The product update released May 2020 has many exciting new features - most notably the debut of Appointment Colours based on Procedure Codes! We also see some updates to Scheduling; including viewing only Providers working that day and the ability to set default surgeries as well as some improvements for Providers - any work you complete will automatically be assigned to you if you're the one logged in.
Schedule
Appointment Colours based on Procedure Codes
To get started, you will see there is an Appointment Colours option available under Settings
At the top of this screen you're going to find some layout and colour selections available (Note: Appointment Colours are location based). You can choose, based on your practice requirements, how you would like your Appointment colours to be displayed on the Schedule. Do you want the Procedure colour as the main colour with the Provider colours down the left hand side? Or perhaps you might like it the other way around - it's totally up to you!
We haven't made any assumptions about what you would like, so by default all of your Procedure Codes will be in a category called Unassigned with the default colour of White. To begin organising your Procedure Codes and assigning categories you first need to create a New Category
Please Note: You can have up to a maximum of 30 categories
This is going to create a Category that you will then add Procedure Codes into. Any Procedure Codes you assign into this category (which we'll get to soon!) will have the same colour as what is selected for this category.
You will be prompted to enter in a Category Name - something that easily explains the type of Procedure Codes you're going to add to this category is best (Eg: Exam). The next step is to then click on the colour selection box on the right hand side
You can then choose the colour you would like to use for this category - once happy with your selection click Choose
Now we want to go ahead and add some Procedure Codes into this Category. There are two ways to do this:
1. You can type in the name of the Procedure Code in the Search bar
2. You can expand your Unassigned Category to view all your Procedure Codes and scroll down to the Procedure Code/(s) that you would like to add - this is done by clicking the drop down arrow to the left of the Category Name
Once you have the correct Procedure Codes in view you then want to tick the ones you would like to add to a new category (don't worry, you can have multiple ticked at a time).
The next step is click the Move Selected To button and select the category you would like these Procedure Codes to be moved to (Eg: Exam)
If you expand the new category you've created, you'll be able to see the Procedure Codes that you've added, along with the colour now associated with them
Jumping over to the Schedule - when you now book in an appointment, the colour of the Appointment will be based on the colour selected for that Procedure Code!
Aha! But what if you are adding two (or more) procedure codes to the appointment and they both have different colours assigned to them?
Not a problem - once you have 2 or more categories with Colours assigned (other than the Unassigned Category) you can simply drag and drop them into the correct priority order by clicking the cluster of dots to the left of the Category
For example if you have two categories with the following:
If you were to add both the Procedure codes EXAM & XLA-SIMPLE to an Appointment, the Appointment Colour will be pink because the Category Exam is Priority 1
Need to delete a category? Just click the bin icon to the right of the category. Any Procedures remaining within the Category (if you haven't already moved them out) will be reassigned to the Unassigned Category
Important Note: To ensure all Users are able to see the Appointment Colours in the Schedule the Review Location Information permission under Settings must be set for their User Role (Accessible under Settings --> User Roles).
We recommend this permissions is enabled for all User Roles at your Practice. Enabling this does not allow Users to edit or change any information, only view.
View only the Providers working that day in the Schedule
Ascend has now introduced the ability to view only the Providers that are actually working that day in the Schedule.
This means that as you're scrolling through the days in the schedule looking for an available appointment slot, it's nice and easy to see exactly who is working - which also means no chance of accidentally booking an appointment for a Provider that's not in that day!
To turn this on you just need to head over to the View button in the Schedule and switch the button ON for the Show Only Working Providers toggle
If you ever want to go back to being able to see all Providers (not just those that are working on that day) you can just head back into the View and turn that same toggle switch OFF.
What if there is an Appointment currently booked in for a Provider on a day they aren't in the practice? No worries, if a Provider isn't working but there is an appointment in their column it will still show in the Schedule even with the Show Only Working Providers switch toggled ON. So there's no chance you'll be missing any appointments!
Please Note: This feature only works if you have setup your Provider Working Hours correctly and are using the Provider View in the Schedule.
Provider Default Surgeries
You can now set a Default Surgery for each Provider, as well as for each Location if required. This is particularly useful if you view your schedule in Provider View - having a default Surgery set for the Provider means you no longer have to manually select the Surgery every time you make an appointment for that Provider!
To get started, you want to head over to Settings --> User Accounts --> Select Provider --> User Roles & Locations
(Please note that depending on the permissions at your practice and Administrator may need to complete this step)
For each Location there is now a Default Surgery drop-down menu where you can select the default surgery for them. If the Provider doesn't have a default surgery and works between Surgeries you are still able to leave this field un-selected.
The drop down list will only show you surgeries relevant to that location. Have a Provider that works between multiple locations? You can set a default surgery for each one as needed.
In Provider View, when you then book an appointment for a Provider, the Surgery will already be defaulted for them. What a time-saver!
If you ever need to change the Provider directly from the Appointment Setup, the default surgery for the new provider will also automatically change along with it - how easy is that?
Clinical
Provider default to the logged in Provider
Within Ascend, it has always been the case that the Primary Provider (set under the Patient Information) for the patient is the Provider that will be defaulted when you are charting, taking X-Rays, adding Ledger items or doing pretty much anything else.
We know how frustrating it can be as a Provider to finish charting a whole mouth only to realise that you weren't set as the Primary Provider, meaning every item has gone under the incorrect provider and it all has to manually changed. Well - no more!
In this release, we've updated Ascend to ensure that if you are logged in as a Provider and completing any Charting (including Quick Exam & Perio/BPE), taking X-Rays, writing up Clinical Notes or just adding additional Procedures via the Ledger - it will automatically default to you rather than the Primary Provider that has been set.
So what's the short run down?
- If you are logged in as a Provider, you will be the default Provider selected for Charting, Quick Exam, Perio, BPE, taking X-Rays, Clinical Notes and Ledger Procedures - regardless of if the Patient has a Primary Provider set
- If you are not logged in as a Provider and the Patient has a Primary Provider, that Primary Provider will still be the default
- If you are not logged in as a Provider and the Patient does not have a Primary Provider, the first Provider in the list (alphabetically) will be selected by default
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