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In this issue:
FootholdConnect Events
Meaningful Use
Highlights from the Project Pipeline
What's New in AWARDS
Tip of the Month - Saving AWARDS Pages to PDF
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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As announced earlier in the year, AWARDS has been officially approved as a 2015 Federally Certified Edition EHR by ONC. The 2015 Edition is the most recent version that all certified vendors are now required to have in place. It provides new Stage 3 reporting, additional and more focused quality measures, workflow enhancements, updates to the interoperability components, several existing feature enhancements and updates, as well as some new features. Items of note include:
Demographics updates were implemented for Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Primary Language fields. Most significantly the options for tracking gender data were expanded. Please see the specific Meaningful Use 2015 - Demographics - Optional Enhancements Request Form for more details.
NOTE: If you will be submitting the full MU 2015 Enhancement request form, then there is no need to also submit this individual demographics form.
The CCDA format has been updated to the most current standard version, and a new viewer feature has been incorporated. And enhancements have been made to the ability to send and receive care-related documents via AWARDS.
New Clinical Quality Measures - with more of a focus on behavioral health - have been added, and our related documentation has been enhanced.
And perhaps most exciting - we have added a new Encounters module in AWARDS with the 2015 Edition. This module offers a significantly streamlined data entry process for physicians and staff as they enter all encounter and medical module related data in AWARDS.
NOTE: If you have been using the 2014 Edition Medical Encounter FormBuilder form, you should have recently received a separate email detailing the transition process to the new module. If you did not receive this email, please reach out to the Help Desk for assistance.
With the May enhancements release, we will be posting and sending out a new MU 2015 Optional Enhancements Document. You can also request a copy of the form via email at [email protected]. Customers currently using AWARDS for Meaningful Use, as well as those who would like to start, should opt into the full set of features and submit the request form to [email protected]. Please note that if you are otherwise required to use Certified EHR Technology also known as CEHRT you must also configure your database with the 2015 Edition when it becomes available.
In addition to the 2015 Edition Optional Enhancements document, we will also be providing a variety of supplemental documentation that guides users through the new and improved workflows and features, as well as help users better understand how the Clinical Quality Measures work in AWARDS. Training materials will be forthcoming and those who prefer to purchase a full day of training will be able to do so. Stay tuned for more details.
One final note regarding MU 2015 in AWARDS. To take full advantage of the features, it is recommended that you make the switch to both the new Providers module as well as the new PlanBuilder / Plans and Reviews tool.
Highlights from the Project Pipeline
HMIS Data Upload Changes
Many changes are coming in regards to how HMIS projects share data with AWARDS HMIS databases. These are exciting changes that will allow Coordinated Entry Systems to collaborate across databases to share more information and to share information back and forth between systems. Some of the other changes are designed to make the upload process work more smoothly.
As of May 11th, the rules for completing the One-Button Upload will be changed. Up until now, users have been able to upload data that contained errors or even complete uploads that were missing clients. This will no longer be allowed. Users will be required to complete a validation process before they can proceed with uploading any data. Because fixing validations can often be confusing to users, we are overhauling the validation error system. Now users will receive an audit message with all validation errors spelled out on the screen with user-friendly messages detailing exactly what needs to be corrected. After the errors have been fixed, a Proceed to Upload button will display within the message. If you are responsible for uploading data, you'll want to attend our May 14th FootholdConnect event.
In June we will be introducing Delta Refresh uploads. Instead of having uploads overwrite all information, the uploads will become smarter and only upload information that has changed. This seemingly small change has big ramifications. It means that users can add notes, plans, forms, services and other information to client records in the destination database without those records being overwritten during each upload. It also means that projects can upload back and forth between systems to collaborate on client records.
Additional customization will follow on the heels of Delta Refresh to allow the transfer of information beyond just the HMIS/HUD data elements. FormBuilder data will be allowed to transfer across systems using the One-Button upload. Eventually Bed Assignments, Entitlements data, and additional services data will also be transmitted. Stay tuned to future FootNotes newsletters for more information.
Progress Notes Electronic Signatures
Several months ago we released new electronic signatures functionality, aimed at meeting your many requests for increased flexibility. So far, the newly enhanced e-signatures feature has only been available in PlanBuilder. We are excited to report that we anticipate rolling out the new e-signatures to Progress Notes this summer.
New Progress Notes E-Signatures will enable users to configure unique signature options for each of the different progress note types used in their database. And the feature will have all the same options as currently available in PlanBuilder, including:
Ability to determine the number of signatures available, with options for staff, clients, or external signers
Configurable labels for signatures
Options for documenting refused or unavailable for signature
Ability to allow a note text box for signatures
Alert messages when notes are ready for signing
New reporting allowing for true quality assurance of note signing status
Ability to set up signing order workflow requirements
Once we have completed the Progress Notes E-Signatures enhancements, we will continue to move on to both existing e-sign areas in AWARDS for updating, as well as areas currently lacking e-signature capability. Stay tuned to future FootNotes for more information as this work progresses.
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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 ask your local Help Desk or your Foothold Customer Success representative. We hope these enhancements improve the way you use AWARDS and provide services!
Deployment Date: 5/2/18
Client Search - Enhancements
Within the Client Search tool, the Client Lookup Results page has been relabeled to say Client Search Results. In addition, on the results page pending clients previously displayed as "in program since ?"; they now display as "Pending since mm/dd/yyyy" (where the date is the client's intake date) to give you a better sense of their enrollment status.
Face Sheet - Update Referral Source Option
Previously referral source information could only be accessed and updated from within the Intake/Admission module as part of the admission process. Now, there is a behind-the-scenes option that will enable users to work with that information via an Update Referral Source button on client face sheets. This feature is optional and is not turned on by default. To request that it be added to your AWARDS database, please contact your Foothold Customer Success representative or the Help Desk for assistance.
Group Activity Attendance ReportBuilder - Enhancements
Previously the Group Activity Attendance ReportBuilder was limited to records for clients who had been recorded as "Present" for an activity. To enable users to also generate reports including clients who were marked as "No Show" or "Canceled," a new Include No Shows/Canceled checkbox has been added to the Group Activity Attendance ReportBuilder Settings page. When this option is checked, the ReportBuilder includes records for all clients scheduled, regardless of whether they were Present, No Show, or Canceled. Additionally, the following new data variables have been added to the "Attendance Information" portion of this ReportBuilders Options page:
Attendance Outcome - Displays whether the client was Present, No Show, or Canceled.
Reason for Absence - Displays the reason the client was not present, if applicable.
Incidents - External Notifications for Incident Messages
A new external email notification option has been added for Incident Data Entry Notifications. Users with the Receive External Notifications exception override permission and the Incident Data Entry internal audit permission will be able to receive external email notifications when an incident is created, edited, or locked/filed if they have this new option configured under User Settings > Notifications. As with other external notification messages, the user will have to login to AWARDS after clicking the message link to view its full content.
Medical Appointment Form - Renamed Provider Appointments / New Format
The Medical > Medical Appointment Form feature is now Provider Appointments, and has a new look as we continue to develop the new navigation and usability of AWARDS.
Specific format changes to the feature include:
Program drop-downs - A new Program drop-down has been added to the index page, allowing users to make this selection right on the index. Once a program is selected, the index will refresh and display provider appointment records for that program. This drop-down will be in read-only mode while data entry is occurring within a record (either editing or creating a new record).
Action icons moved - The Edit, View, Delete, Add New, and Show Form icons have been moved to an action bar that appears above the index. Radio buttons appear next to each provider appointment record to allow users to select which record they would like to take action on. Clicking on a provider appointment record from the index will also open 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 viewing all records and records available for deletion.
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 field, allowing users to search the contents of "All Columns" (the default) or a specific column.
Link to ReportBuilder added - A link to the Provider Appointments ReportBuilder has been added to the index, on the left-hand menu bar.
In addition, when working with the revamped Provider Appointments feature please note that the ability to add providers during the appointment data entry process is limited; specifically:
If your agency uses the Support Services Contacts feature to assign providers to clients - Users must assign the provider to the client within that feature BEFORE scheduling an appointment for them. The option to add a new provider within the appointment form has been removed in these cases.
If your agency uses the Providers feature to assign providers to clients - An Add New option is available in the Providers selection list when scheduling an appointment. This selection option enables users to create a new provider assignment at the same time as entering the appointment record.
NYS OASAS Programs - CDS Data File Enhancement
Previously the OASAS Data File included all OASAS programs in AWARDS by default. Now agencies have the ability to control which OASAS programs are included in that Data File. A new Include in Data File checkbox has been added under System Setup > Agency Program Information > Add/Edit Entire Program > Optional Settings tab when a PRU Number is entered. This option, which is checked off by default, can be unchecked in the event that a program with a PRU number should be excluded from the Data File. The Agency Programs ReportBuilder can be used to easily report out on which programs have this option set and which don't.
Obsolete Reports Removed
As part of our ongoing efforts to update and streamline your AWARDS experience, we are removing old reports no longer in use, including:
NY/NY Clubhouse Quarterly
NYS Drop In Monthly
NY/NY Funded Clubhouse Monthly Active Client Roster
NY/NY Monthly TRD Report
DHS SRO Monthly Report
DHS SPD Monthly Report
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Tip of the Month - Saving AWARDS Pages to PDF
Did you know...
...that while most computers are set up to print to a printer by default, many also have (or can be configured to use) a "print to PDF" option? This is a great tool to take advantage of if you'd like to have an AWARDS record accessible offline, but would like to use a more secure and environmentally friendly option than conventional printing.
Printing to PDF is part of your computer's configuration and outside the scope of what Foothold Technology supports; however, we've compiled some helpful information about how to save AWARDS pages as PDFs that you can refer to.
IMPORTANT! PDFs generated from AWARDS have the potential to contain confidential data and/or protected health information (PHI) that must be handled appropriately. Please be aware of all relevant guidelines and restrictions on use of the information being saved to PDF, and take all appropriate measures to protect and handle that information, including but not limited to ensuring that the device onto which the PDF is being saved has been encrypted, as appropriate. Any questions about the status of the data or the requirements related to its handling should be directed to your HIPAA Privacy/Security Officer, supervisor, or other appropriate staff at your agency.
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Check out the latest in Foothold news and recent entries from the Foothold blog!
Surviving & Thriving in an Ever-Changing Landscape
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