Release Notes

This update includes a few minor updates to the ERA module.

We have an exciting new feature for customers who use integrated credit card processing. You can now apply a credit card convenience fee when you collect a credit card payment. First, head over to: BillingTracker -> File -> Setup -> Credit Card Convenience Fee and configure the fee you want to charge based on the type of credit card. For example, you can set up the feature to charge 20 cents + 2% for each transaction involving a Visa card. On the form you use to collect payments, you will see a new field that displays the calculated surcharge that the system will apply when it processes the payment. It will apply the surcharge to a special category that will reduce the available balance from the payment (similar to how you can write off a partial amount from any payment).

We continue to expand the options you have for configuring the Batch Claim Creation utility. Now you can assign the claim balance to a secondary payor. If the patient doesn't have one, the system will not assign the balance. Instead, on the grid that shows created claims, it will display this message: "Cannot determine insurer - please assign the balance manually."

You can now use Form Builder's "Required for Locking" feature when you design embedded forms. It won't allow locking the stock form unless the user enters the fields you have indicated are required for locking. After inputting all such fields, you can lock the record as usual, by entering all required signatures.

You can now create a filter in a Custom Form based on the value of another field that resides on that form. For example, let's say you had a list of Staff Types (like clinical, supervisory, or other) as well as a list of Staff Names. This new feature lets you add a filter on the Staff Names list to show only Staff Names of the Staff Type you selected.

When you view Payment Remarks within the ERA module, you will now see buttons for adding Remark Codes to the selected claim (assuming you selected one in the Claim Number dropdown). This feature saves you from having to remember the codes, navigate to the claim, access the Additional Info section, and enter codes manually.

When you right-click a line in the ERA form, you will see two new context menus. They let you view and set the Claim Delay Reason and Claim Sub-Status (assuming you selected an entry in the Claim Number dropdown).

When you access Demographics or any Custom Form, you can now look at the top title bar to see if anyone else is working with that same record. If someone is just viewing the record, the title bar will look like this: . If they are editing the form, you’ll see a comment bubble that looks like this: . Note that you can also see the name of the users who are accessing the form.

The Insurer Setup form will now have a space for two NAIC numbers on the EClaim Info tab: one professional and the other institutional. You'll find this adjustment helps when you have a Transmission Type Override in place that may send a claim to the same payor in either format. The system will adjust the NAIC number it displays in the electronic claim file (e.g., NM109 of NM1*40 and NM1*PR).

When you run a Custom Report, you will see two new options in the parameter screen for "Is Present" and "Is Absent." It will allow you to include all records where a particular field is (or is not) present. For example, you could create a report showing all Appointments without a Program selected. This feature works for both reference data (where you select from a list) and free-text parameters.

If you right click on a payment line of the ERA form, the system will display a list of options you'll find helpful. We've added some new ones, including the ability to copy the payor control and display the Insurer Payment History.

As our users have been using Form Builder more and more, they've wanted to customize the menu that lists the array of available paperwork items. In response, we've made it so an administrator can designate which items will appear in the paperwork menu and the order in which they are listed (click here for instructions). If someone wants a paperwork menu that is different than the one the administrator designed for the agency as a whole, the instructions here explain how to break from the default template and create an individualized one.

When you configure Transmission Type Override rules, you can now also include one or more Programs or Services. Access the feature at: BillingTracker -> File -> Setup -> Transmission Type Override and see instructions here.

You can't enter data for certain fields (such as signatures and linked files) on a custom form without first saving the record. Therefore, the system will let you create the record without populating those fields, even if they are configured to be required elements. When you create a record of this type, ClinicTracker will remind you which fields you still have to complete after the initial save.

We've changed the name of the "Locked Record" menu to "Record Security" because it now contains signature audit trail information, whether or not the record is locked.

You will find a new bar within the Billing Account screen where you can filter based on any field that appears in the claim grid. Those can include such variables as the claim number, staff name, date, and charge amount.

We've made it so you have three options for how your custom forms will display responses. In addition to underlining, you can now select a border around the response or no formatting at all. Use the Field Print Style dropdown on the Custom Form's Form Setup screen to select underline, border, or none.

The Historical Caseload report (available in the Patient Reports menu) now has two versions: the traditional one grouped by month and a new one grouped by day. The latter listing does not include a graph in the header.

The Batch Claim Creation form now lets you include only patients who have a recorded appointment within a specified Program.

The Demographic form now includes an "N/A" checkbox next to the main phone number field so you can save a patient record for clients who do not have a phone number.

For clinics providing both Mental Health (MH) and Chemical Dependence (CD) services, the system provides both options for recording Patient Contacts. We've moved these option buttons from just above the Treatment History list to near the top of the form to make them more apparent. For a client registered in both MH and CD, the system will now default to whatever you designated as the "Primary" using the dropdown in the Mental Health / Chemical Dependency section of the patient's Demographic record.

Prior to this release, you could only send bulk Patient Portal Messages to either all active patients, all authorized representatives of active patients, or to both groups. Now you have those traditional options plus the ability to choose discharged patients, representatives for those discharged patients, or all patients/representatives with a portal account, regardless of patient status.

You can now resize the Progress Note templates, making it easier to use if you embedded custom tabs with Form Builder.

By default, the Scheduler displays resources (i.e., Staff, Patient, and Room) in alphabetical order across the top of the screen. A new item in the Scheduler's Calendar Menu, "Sort Resources Alphabetically," is checked by default, but let's you toggle the setting to sort based on the order you selected those resources. The setting will take effect as you add new resources to the Scheduler. This setting will also persist the next time you access the Scheduler. With the Scheduler's Favorite View feature, you can store configurations in either sort order (alphabetical or order selected).

BillingTracker will assign claims a status of Queued, Pending, Reconciled, or Canceled. Some users wanted to further delineate a particular status. As an example, for Pending, you might want a "sub-status" such as "Sent to Payor/Clearinghouse" or "Resubmitted: Denial Reason Corrected." You can enter the sub-statuses you want listed at: BillingTracker -> File -> Setup -> Claim Sub-Status. You will find a new dropdown containing these designations on the Claim Detail screen. You can also right-click on one or more claims in the Review Claim Submissions and Claim Management screens to update the claim sub-status.

We added a setting for "Hide Discharge Status" to the Options form. It prevents the Discharge Status dropdown from showing (even for discharged patients).

We've streamlined the process for creating an insurer payment on the Payments tab of the Billing Account screen. You'll notice that you won't have to re-enter the insurer and patient name each time.

You can now choose which Key Dates (like Date Packet Sent or Date of Contact for Appointment) you want to require on the Demographic form. The only exception is the Discharge date, which will always display in the case of a discharged patient. To set your preferences, go to: Options -> Preferences -> Pat Info Form Settings -> Require Date Packet Sent, Require Date Packet Returned, etc.

ClinicTracker has always defaulted the "Date Entered" field to the current date when users enter new patients in the Demographics form, with the option of changing to another date. Now you can prevent anyone from entering other than the current date by going to: Options -> Preferences -> Patient Info Form Settings -> Date Entered -> Prevent free-text entry.

We've made it much easier for you to navigate among multiple claims in Billing Account. Just use the new navigation arrows to move to the previous or next claim, regardless of which tab you are viewing.

Even after you disable a Custom Form, you will still be able to access previous administrations of that form through the Completed Paperwork screen.

This update includes various other enhancements to improve system performance.

We've made it so you can create templates for Billing Notes within a patient's Billing Account. Click the Default Text button to populate a default template specific to the selected Note Type. To configure this feature, go to: BillingTracker -> File -> Setup -> Billing Note Type Setup.

Some insurance plans have the same group number for all patients. Previously you had re-enter that same number for each patient in the Group Policy Number field of the Demographic form's insurance tabs. Now you can just enter it as a default value that you apply by pressing the Default Text button. Configure this value at: BillingTracker -> File -> Setup -> Insurer Plans.

If you have our Cloud Communication module and integrated lab orders/results, you can now securely forward those results to outside providers. You will see the new entry for "Send as Cloud Communication Message” in the Lab Order Entry screen's File menu.

A new setting will prevent users from manually entering a Client ID on the Intake tab of the Demographic form. This will ensure that ClinicTracker always assigns sequential ID numbers. See: Options -> Preferences -> Patient Info Settings -> Hospital Number - prevent free-text entry.

You now have a right-click option that will clear Staff Signature fields on a custom form. The system will keep an audit log to track activities around signatures.

You can now manage all the user accounts on your Patient Portal at: ClinicTracker -> Utilities -> Maintenance -> Patient Portal User Management. You can also access the list from the existing Patient Portal User Configuration form. The new version provides an easy way to manage all users from one screen, rather than requiring you to access each patient individually through the Patient Dashboard.

We have a new feature that tells the system to insert a billing note into all the claim records included in the batch of collection letters. Just check the box labeled "Record Billing Note" on the Collection Letter form.

Because ICD-9 codes are considered obsolete, ClinicTracker will now only show ICD-10 codes within the Claim Detail screen and on Patient Statements.

You can copy the claim number from the ERA payment form to the clipboard. Just highlight the cell containing the claim number and press the 'c' key on your keyboard.

We corrected a problem that arose when updating the status of an appointment reminder.

You will find new options for linking staff to an event in the Scheduler's Event Detail form. Pressing the green plus button leads to options for adding an individual staff member, yourself, all staff, or a distribution list (like you can with composing messages).

The Appointment Save Restrictions feature flags appointment that should be disallowed because of the location, type of program, or diagnosis. Now you can also block saving appointments based on the insurer. Go to Admin Config Appointment Save Restrictions -> By Insurer.

We redesigned the Group Appointment form so the look and feel are more like the Demographic and Patient Contact forms. All the functionality remains the same, although we now also display information about who last saved the record and a timestamp for that update.

A new setting on the User Responsibilities tab of Staff Info (named Prevent Global Deletions) can prevent a user from deleting records from ClinicTracker (even if they have full permission to that particular part of the system).

A new setting on the User Responsibilities tab of Staff Info can prevent a user from configuring Scheduling Groups at: Utilities -> Scheduling Group Setup.

You will find a new report available at: BillingTracker -> Reports -> Payments -> Denial Report. It will include Adjustments and Remark codes from processed ERA files.

If you update a patient's insurance information on the Demographic form, the system will ask if you want all future scheduled events to reflect that change.

Users have requested a designation for patients who have been terminated because of failure to pay or some other violation of clinic policy. You can identify someone as terminated if they are in Active status (because they are still in the system for collections) or Discharge status (to indicate that they should never be re-admitted in the future). You will find a checkbox labeled "Terminated" next to the Status dropdown on the Intake tab of the Demographic form. The system will prompt you whenever you select a terminated patient on the patient find form.

Standalone Custom Forms will now fill the entire screen when you open them.

Because of payor rules, some clinicians must bill under their supervisor's name and credentials, rather than their own. However, it can confuse clients when they receive an invoice that has doesn’t show the name of their actual provider. Therefore, BillingTracker's Configure Statements feature contains a new option labeled, "Send Rendering Instead of Billing Clinician." Checking this setting will display the rendering clinician on the Patient Statement.

BillingTracker's Claim Management screen now includes a Location filter at the top of the screen.

This update includes improvements to the system's overall performance.

This version includes extensive updates to our Cloud Communications service. They expand the capabilities of this feature by adding description fields, making it easier to send attachments, more efficient to store incoming attachments as Related Documents, and more.

Customers who use Compliance Builder will find a new option at: Maintenance -> Compliance Builder Form Groups. The idea is that you can create groups of forms that you can use within any Compliance Workflow. For example, you can now create a rule that says, "Any Progress Note Type" needs to be completed within X days of an appointment. You can use the new feature to define "Any Progress Note Type" to include SOAP, DAP, or Free-Form notes.

BillingTracker's Mismatched Claims feature now includes a new option for "Off-setting Multiple Services (With $0 Claim Balance)." It will display any claims that have a $0 balance but multiple services with off-setting Balance Assignments. Use the right-click option for clearing the offsetting balance assignments.

Compliance Builder has another new feature that lets you prevent staff from completing Progress Notes and Custom Forms under certain conditions. As an example: you can use this feature to restrict a staff member from recording a new Progress Note before completing overdue Treatment Plans. Press the "Add Restricted Forms" button near the bottom of the Compliance Builder screen to initiate this feature.

When you compose a Secure Patient Portal message, you will see a new dropdown just above the message subject. It will display three additional options for sending a bulk message to all your patients, authorized representatives, or both. It’s an efficient way of broadcasting important information all at once to your caseload. You’ll find it comes in handy, for example, if the clinic has been closed due to inclement weather or you want to announce a new group or service. Give your staff access to this feature by enabling to a new setting on the User Responsibility tab of Staff Info for "Send Bulk Portal Message."

You can now adjust the diagnosis display within the Patient Portal to show the code, description, or both. Search the Options form for "Show Diagnosis Details in Patient Portal Appointment History."

If you have enabled the setting to notify patients when Patient Statements are generated, the email will contain a link that will bring them directly to the Clinical Info tab, with the encounters grid expanded.

A new setting at: Preferences -> Patient Contact Form -> Prompt for future-dated records, will allow you to suppress the default prompt that displays when you record an appointment or collateral more than one day in the future.

This version includes updates to our Cloud Communications service.

The Cloud Communications package (cloud fax and Direct messaging) has undergone certification and is now fully integrated into ClinicTracker. Contact your success rep to learn more about this great new feature. We have just been certified to offer the integrated Cloud Communications package, which includes cloud-based faxing and Direct messaging. While we previously offered these features through our partner company, they are now fully integrated into ClinicTracker. Contact your Client Success Representative to learn more about this great new feature.

Compliance Builder will now accommodate multiple treatment phases.

For customers using Compliance Builder, the Filter button for the ruleset will now include additional options when your triggering form is Patient Contacts, Demographics, or any Custom Form. As an example, for Patient Contacts (appointments) you can filter your rulesets based on service or status.

You will find a new report available within BillingTracker at: Reports -> Claims -> Billing Notes for Claims. This report will display claim information such as date, charge, allowed amount, payments, and adjustments, along with any billing notes entered for that claim.

You will find a new setting at Options -> Preferences -> Patient Info Form Settings to require Email Address on the Demographic form.

The features to Reassign Staff Schedules and Reassign Staff Assignments (available at: ClinicTracker -> About -> Maintenance) will now allow you to transfer from inactive staff.

You will see that we redesigned the Options form so that it is better organized and more streamlined. We also have provided a search function to make it easier to find a setting you want to modify. If you want to select the new version of the Options Form, go to: Admin Config -> Options (Beta) from either the ClinicTracker Main Screen or the About form.

You can now choose whether or not you want to record a specific telehealth appointment. Before you could only set the system to record all appointments or none of them.

Our customers who have the Integrated Lab Orders feature and the Patient Portal will see a new checkbox named: Hide Results from Patient Portal when creating lab orders. Enable this setting to prevent a portal user from seeing a specific lab result.

For our customers who have the Integrated Lab Orders feature and the Patient Portal, the system will now notify patients via email that they have lab results ready to view online.

We added two metrics to the Performance Measurement Reports for "Claim Count" and "Claim Amount."

The Patient Portal will use the Authorized Representative's login email address to send a receipt for credit card payments he or she has made (as opposed to the patient's email address).

You can now require a session number is entered for all kept appointments. Go to: Options (Beta) -> Preferences -> Patient Contacts Form Settings -> Session # is Required.

If you use the scheduling group wait list feature, you can now move patients up and down the list according to priority. The software will maintain that order.

We have added additional tracking for claims as they flow through the revenue-cycle-management process. These activities include:

• Claim Transition / Fee-Calculation
• Balance Assignment
• Payment Application
• Write-Offs
• Claim/Patient Statement Submission

You can view the detailed claim information on the Billing Notes tab of Billing Account. Just check the "Include Audit Items" box. We have also added these items to the Report Source: BT Billing Notes.

We corrected a problem with printing Progress Notes.

If you place your mouse over the "Billable To" dropdown on the Lab Order Entry form, the system will display the patient's primary insurer (if you select the dropdown value as "Insurer"). We added this feature because you might have to send a test to a particular lab based on the patient's insurance coverage.