Available!
Foothold is proud to announce its partnership with CaraSolva, which allows for a single sign on directly from AWARDS to their product, MedSupport. MedSupport harnesses intelligence that drives and automates nursing and caregiver functions. The MedSupport feature is used to enter and update consumer medical information, including medications, medication administration, vital signs, scheduled medical events/tasks, and more. Some features of MedSupport include:
The scheduling and administration of medications, as well as scheduled vitals, and tasks are automated with the compliant eMAR (Electronic Medication Administration Record).
Pharmacy Interface module (where available) means prescriptions are automatically scheduled into MedSupport.
Alerts allow for early intervention such as a medication issue or vital being out of an acceptable range.
Utilizing MedSupport from within AWARDS encourages medication administration compliance and provides a single place to conduct data entry, with portions of that data syncing back to the client's AWARDS record.
For more information, please refer to Online Help or the MedSupport Service Agreement. If you have any questions or would like to get started, please contact your Foothold Customer Success representative.
Permissions - New "Permission Change Notification" Internal Audit Message Permit
Previously, all users with either of the "Permissions Data Entry" exception override permissions assigned to them received system generated messages for permission changes. With this enhancement, a new "Permission Change Notification" internal audit message permission controls these messages instead. Only users who are assigned this permission will receive system generated messages for permissions changes.
To make the transition seamless, users with either of the "Permissions Data Entry" exception override permissions assigned to them at the time of deployment are automatically assigned the new permission. To stop receiving the system generated messages users will need to remove the "Permission Change Notification" internal audit message permission under System Setup > Permissions Maintenance.
In addition, a new saved report format has been created under the Audit Trail ReportBuilder labeled "Foothold Permissions Change Report." This saved report format is designed to only display permission changes so that you can more easily audit permission assignments and adjustments.
Transportation - New Feature!
A new Transportation feature - located within the Services - Individual module - has been made available for agencies tracking client rides and mileage. Highlights of this new feature include the following:
Permission - To access the feature, users with access to the Services - Individual module must be assigned the new Transportation Data Entry data entry/access permission. Users with this permission will be able to create, edit and view ride schedules within programs to which they have chart access.
Scheduling Workflow - Upon clicking Transportation from the Services - Individual fly-out menu, users first create ride schedules for any known, recurring or one time ride events. The Ride Schedules index and data entry form appear in the updated look, with an action bar of icons on the top of the index, and a left-hand menu bar to filter index contents. Once a schedule is created, expected passengers can be assigned to the schedule, by selecting clients on the program's roster and designating expected mileage, pick-up and drop-off locations.
Cloning Schedules - The Ride Schedules index includes an option to Clone an existing ride schedule which also provides the ability to reverse the route, designed for easy data entry of round trip rides.
Rides Completed - From the Ride Schedules index you can document that a scheduled ride has been completed. Once a completed ride has been documented, transported passengers can be assigned to the ride. Any expected passengers will be listed with the option to mark them as transported or not, along with the ability to add unexpected passengers from the program's roster.
TIP: In order to document a completed ride in the new module, a corresponding ride schedule must be created. To accommodate programs providing unscheduled rides, which don't happen on a regular basis, we recommend creating one "Unscheduled" ride schedule and documenting the ad hoc rides within that schedule.
Transportation ReportBuilder - This new ReportBuilder is available from the Reports module and on the Ride Schedules index page. It provides several viewing options, including one row per ride schedule, ride scheduled date, expected passenger, ride completed, and transported passenger.
For more information on using the new Transportation feature, click here.
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In addition to the Household Functionality enhancement coming in September, (see the Pipeline section above), the HMIS team is hard at work on the new HMIS Data Standards, which will be released October 1. On a nearly annual basis, HUD provides updates to the HMIS Data Standards to accommodate the changing needs of homeless service providers, HUD, and the Federal Partners. The HMIS Data Standards Manual and Data Dictionary outline all of the data collection requirements for contributing homeless organizations. To access these documents, click here. August is when System Administrators should plan to become familiar with the Data Standards; watch for further details about training in the September FootNotes. Click here for a sneak peek of the new Data Standards.
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Tip of the Month - Using Your Browser Spell Check with AWARDS
In April 2019, we removed the Spell Check button/feature that appeared for certain text fields throughout AWARDS, including progress notes, service plans, FormBuilder forms, and other areas.
The good news is that modern browsers have their own spell check features and we encourage you to use those moving forward. If you need assistance in setting up spell check in your browser, here are a few links to help you.
If you use:
Google Chrome - Click here.
Firefox - Click here.
Edge/Windows 10 - Click here.
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Check out the latest in Foothold news and recent entries from the Foothold blog!
Recent Webinar: Foothold Technology and IMO Partnership Showcase - Did you miss our recent webinar? Click here to check out the recording and learn about the benefits of utilizing IMO functionality within AWARDS.
Recent Webinar: Care Coordination and Interoperability - From Theory to the Real World. You've heard about the benefits of connecting to a Health Information Exchange (HIE); but what does this actually look like for an organization? Click here to view the recording.
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