|   |
| |
In this issue:
Save the Date - AWARDS U
FootholdConnect Events
Highlights from the Project Pipeline
What's New in AWARDS
Tip of the Month - A Guide to Work Supervisor Privileges
Save the Date: "AWARDS U" - Foothold User's Conference
Our User's Conference, AWARDS U, is back for 2020! This year the conference will take place on Thursday, July 9th.
The biggest change this year is that AWARDS U will be fully virtual. This ensures that the content is accessible to the widest possible audience, delivers a great experience for all attendees and keeps costs down for your agency.
We'll be in touch very soon to announce when tickets will go on sale.
Return to the top of the page.
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!
Return to the top of the page.
Highlights from the Project Pipeline
New York State OPWDD Care Coordinate Update - Medisked
As has been announced in previous editions of FootNotes, we have been hard at work with Medisked, the vendor charged with managing the data warehouse for the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) Care Coordination efforts. We are excited to announce that we are moving into the beta testing phase for this project. The current connection includes:
Bi-directional data sharing for Client Registration where incoming data can be linked to an admitted client
Incoming viewable messages of IPOP forms
Incoming viewable messages of POMS
Incoming viewable messages of Insurance Authorizations
If you are interested in using your AWARDS database to share data with your CCO(s), please reach out to your CCO to begin data sharing conversations, and let them know you are using AWARDS.
Progress Notes as Encounters Data for Interoperability
We are excited to let our Interoperability customers know that we are currently working on a project to allow progress notes data entry as a trigger for sharing encounters data with RHIOs. This new option will let agencies choose which progress note types should be set to collect and transmit encounters data to RHIOs using the CCDA document. This new feature will replace the Encounters module for those who prefer not to use it. We anticipate this feature will be available this spring.
Return to the top of the page.
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: 3/4/20
E-Signatures Configurations - New Preview Icon
The Builders & Tools > E-Signatures Configurations > Progress Notes feature now has a preview icon (pair of eyeglasses) located on the action bar of the Electronic Signatures Sets page. Checking off a signature set and clicking the preview icon opens a new window, displaying how the signature set will be displayed on the actual progress note for the note type/program type you are working with.
TIP: To save you time and a few clicks, keep the preview window open and simply refresh it anytime after you make a configuration change to the order level(s) and/or signature(s) of the signature set you're working with. After the refresh, the preview window will reflect those latest changes.
NOTE: The new preview icon is only available for the Progress Notes component of E-Signatures Configurations functionality, not for the Monthly Checklist.
Help Desk Tickets - Form Adjustments and Process Improvements
Foothold Technology's Help Desk has implemented the use of a new system for managing the support tickets submitted to us. The result will be the same support experience you're used to...
A two-tier Help Desk structure with end users reporting to the local Help Desk team for your AWARDS database, and that local team connecting with Foothold Technology when additional assistance is needed.
Submission of Help Desk tickets from directly within AWARDS, as always, using either the life preserver icon in the Messages module or going to navigation bar > Help > Help Desk.
... but with some key improvements!
A better ticket form that only asks for essentials and highlights required fields/options for easy identification (see below for details).
A streamlined communication process between local Help Desk team members and Foothold, with responses that go directly to email rather than back into AWARDS. More importantly, your local Help Desk can now choose to directly copy you on communication with Foothold so that you are looped into subsequent responses or follow-up. When you are Cc'd in this way, the follow-up communication on the ticket will go to your email rather than AWARDS, and you can reply back via email in the event that you are asked for more information or need to ask a clarifying question.
A more efficient process on the back end for the Foothold support team which we are confident will translate to faster response times for you!
In support of these changes, you'll see several adjustments to the Help Desk ticket form in AWARDS. The overall look and feel will be almost identical to the version of the form that existed previously, but you'll notice the following differences in the fields/options on the page.
New Fields / Options:
Cc - An optional field in which you can enter a comma-separated list of additional recipients for the message. These recipients will also receive subsequent responses to the message from Foothold’s Help Desk when we have been asked to assist.
Click Path - A new field in which to enter a path to the AWARDS location or record relevant to your question or problem report. Because this information is crucial to the Help Desk’s ability to conduct an effective investigation, this field is required. Enter "N/A" if not applicable.
Changes to Existing Fields/Options:
All Required Fields/Options are now highlighted with an orange border for easy identification.
Message - Previously labeled "Description." Additionally, the instructions above this textbox have been updated to reflect workflow changes, including red warning text regarding the need to exclude PHI.
WARNING! Because in Help Desk tickets submitted to Foothold will now be leaving the HIPAA-compliant environment offered by AWARDS Messages, you can no longer include protected health information (PHI) in your Help Desk tickets or attachments. Instead, use info such as Client IDs to identify specific records related to your ticket.
AWARDS Area - Replaces the "AWARDS Module" selection list available previously. It contains a more comprehensive list of functionality to choose from and also includes an "Other/Various" selection.
Client ID - Previously labeled "Client Name." A required field in which to note the client ID number related to the record being referenced in the ticket, if any. Enter "N/A" if not applicable.
TIP: Client ID information is most readily accessible from within the Client Search feature and in ReportBuilders throughout AWARDS. Depending on your agency's rules with regard to what defines PHI, the first couple of letters of a client�' first and last names may be an acceptable alternative to Client ID.
Affected User - Previously labeled "Name/Login ID." A required selection list from which to select the name of the individual who originally reported the problem if not yourself.
Division - Previously labeled "Agency." A required selection in divisional databases.
Removed Fields/Options:
Impact of Issue
Number of Users Affected
Phone Number
Were you able to locate...
Special Note for NJ DD Agencies...
We are aware that some New Jersey DD agencies were affected by the one NPI per doorknob challenge and have used client names as a labeling convention to split those programs. Because program is a required selection on the Help Desk ticket form, it could result in the inclusion of ePHI if you have programs set up in this way. To prevent this from happening, we ask that you modify your Help Desk reporting process in one of the following ways if client names are included in your program labels:
Option #1 - Use a Custom Program Group - If you have not already done so, create a Custom Program Grouping for this full group of programs, and name it generically so that it does not reflect any PHI. Then when submitting your Help Desk tickets you can select that custom program grouping from the program drop-down. That, combined with the Client ID, will be a HIPAA-compliant way to point the Help Desk to the record in question.
Option #2 - Choose "N/A" as the Program - When submitting a Help Desk ticket, select "N/A" from the program drop-down. Note in the ticket details that it is the client’s residential program that the issue/question is related to, and be sure to provide the Client ID for the relevant record in the space provided on the form. Those pieces of information will provide the Help Desk with the specifics they need to investigate, without disclosing any PHI.
HMIS Configure Data Elements - New Format
The System Setup > Agency Program Information > Configure Data Elements feature now has a new look as we continue to develop the new navigation and usability of AWARDS. Changes to the feature include:
Action icons moved - The Edit, View, Delete, and Add New icons have been moved to an action bar above the index. Checkboxes are provided next to each configuration type record to allow users to select which record they would like to take action on. Clicking on an individual record from the index opens the record in data entry/edit mode.
Refine bar added to index - A new refine bar has been added to the left side of the index page, which allows users to toggle between the types of data element configurations displayed on the index. By default, data element configurations are displayed for every funding source and HMIS project type in the agency, as well as any data element configurations set on the project level. To limit the display, use the selection options under "Show Records" in the left-hand menu: All, Funding Source, HMIS Project Type, and Project.
Search field added - A new Search field also appears on the action bar, which allows users to quickly search the contents of the index. A Filter By drop-down list compliments the Search, allowing users to search the contents of "All Columns" (the default) or a specific column.
HMIS Delta Refresh for FormBuilder
HMIS Data Uploads can now include FormBuilders, a feature that can be set up in the origin and destination databases by a Foothold staff person using a new Include in HMIS CSV Upload option. If you're interested in using this new feature, please contact the AWARDS Help Desk or your Foothold Client Services representative to guide you through the setup steps.
HMIS Grantee APR
The HMIS Grantee APR, completed annually by HMIS lead agencies of CoC program funded HMIS-dedicated projects, was completely revamped as per new HUD specs. The report displays the number of users, beds in each HMIS Project Type, participation level of projects by various funders, and the number of clients served in a CoC in a database. Details can be found here.
System Setup > Local Help Desk Staff - New Work Email Field
A new Work Email field is now available under System Setup > Local Help Desk Staff for each member of the local Help Desk team specified there. This field is linked to all other locations in AWARDS where work email can be recorded:
Human Resources > Staff Information > Work Email
Navigation Bar > your name > Password & Security > Work Email
Navigation Bar > your name > User Settings > Notifications > Work Email
Entries or changes in any of the linked locations are applied to the other locations as well.
Additionally, when adding new members to the local Help Desk team, the work email address automatically populates if the selected staff member has one recorded in AWARDS.
Return to the top of the page.
Tip of the Month - A Guide to Work Supervisor Privileges
Did you know...
Staff assigned as work supervisors using the Human Resources module Staff Information feature are automatically granted a range of privileges in a variety of areas in AWARDS? This month, we've added a new Understanding Work Supervisor Privileges page in AWARDS Online Help that details the various features and privileges work supervisors automatically have access to, along with links to other relevant and useful Online Help pages. Click here to check it out!
Return to the top of the page.
https://demodb.footholdtechnology.com/help/?12331
