Appointment Compliance

[bracemom35]

Can anyone tell me how to use the appointment compliance?  Where it shows how many brackets were off etc.  We don't see anywhere as how to track this.

[prcarter · Accepted solution]

Good day Heather ( @bracemom35 ), 

The Appointment Compliance section of the new Charting tracks appointment compliance based on a new setting in Procedure Code Maintenance  (Functions, Maintenance/Setup, Procedure Code Maintenance from the main OT menu).  Several things are necessary for the Appointment Compliance to be updated for a specific patient:

1.  The procedure code must be set to the correct category.  In the bottom left hand corner of the Procedure Code Maintenance screen for a specific procedure is a "Compliance Category" pull-down menu.  Set that appropriately for the procedure you are working with.

2.  The procedure code must be associated with a specific appointment type.  This is done through Functions, Maintenance/Setup, Schedule Maintenance.  You select the appointment type, click Change and then click the Procedures button to associate that procedure with that appointment type. 

3.  The patient must be scheduled for that specific appointment type, be seen for that appointment, and properly checked out.  If they are not checked out properly (that is, the procedure code is not posted on the Charges and Payments screen during the check-out process) then the Appointment Compliance for that patient will not be updated.   

One final note:  Posting the procedure codes manually to the Charges and Payments screen will not update the Appointment Compliance either, because then they are not being posted as part of a scheduled appointment. 

Regards,

Phil Carter / OrthoTrac Escalations

[sundberg101]

Our only issue with this is that a patient with a broken bracket will have a broken bracket procedure code posted but they are not always scheduled for a specific appointment type. We reserve our emergency appointment type for when a patient is coming in for something outside their regularly scheduled appointment. Many times a broken bracket or attachment would be repaired/replaced at their next regularly scheduled appointment especially if we have to order an attachment template. Is there a way to remove the specific appointment type requirement or have the ability to have our broken bracket procedure code tied to more than one appointment type?

[prcarter]

Good day Laura ( @sundberg101 )

Appointment compliance cannot be tracked unless it is done via an appointment scheduled for an appointment type, so the answer to that first question is no.  However, the answer to the second question is yes -- you can the broken bracket procedure code to as many different appointment types as you need.  Just go to each individual appointment type in Schedule Maintenance, click Change and attach the procedure code. 

Regards,

Phil Carter / OrthoTrac Escalations

[sundberg101]

Thanks, I had a feeling that the procedure code would have to be tied to a specific appt type in order for the functionality to work. The only downside of connecting the broken bracket code to my adjustment appointment type is that it will always be there whenever that appt type is scheduled and it creates more work for our staff to remove a code that is not going to be used 80% of the time which is not really efficient. The functionality should be tied to the procedure code not a combination of appt type and procedure code. Not quite sure of the reasoning behind it. 

[prcarter]

Good day Laura  ( @sundberg101 ),

The reason is because not all procedure codes ARE associated with appointments. Procedure codes can be posted all by themselves without any appointment being involved; some can be financial, others are for things like retainer replacements, and so on. We can't distinguish between appointment-related and non-appointment-related procedure codes except by attaching them to appointment types, and so in order for "appointment compliance" to be valid, the procedure code has to be attached to that valid appointment type. 

Regards,

Phil Carter / OrthoTrac Escalations