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In this issue:
FootholdConnect Events
Highlights from the Project Pipeline
Tip of the Month - In Report Sorting
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
Home Screen: Menu Fly-outs
As previously communicated, the next update to the Home screen will be released in mid-December. This update will add menu fly-outs to the Charts modules, replacing the module menu pages. Each module within Charts, when clicked, will open a menu containing all features located within the module. Clicking on a feature from the menu will then take the user directly to the next screen in the workflow, be it an index, settings page, client selection page, etc. In preparation for deployment, this introduction video for the new look and workflow is now available, and we've scheduled two live first-look webinars, noted above in the Events section. Please view the video and share with your staff, so they can become familiar with this exciting change!
More training resources will be made available in the coming weeks, which will be sent to email contacts, posted on the Home page, and posted under FootholdConnect.
Meaningful Use 2015
As noted in the August FootNotes, our team has been hard at work preparing and certifying for the Meaningful Use 2015 Edition - which all certified vendors must have in place for the 2018 calendar year. We are pleased to report that we are now two thirds of the way through our certification process, and are preparing to complete that process before the end of the year.
The 2014 Edition can continue to be used for Medicaid Incentive Program and MIPS (Medicare) in 2018, but when the 2015 Edition is available it will provide a new Stage 3 report and additional and more focused quality measures. 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. Please see the MU Page on our website for regulatory information about MU in AWARDS.
We intend for the 2015 Edition of AWARDS to be available to customers in the first quarter of 2018. Upon release, we will be providing a new Optional Enhancements document allowing customers to opt into the full 2015 Edition set of features. Along with this, we will have supplemental documentation that guides users through the new and improved workflows and features, as well as documents that help users better understand how the Clinical Quality Measures are calculated in AWARDS. As most workflows and features will remain similar to the 2014 Edition, new training is not needed or required - rather we will release instructional videos to supplement the written documentation where needed.
For now, we do recommend early adoption of the Demographics component of MU 2015 - which consists of MU specific configuration of the gender fields, needed in order to bring your database in line with the 2015 Edition. These options must be opted into for each agency, so we ask that you please review, complete, and return this MU Demographics Enhancements Request Form to [email protected] at your earliest convenience. Note that there is an express option on the document if you'd like to quickly opt-in to all of the document's listed enhancements.
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Think Your Staff Don't Share Passwords? Think Again.
For those of you following the HIPAA/Security Notes portion of FootNotes, you know that we often emphasize the importance of making sure that each staff member has a unique username and password for AWARDS, and that those login credentials are not shared. Not only is this an important general security rule, it’s also a key component of HIPAA regulations and best practices. Unfortunately, the sharing of logins with co-workers is an all too common practice. Don't believe us? Check out this article from Healthcare Infomatics detailing a recently conducted survey which revealed that a staggering "73 percent of medical professionals share passwords to access EHRs."
Use WiFi at Home? Update Your Router
AWARDS is encrypted and safe, but general security around your computer network is still essential, as Foothold can't protect you if your network is compromised. For that reason, it's important to keep yourself educated about current cybersecurity threats. In October, security researchers brought to light one such threat when they announced that WPA2, the security protocol most of us use to protect our home WiFi networks was vulnerable to a type of attack called a KRACK or key re-installation attack. This weakness affects most routers and could let an attacker see most of the traffic on your network. Many hardware manufacturers worked quickly to patch their software in order to protect against these attacks, but you may need to update your WiFi router to ensure that the patch is applied. Especially if you use WiFi at home and don't have your own team of IT professionals keeping your network there up to date, you'll want to make sure to update your WiFi router as soon as possible if you haven't already. Check the support section of your router manufacturer's website for more information. You can also find a running list of updates on ZDNet.
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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 Client Services representative. We hope these enhancements improve the way you use AWARDS and provide services!
Deployment Date: 11/8/17
BillingBuilder - Batch Generation Enhancements
As billing setup continues to become more and more complex, the need to trim down the batch generation process time becomes more evident. In this deployment, we have optimized the batch generation process to work smarter and quicker, so batches will be generated faster.
In addition to the batch generation process optimization, we have also added the following configure procedure options:
Configure Activities - New Format
The Services > Group Schedule Setup > Configure Activities feature now has a new look as we continue to develop the new navigation and usability of AWARDS. Changes to the feature include:
FormBuilder - New Options for Medication Dynamic Sections
Additional options have now been added to the Medication Information dynamic section, so that you can better customize which Medication data variables are included in those sections. Specifically, when using the Modify Fields link for form fields of this type, you'll now have the option to display/hide the following:
Online Help - New Look
Online Help is getting a face lift! While the look and feel is changing, please be assured that these changes are only cosmetic. All of the usual content you're used to finding in the Help system will remain the same and be accessible in the same ways.
Providers - New License Lookup Option
For those agencies configured to use the AWARDS Providers functionality, the License Lookup Link in data entry mode was previously configured to automatically take users to the lookup tool for New York State. This link can now be configured to use the alternate lookup tools for agencies in other states. To have this option configured in your AWARDS database please contact the Help Desk or submit the Providers Implementation Request form (which can be accessed from Online Help) to [email protected]. Please be sure to include the specific URL you would like to point to.
ReportBuilders - Excel Links Character Limit Removed
Previously all the ReportBuilders in AWARDS imposed a 250 character limit for any given data variable. As a result, if the report content for a specific variable was longer than 250 characters, it would be truncated in both the report display and in the corresponding Excel file. While this is still the case for the report display in AWARDS itself, the 250 character limit has been lifted for the Excel file versions of all ReportBuilders and the full text will display in the file. This enhancement is particularly useful in the event that you'd like to include full detail in your reports such as Progress Note content and PlanBuilder content.
Verifications - New Format
The Entitlements > Homeless Verification, Entitlements > Income Verification, and Medical > Verification of Disability features each now have a new look as we continue to develop the new navigation and usability of AWARDS. Changes to the feature include:
- Entitlements > Homeless Verification > Homeless Verification ReportBuilder
- Entitlements > Income Verification > Income Verification ReportBuilder
- Medical > Verification of Disability > Verification of Disability ReportBuilder
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Tip of the Month - In Report Sorting
Did you know... that not only do most reports in AWARDS have sorting options available for configuration when running the report, they also have sorting capability on the reports themselves? This flexibility is especially useful in the event that after a report has been run you decide you want to re-sort using a different data variable, because it saves you from having to go back and run the report again differently.
For in-report sorting, use the data table's column headers:
When sorting is used, an up or down arrow next to a column heading indicates that the table data is being sorted using the column. The direction of the arrow indicates whether the sorting is in ascending (up arrow) or descending (down arrow) order.
Note: A report's Excel file link is not updated if you change sorting on the report itself; that link only reflects the sorting of the originally generated report.
Bonus tip! Using in-report sorting can be an easy way to check for missing data. Just run a report that includes all of the fields you care about, and then re-sort the report on one column after another. Each time you sort on a particular column the blank missing data will jump to the top of that column.
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Check out the latest in Foothold news and recent entries from the Foothold blog!
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