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Information about “DENTAL P.M.S 1 OF 5 (1251 THRU 1255)”
DENTAL PATIENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DPMS) tracks treatments and manages
accounts receivable, insurance, patient billing, and follow-up
information. Insurance company information, complete patient
information, and procedure details are integrated. Information need be
entered only once; data from insurance forms is automatically posted to
a patient's account receivable records. DPMS uses common computer
forms such as an attending dentists statement and the NEBS patient
billing form. Entering a patient procedure automatically updates
billing information including charges. Invoicing can be done in four
keystrokes.
DPMS's biggest strengths are patient tracking and generating written
and telephone follow-up reminders, as well as inactive patient lists.
Patient files can be read by most wordprocessors to generate labels and
form letters. Most routine procedures are included, and more can be
added.
FILE1251.TXT
Disk No: 1251
Disk Title: Dental P.M.S 1 of 5 (1251 thru 1255)
PC-SIG Version: S1.1
Program Title: Dental P.M.S
Author Version: 3.2
Author Registration: $125.00
Special Requirements: 512K RAM and a hard drive.
DENTAL PATIENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DPMS) tracks treatments and manages
accounts receivable, insurance, patient billing, and follow-up
information. Insurance company information, complete patient
information, and procedure details are integrated. Information need be
entered only once; data from insurance forms is automatically posted to
a patient's account receivable records. DPMS uses common computer
forms such as an attending dentists statement and the NEBS patient
billing form. Entering a patient procedure automatically updates
billing information including charges. Invoicing can be done in four
keystrokes.
DPMS's biggest strengths are patient tracking, and generating written
and telephone follow-up reminders, as well as inactive patient lists.
Patient files can be read by most wordprocessors to generate labels and
form letters. Most routine procedures are included, and more can be
added.
PC-SIG
1030D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale Ca. 94086
(408) 730-9291
(c) Copyright 1989, 1990 PC-SIG, Inc.
GO.TXT
╔═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ <<<< Disk No 1251 PATIENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (Disk 1 of 5) >>>> ║
╠═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ To print the documentation, type: COPY PMS.DOC PRM (press enter) ║
║ ║
║ To install the program, insert disk #1255 into drive A: and type, ║
║ STARTUP (press enter) ║
╚═════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
PMS.DOC
PATIENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Version 3.2
by
SureSoft
P.O. BOX 2082
VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA 91404
COPYRIGHTS
SureSoft Software is Copyright (c) 1985-1989 by SureSoft and
may only be copied and distributed under the conditions
specified in this document.
COBOL is an industry standard language. Microsoft COBOL is
copyright (c) by Microsoft Corporation, 1988, and copyright
(c) by Micro Focus Limited, 1978, 1987. All Rights Reserved.
Microsoft (TM) WORD is copyright (c) by Microsoft
Corporation.
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PATIENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - USERS GUIDE
Copyright (c) by SureSoft, 1990
1. THE SHAREWARE CONCEPT
There are several problems with much of the software on the
market today. First, it is too high priced. This is
partially a result of the cost of advertising and
distribution and if these costs can be significantly reduced
or eliminated, the savings can be passed along to the user.
Advertising creates wants; it does not add to the value of a
product.
A second problem affecting software costs, particularly in
specialized fields (such as dental office system software)
is the cost of salesmen and convention booth costs. These,
too, must be passed on the end user and they also affect the
price you pay for your software. And once the salesman has
completed his demonstration of the system (and gets your
order) he collects his commission and adds no further value
to your system.
As a potential user, you have another problem beyond that of
price. You would like to try out the software before you buy
it. After all, if it doesn't do what you want, it isn't
really of much benefit to you. But vendors are not
interested in extensive try-outs, partly out of their fear
that you will steal their software by copying it and then
returning the original to them for a refund.
Shareware software addresses all of these problems and
others by letting you try out the software until you are
satisfied with it and then asking you for a registration fee
that does not require you to take out a mortgage on your
business. These low fees are so reasonable because there are
no high priced salesmen, distributors, and advertising
executives to be paid.
This manual will provide you with all of the information you
need to use the major functions of the Patient Management
System. In some places, you will find this notice:
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We believe that everything necessary to adequately evaluate
the Patient Management System has been included and the
undocumented functions are more like "icing on the cake".
There are several reasons why we have done this.
1. There are some people who will make extensive use of
the Patient Management System without registering. We
would like to encourage them to register. Where else
can you get a bargain like this?
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Copyright (c) by SureSoft, 1990
2. Those who do not register will not be advised of
upgrades and will not be able to take advantage of the
facilities of the latest version of the system. While
new versions of the system will eventually end up in
general circulation, the programs required to upgrade
from an older version will be issued under normal
copyright restrictions and may not be circulated. Thus,
it may at times be necessary for an unregistered user
to throw out all of his old data and re-enter it if he
desires to upgrade other than by the proper means.
3. We feel that our registered users should be rewarded.
There is a registration form included on the last page of
this documentation for your convenience; or you may simply
send us your name, mailing address, and telephone number
with your registration check for $125. California residents,
please remember to include 6.75% sales tax.
PLEASE NOTE: Until we receive your registration, you
essentially do not exist for us. We wish that it didn't have
to be this way but there are still a significant number of
people around who not only will use the system without
registering but will also use up large amounts of our time
on the telephone or in letters if we let them; hence the
rule of no registration, no questions. So if it looks good
to you, register and get the full manual. Then, if you still
have questions, write or call. The functions are all defined
in this manual, even if how to use them is not.
Your registration fee will get you the full printed version
of the manual, our unlisted support telephone number, one
year of support, including all upgrades to the system issued
during that period of time, and the opportunity to extend
your support (and continue to receive upgrades) for a small
annual fee.
Also, when you register, you will receive the very latest
version of the system. So if you are a new user, we suggest
that you do not enter a lot of data which you want to
retain. The latest version may be several versions removed
from the version you are working with.
So save your real, critical data until you receive the
latest version of the system. Then, as a registered user,
you will be eligible to receive notifications of all future
upgrades which you can receive for a nominal fee (current
fee $35.00 for annual support). These are generally issued
semi-annually, but at least annually, and permit you to keep
your system up to date. As a new registered user, you will
receive copies of any upgrades issued without charge for a
period of one year.
As a service, we will make upgrades available from previous
versions at a cost of $50.00 per upgrade (plus 6.75% sales
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Copyright (c) by SureSoft, 1990
tax for California residents). However, upgrades are
cumulative, which means that you must apply EACH upgrade in
sequence. Thus, to upgrade from version 3.0 to version 3.2,
you must first apply the upgrade from 3.0 to 3.1 and then
the upgrade from 3.1 to 3.2. Total cost for the upgrades
would be $100.00. So, as mentioned above, wait until you
receive your current version of the system and save this
unnecessary expense.
Finally, we continue to make changes to the system as our
users request them. We encourage you to also submit any
suggestions which you might have for the improvement of the
system. Please drop us a line and let us know what you think
should be added or changed and why such an addition or
change would be advantageous. We would really like to hear
from you.
2. DISTRIBUTION
You are specifically granted a license to obtain an
evaluation copy of the system from a friend or association
and to use that copy to evaluate the system on your own
computer in your own office. You may also use a dealer's
computer equipment for purposes of evaluating the
interaction of the system with any computer equipment which
you propose to purchase. You are then trusted to either
forward a payment to the author or to discontinue use of the
system. In either case, you are encouraged to copy the
programs and make them available to others for their
evaluation. When you copy the system, you must not make any
changes to the files or directories provided on the
diskettes. All files and directories must be copied onto
succeeding diskettes and all copyrights must remain intact.
While you may freely copy the diskettes for evaluation
purposes, please note that the SureSoft Patient Management
System is NOT a Public Domain program. It is Copyright (c)
by SureSoft and may only be copied under the conditions set
forth above.
If you are in the business of selling Shareware diskettes,
you may charge a diskette fee not to exceed $6.00 per
diskette, plus a reasonable shipping and handling charge.
3. SYSTEM INTRODUCTION
The SureSoft Patient Management System is a set of programs
which comprise a basic dental office system. It was
originally designed to provide a strong marketing program.
Patient recalls are facilitated by options to select patient
records by a number of parameters. Mailing labels, merge
files for word processors and reports for telephone followup
as well as hand addressing are available.
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Copyright (c) by SureSoft, 1990
Insurance billing is provided and the information captured
on the insurance billing form may be automatically
transferred to the patient's receivable record, eliminating
the need to re-enter the information.
Patient Billing (Accounts Receivable) has been greatly
simplified by tying procedure numbers into a procedure file
which is used on both the patient statement and on insurance
billing statements. In other words, by simply entering the
procedure number, both the description and your standard fee
are obtained from the procedure file, eliminating the
requirement for your office staff to type these entries.
Monthly patient bills are as easy as feeding forms into your
printer and selecting the billing option from a menu. By
printing on two part carbonless forms, a permanent record of
all bills sent out can be maintained for your office
records.
This section describes the hardware required and the system
installation procedures. Please read section 3 completely
before starting your system.
3.1 System Requirements
The SureSoft Patient Management System is designed to run on
an IBM PC/XT/AT or PS/2 with 512 Kbytes or more of main
memory and a hard disk. One floppy disk drive is required
for installing the system running PC-DOS 3.1 or greater. An
80 column printer is required for reports and other printed
output. While a monochrome monitor will be preferred by some
because of its low cost, the system supports a color monitor
and uses color effectively to highlight certain functions.
The Patient Management System has been run on a wide variety
of clones with complete success. However, we cannot
guarantee that it will work on any particular clone. Our
suggestion is that you try it before you buy the equipment
if you do not already have it. There are some clones which
are not 100% IBM compatible that could possibly not run the
system properly. For color, you may use the CGA, EGA, or VGA
adapters.
You must set your files and buffers statements in your
CONFIG.SYS file to at least 20 files and 20 buffers (we
recommend 25). The Patient Management System requires that a
large number of files be open at various times and the
system simply will not function without these large values.
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Copyright (c) by SureSoft, 1990
WARNING:
The Microsoft file handler is NOT compatible with many TSR
programs. This includes some of the popular menu systems. We
strongly recommend that you do NOT use a menu system with
the Patient Management System. Loss of data can occur.
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3.2 Installing the System
CAUTION:
The installation instructions given here are for new
installations only. If you are upgrading your system from a
previous version, follow the instructions included with your
upgrade diskette. The instructions given below will destroy
your existing data.
Before installing the system, please look at the directories
of the diskettes you received to determine if there is a
file named README.DOC. If this file is present, you should
print it out to see if there are any last minute changes to
the installation procedure. This file may contain both
procedural and documentation changes.
Installation of the system consists of copying the files
from the distribution diskettes to an appropriate directory
on your hard disk and running a batch file to initialize
data files.
Your first step should be to create a subdirectory on your
hard disk to contain your system. Use the DOS MKDIR (make
directory) command to accomplish this. Then, using the CD
(change directory) command, make this new directory your
current directory. If you are not familiar with these
commands, they are well documented in your DOS manual.
Alternatively, you may use your root directory if you will
not be installing a large number of other programs on your
computer.
Step two is to simply copy all of the files from the
distribution diskettes to your working directory. Assuming
that you are at the C> prompt and in your chosen directory,
place each diskette into drive A in turn and enter the
command "COPY A:*.*".
When all of your files have been copied, enter the following
command: "STARTUP". This will run a batch file that will
initialize all of the files required by your system and will
then delete the initialization programs from the hard disk.
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Copyright (c) by SureSoft, 1990
These files are deleted to minimize the possibility of
anyone accidentally running the programs again and
destroying your data. The programs in question are named
PMS00001.EXE and PMS03011.EXE. They remain on the
distribution floppy diskette and may be re-copied if they
are ever again required.
Your system is now completely installed and ready for use.
IMPORTANT ------------------------------
When you first set up your system, it is designed to provide
an automatic interface between the insurance billing program
and the patient billing module. If you do not intend to use
the patient billing module for any reason, it is important
that you turn off the automatic interface. Failure to turn
this interface off will cause records to be written to the
interface file every time that you use the insurance billing
program for an actual statement. This file will continue to
grow until it absorbs all of the available data space on
your hard disk.
To turn this function off, go to the Utility Menu, select
the option to update Static Information, Select Option I on
the static menu, and enter an 'O' (letter O, not number 0-
zero). This will turn the option off. To re-activate at any
time, go to the same screen and enter an 'X'.
3.3 System Backups
No matter what computer equipment you use, you must plan for
and eventually expect to experience some degree of failure.
This is particularly true where hard disk drives are
concerned. The hard disk, due to the nature of its
construction and because it runs continuously, is the most
likely part of your system to fail. It is a truism that
SOONER OR LATER YOUR HARD DISK WILL FAIL. Unfortunately,
that is also where you will have your important files.
WHEN your hard disk fails, recovery is important. If you
have made a backup of your hard disk, you will be able to
recover to the point where your backup was taken and will
only need to re-enter data entered after the backup was
made. If you have not made a backup, you may lose everything
and have to start all over.
We can't tell you how often to make backups of your data or
how you should make them. You must make that decision based
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upon your volume of business and with the help and guidance
of your local dealer. We can only make a few suggestions for
your consideration.
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3.4 The "forms" concept
The SureSoft Patient Management System was designed from an
operational standpoint around the forms that your office
staff are already familiar with. And thinking of the screens
as forms in an electronic typewriter will greatly aid your
staff in their transition to the computer. The only
difference in filling out these forms and filling out a form
on a traditional typewriter is that the computer will ask
for related information at one time rather than slavishly
moving across a line. This is more fully defined in the
Definitions section.
There are two "forms" that are actual forms from printers
and these are required if you are to get full value from the
system. The first is a printed Attending Dentist's Statement
which is available from Moore Business Forms as their form
number 4093. (This form is also available from other
printers--it is the 1978 ADA revision of the Attending
Dentist Statement). Since most of these forms are very
close, you might have another you wish to try and you should
certainly do so. The advantage of the Moore form is that it
is a continuous form and you can print multiple statements
unattended. In any event, you may try out the system by
printing on plain paper.
The patient bill form is also a readily available form. We
used NEBS form 9060 in developing the system, but this form
is used with a number of different accounting packages and
is readily available from different printers. This form was
chosen because of the tear-off top portion which is to be
returned with the patient's remittance. This greatly
facilitates posting of payments. By the way, window
envelopes are also available from NEBS, and most other forms
suppliers, for this form. You may also use plain paper when
you are testing the system but be aware that the statement
forms are not size 8 1/2 x 11 and that sample print on plain
paper will look strange. You must also reset the paper in
the printer when you complete printing sample statements on
plain paper.
If you wish to print mailing labels, you will need to obtain
standard 3 1/2 x 15/16" labels.
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You may also print directly onto either 3 1/2" or 4"
continuous form post cards.
3.5 Definitions
We need to define a few terms in order to make communication
between us easier. We will make a special effort to not let
this get out of hand.
CURSOR: The cursor is the blinking block or underline
character that lets you know where the data you type will
show up on the screen. That's all it is. Consider it as
performing the same function as the position indicator on
your typewriter.
ENTER/RETURN: When you see the word ENTER or RETURN in
capital letters or enclosed in square brackets as [ENTER] or
[RETURN], this refers to the key on the right side of the
keyboard with an arrow on it which points down and to the
left. Some keyboards use the actual words ENTER or RETURN.
To avoid confusion, we will try to stick with the term
[ENTER] throughout this document.
Use of the word enter in lower case letters means that you
are to type in the required information. Confusing? Let's
assume that you are about to type the name Hill into the
computer and you are instructed to - "enter the name and
press ENTER" or "enter name and [ENTER]". In both cases, you
would type the individual letters "Hill" and then you would
press the [ENTER] key. Just to check that out one more time,
you would have pressed five keys. They are the H, i, l, l,
and [ENTER] keys.
Another function of the [ENTER] key when working on an on-
screen form is that of a tab key. You actually have two
options when you are tabbing forward, the [ENTER] key as
well as the tab key. For forward tabs, you may use whichever
key you prefer.
TAB: The [TAB] key is defined somewhat differently on
various keyboards. On the IBM PC, it is designated by an
arrow pointing to the left on top of an arrow pointing to
the right. Some keyboards use the word TAB on the key. On
the standard IBM keyboard, it is located on the upper left
of the keyboard, next to the letter "Q".
Unlike a typewriter, the computer is able to tab in either
direction. A normal forward tab is obtained by simply
pressing the key. A backwards tab is obtained by first
pressing the [SHIFT] key and holding it down while you press
the [TAB] key. The [ENTER] key may be used as a forward tab
key only while working on any of the forms.
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There is one other important difference between using the
[TAB] key on a computer and on a typewriter. Tabbing on the
computer is under control of the program and may tab to any
point on the screen rather than simply across the line you
are working on. This makes it much easier to work on
'groups' of information rather than jumping around in your
thinking process simply because of the requirements of the
form you are working on.
BACKSPACE: The [BACKSPACE] key is the left pointing arrow
usually located in the top row of the keyboard, immediately
above the [ENTER] key. This key can be somewhat confusing
because it is sometimes a destructive backspace (i.e.,
erasing as it moves) and is sometimes non-destructive. In
general, when you are issuing DOS commands, the key is
destructive and when you are entering data into your files,
it will be don-destructive. Note that this is a general rule
and you should always test new programs to determine how
they work.
FUNCTION KEYS: Depending upon which keyboard you have, there
are either 10 or 12 function keys available. They may be
arranged in two rows down the left side of the keyboard or
they may be in a single row across the top. In either case,
function keys 11 and 12 are never used in the Patient
Management System.
These keys have special meanings at various times in the
programs. When they are active (available for your use) they
will be defined at the bottom of your screen. For example,
the new patient form has [F1] defined as "START OVER". If
you press the [F1] key at any time while you are working on
a new patient form, it is the equivalent of tearing a form
out of a typewriter, throwing it away, and putting in a new,
fresh form. If a function key is not defined on the bottom
of the screen, it is not active at that time and pressing it
will have no particular effect.
We need to stress that what a function key will do is what
is defined at the bottom of the screen at a particular time,
not what you may have used it for in another program only
moments before. The only exception to this on-screen
definition is the [Esc] key, or 'panic button' defined
below.
PANIC BUTTON: The [Esc] (ESCAPE) key moves around from
keyboard to keyboard. It will have the letters Esc printed
on it. On the standard IBM PC keyboard, it is located on the
top left, next to the numeral '1'. On newer keyboards, it
tends to be somewhere in the upper right area of the
keyboard. This is our 'panic button'. It is almost always
active. It is usually displayed as active in the lower right
corner of the screen. This key will generally return you to
the main menu from wherever you are. Use caution, however,
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because if you are in the process of entering data for a new
patient and press the [Esc] key, you will lose the
information entered on the screen.
Sometimes, the [Esc] key will simply return you up one level
in menus.
4. TUTORIAL
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5. DATA BASE REFERENCE
5.1 Starting the Day's Work
To begin the day's work, first turn the computer on by
following the instructions in your computer manual and the
manuals for whatever peripherals you may have connected to
your computer. If you have an AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you may
wish to have it automatically start the Patient Management
System for you if that is your primary use of the computer.
If your computer has a clock/calendar built in (or added),
the date will be set correctly by the computer. If you do
not have a clock/calendar card, be sure to answer the date
prompt correctly (DO NOT simply press the [ENTER] key as is
commonly done). The reason is that the computer uses the
current date in quite a few functions and it gets the date
by asking the computer what the date is. If the computer has
the wrong date, some of your patient records could end up
with some incorrect dates in them.
If you do not start the computer via the AUTOEXEC.BAT file,
use the 'CD' command to make certain that the computer is
working in the correct directory and type the command:
PMS [ENTER]
These are the only special instructions that you need to
remember. From this point on, all that you will be doing is
under the control of the programs.
After you type the PMS command, (or the computer does it for
you in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file) the system banner will be
displayed for a few seconds and then the Main Menu will be
presented. The system banner screen contains the version
number of the system. You should note this for your records
and if you ever have need to contact us, we must know the
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version number you are using before we can provide any
assistance of any kind.
Also, a version of the system will only be supported for a
reasonable length of time following the release of a new
version. This will generally range from 90 days to 180 days,
depending upon the changes involved in the new version. This
will not be a problem for registered users as they will
receive everything necessary to upgrade their system to the
newest version.
5.2 The Main Menu
The Main Menu presents a number of processing options. To
make a selection, simply press the keys indicated on the
screen next to your choice, followed by the [ENTER] key. For
example, adding new patients to the data base is listed as
option 1. The line on the menu reads:
(1) ADD NEW PATIENT
To select this option, press the '1' key and the [ENTER]
key. The screen will clear, you will receive a message
stating that the program is loading and, once the program is
loaded, you will see the form for adding a new patient to
the data base.
The Main Menu screen is divided into four sections. Of
these, the END OF JOB option is the way in which you exit
the system. Normally, this would only be at the end of a
day's work. However, if you need to exit the Patient
Management System in order to use your word processor or to
do other work on the computer, always exit via this option.
This will ensure that all files are closed properly and that
any other cleanup chores have been done properly. It's like
cleaning off your desk at night and putting everything away
where you will be sure to find it in the morning.
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER - just turn your computer off without
exiting the system when you finish. This can destroy files.
No matter what program you are working with, you should
always get back to the DOS prompt (something like C:>)
before you turn off your computer.
5.3 Adding a New Patient
When you choose the option to add new patients to your file,
you will be presented with a form for the information. When
the form is first presented, it is just as if you had
inserted a form into a typewriter and positioned the type
ball to the first field to be typed. You will find the
cursor waiting in that position for you. The only real
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difference between entering data here and doing it on a
typewriter is that the fields will be addressed in a logical
order; not necessarily straight across the page. The cursor
will always be on the field you are working on.
Most of the fields on the form are self explanatory but a
few may need special instructions. Before that, however,
here are a few general considerations concerning entering
data.
As you enter data into a field, you may occasionally make a
mistake (if you're like most of us). When this happens,
simply press the left arrow (backspace) [<-] key. The cursor
will backspace over the invalid data and permit you to re-
enter the character that you entered incorrectly. When you
finish with a field, press the [TAB] key to signify that you
are done and to have the computer tab to the next field. If
you notice an error after you leave the field, you may back-
tab to the field in error and make any needed corrections.
Then tab forward to continue with your entries.
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5.3.1 Special Fields
Some fields have special requirements if you are to obtain
maximum benefit from their use. These are described in the
order in which they appear on the patient form.
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5.3.1.1 Zip Code
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5.3.1.2 Chart
You may use any numbers for your charts from 000001 through
999998. Both 000000 and 999999are not available. Duplicate
chart numbers are not permitted in the system.
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5.3.1.3 B/D (Birthday)
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5.3.1.4 SS # (Social Security Number)
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5.3.1.5 Telephone Numbers
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5.3.1.6 EMP (Employer)
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5.3.1.7 INS Code
The insurance codes are the three digit numbers you have
assigned to the companies on your list of carriers (Option 3
at the Main Menu). Company numbers are not validated as you
enter them so that you will not be forced into sequential
processing whenever you add new patients with insurance
companies not yet on file. In practical terms, this just
means that you should be a bit careful.
5.3.1.8 Insured Chart # - Relationship
INSURED CHART # - RELATIONSHIP: This field allows you to tie
one chart to another for insurance billing purposes. For
example, a young girl who is covered under her father's
insurance would have the father's chart number entered here
and the word "DAUGHTER" in the RELATIONSHIP field. When this
patient is called up for insurance billing, the father's
insurance information is obtained from his chart and used on
the insurance forms.
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5.3.1.9 Bill To Chart #
BILL TO CHART #: This chart number is used for patient
billing purposes where billings are to be grouped, such as
sending only one bill for an entire family. To carry the
example of the young girl discussed above another step
farther, if her bill is also to go to her father, his chart
number would also be placed in this field. However, she
could be covered under his insurance coverage as indicated
above but included on her mother's billing statement. In
that case, the mother's chart number would be included here.
Finally, if her billing is to be kept separate from the rest
of the family, simply ignore this field and she will receive
a separate bill. Note that this field only has meaning if
you have the Patient Billing option of the system installed.
5.3.1.10 Inactive
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5.4 Review/Change Patient Record
When this program comes up, it will ask if you want to
locate a record by name (last name and first initial) or
chart number. Press either [1] or [2] in response to the
question. If you choose [2], you will then be asked for the
chart number. Enter the 6 digit chart number. The computer
will then search for the number you have requested. If it is
found on the file, the record will be presented to you on
the screen. If that particular chart number is not located,
you will receive an error message on screen and will be
returned again to this question.
If you choose to locate a patient by name, press the [1]
key. You will then be asked to enter the last name and first
initial of the record you wish to have displayed. Enter the
last name and first initial as you expect to find them on
the data base. The computer will then search for the name.
For purposes of locating a record by name, uppercase letters
are not significant. The computer will treat upper and lower
case letters alike.
If the name does not exist on the file, you will receive a
"NAME NOT ON FILE" message and will be returned to the
NAME/CHART question. If the name is found, the computer
can't be sure that it has located the one that you want to
see (how many people with the name Jones or Smith are on
your file?) so it will display basic information in an
abbreviated format and ask if that is the one you wanted to
see. If it is, press the [Y] key and you will then be given
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the complete record. If the record displayed is not the
correct one, press the [N] key and you will be offered the
next name that matches your request. This will continue for
as long as necessary or until you run out of names that
match your selection criteria.
If you accept a name and then decide that it is not the
correct one once it is fully displayed on the screen,
pressing the [F1] key will take you back to the NAME/CHART
option where you may select another record.
5.4.1 Modifying the Record
Once the record has been located and displayed, the [F2] key
will permit you to go into the modification mode. When you
choose this option, the cursor will move to the last name
field. You may then use the [TAB] keys to move from one
field to another. When you get to the field that you wish to
change, you may either completely re-type the field or use
the cursor movement keys on the numeric keypad to move
within the field and change only partial data. When you
finish correcting a field, press either the [ENTER] or [TAB]
keys to move on to the next field. You may move around the
fields in the form at your own convenience, making
corrections/changes in whatever order best suits you.
When you have completed all of your changes, simply press
the [F6] key to register your changes on the data base. Most
changes will be made instantly. If you changed the patient's
last name, the change may take a few seconds while the
computer deletes the record under the previous name and
creates a new record with the new name.
5.5 Add/Change Insurance Company
Selecting this option (Option 3 at the Main Menu) will give
you a choice of adding a new insurance company to your files
(A) or changing information on an existing company (C). If
you are adding a new company to your files, the computer
will automatically assign the next available company number.
You are then presented with a company screen where you enter
the company name, mailing address, city, state, and zip
code. This is the information that will be printed on
insurance forms when they are printed (see CREATE AN
INSURANCE FORM).
If you are changing information relating to an insurance
company already on file, you must enter the company number.
The information currently on file will be displayed on the
screen and the program will go into correction mode. You may
move backward and forward through the fields by using the
[TAB] keys. Simply overtype the field or fields that you
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wish to change. When you complete your changes, pressing the
[F6] key will record the changes in the insurance company
file.
After the new or changed insurance company information has
been stored in the insurance company file, you will be
returned to the add/change question. If you have completed
your work with insurance companies, press the [Esc] key to
return to the Main Menu. It is then advisable to select
option '18' at the Main Menu so that you may obtain a new
working list of companies. This only takes a couple of
minutes and is well worth the time spent. You should always
have a current list available for use while you are entering
new patients.
5.6 State Insurance Forms
Selecting this option will bring up an information screen
unless you have requested a special insurance module for
your state. If one does not currently exist, and you are a
registered user, we will work with you to provide the
necessary program. Note that this is only for state mandated
forms (generally for welfare patients).
5.7 Create an Insurance Form
Selecting Option 6 at the Main Menu will permit you to
create the data for use on an Attending Dentist's Statement.
The Patient Management System is designed to use the spacing
provided on Moore Business Forms form number 4093. This is a
continuous form set on three part non-carbon forms. The
forms may be pre-printed with the dentist's name, address,
etc. if you wish or you may have the computer print the
information (see section 5.14.6 for more information).
When you select this option, you are first asked to enter
the chart number of the patient for whom you wish to prepare
a statement. Only chart numbers are acceptable here. This is
to minimize the potential for error on similar names.
After you enter the chart number, the computer will do two
things before presenting the information for you to work on.
First, it will obtain the patient's record and set up as
much information as it has available in memory for use on
the chart. Then, if that chart is tied to another chart (via
the INSURED CHART # field on the patient's record) the
computer will obtain the insured's chart and fill in the
insurance information from that record.
Once the computer has filled in as much information as it
has available (this only takes a second or two) it will
present the top portion of the form to you. This portion of
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the form, like the others, is designed to mirror on the
screen the relative location of the fields on the actual
form. Therefore, if you are at all confused over the layout
on the screen, simply compare it to a copy of the actual
form. You should also be aware that the field sizes on the
screen are the same size as those on the form. That is, you
can only type as many characters onto a line on the screen
as will fit on the form.
Notice the function keys listed at the bottom of the screen.
Throughout the creation of the Attending Dentist's
Statement, the [F1] key is dedicated to starting over. The
[F2] key indicates that it is for corrections although it
will seldom be used since you may readily move the cursor
back and forth throughout the fields with the [TAB] key. The
[F4] key is used to move on to the next part of the form
when you are satisfied with this part. The [Esc] key, as
usual, will take you back to the main menu.
Note that in many cases, all available patient information
will have been filled out on this part of the form. You may
only need to complete the first fields which are choosing
between estimated and actual. This is done by placing an 'X'
on the appropriate line. This choice, however, will
determine whether the statement is included on the followup
listing prepared under option 12 at the Main Menu. It will
also determine whether the information is transferred to
patient billing records if you have the Patient Billing
Option installed for automated patient billing.
Both parts two and three of the form list the patient name
and chart number at the top of the screen along with an
indication of whether you are working on an estimate or an
actual billing. This is to prevent confusion should you be
called away momentarily to another task. Most of part 2
simply requires that you place an 'X' in appropriate yes or
no columns in response to questions. Any dates which may
show up as zeros on the screen will not print on the form
unless you enter non-zero information into them.
There are two ways to move on to part three of the form, the
actual billing portion. Both the [F4] and [F5] keys will get
you there, but with a difference. Use of the [F4] key will
start part 3 using your standard billing amounts taken from
your Procedure File. The [F5] key, however, will use the
descriptions and codes from your Procedure File but will
require you to enter fees for each procedure you list on the
form. This is to provide for special billing situations. The
other function keys work as described.
When you pull up part three of the form, there is a prompt
line at the bottom of the screen, immediately above the
function key definitions. There is an arrow ( ==> ) pointing
to the prompt line. The underscore characters indicate data
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to be entered by you. If a field is not needed, simply use
the [TAB] key to move to the next field. For example, if you
were billing for a full set of x-rays, the tooth and surface
fields would be meaningless and you would [TAB] past them.
The date is the date that the procedure was performed, and
the PROC # field is for the procedure number.
Once you have completed the information on a billing line,
press the [ENTER] key and the computer will display the
appropriate line or lines for printing in the blank space
above. The computer obtains the description for the
procedure and your fee from your Procedure File, based upon
the procedure number you entered on the prompt line. The
prompt line is then reset for the next entry.
Notice that the 'TOTAL FEE' field is now filled in by the
computer. This is a running total while you enter procedures
and may be used as a check that you don't miss anything. If
you fill all available lines on this screen, you will move
automatically to part 3A which functions identically to part
3. Between the two screens, there are sufficient lines
available to fill one Attending Dentist's statement
completely.
If you started Part 3 with the [F5] key, there is also a fee
field on the prompt line. After you enter the procedure
number, the cursor will move on to the fee field. Enter the
fee amount as dollars and cents, complete with the decimal
point. Note that you do not need to press the [ENTER] key
after entering the cents. The computer will still obtain the
description of the procedure from the Procedure File but
will use the fee you input instead of the one on the file.
IMPORTANT: The [F2] key will let you go back to the previous
parts of the form to make corrections. However, when you
return to Part 3, you will have lost the data you input and
you must re-enter the information.
The [F5] function key will permit you to exit from either
part 3 or part 3A to complete production of the form. You
are then asked whether to Print Now (N) or Save (S) the form
for later printing. If you choose to save the form for later
printing in batch mode (see Option 12, PRINT INSURANCE FORMS
at the Main Menu) simply press the [S] key. The computer
will take a few seconds to store all of the information and
will then return you to the chart selection screen to
prepare for the next form. You may then either proceed to
prepare another form or press the [Esc] key to return to the
Main Menu.
If you choose to print the form immediately and already have
forms aligned in your printer, simply press the [N] (for
NOW) key and the form will be printed. If it is an actual
billing, the patient, insurance company, and total fee will
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be saved for printing on the billing list when that report
is next printed following a batch print run. If you do not
have forms ready in the printer, do not press the [N] key
until you are ready to print. Align a form in the printer
first and then press the [N] key. When the form has been
printed, you will be asked whether you wish to re-print it.
If it was badly aligned, press [Y] after aligning a new form
in the printer. If you are satisfied, press [N] and you will
be asked for the next chart number.
5.7.1 Interface to Patient Billing
If you have the Patient Billing option installed (included
automatically starting with version 3.0) and you are
creating an actual billing, the information you have entered
will be automatically transferred to the patient's statement
without further effort on your part. It will show up on the
patient's next statement. The information is placed in the
transaction file as soon as the Attending Dentist's
Statement is printed and is available for posting to the
patient's records.
5.8 Mass Update
The Mass Update (Option 7 at the Main Menu) provides you
with an easy way to make identical changes to the date
fields. The idea is to select the field to be updated,
provide the computer with the information to be posted (i.e,
the new date), enter the chart numbers which are to be
updated, and let the computer go about the work of updating
the records.
The fields which you can update in this manner are: 'LAST
OH', 'NEXT OH', 'EXTRACTION', 'BRIDGE', 'PARTIAL',
'DENTURE', 'ENDO. TREATMENT', 'PERIO. TREATMENT', and
'RECALL LETTER'. The definitions of all but the first two
may be changed at system setup time.
Simply select the field you wish to update by number. You
will then be asked for the date to be posted. Enter whatever
date you desire to post to the records.
After entering the date, you are then asked for the chart
numbers to be updated. Once you complete entering the
information, the computer will post the dates on the charts
you have entered and print a posting report for your
records.
As you enter each chart number, the patient's name and
address are read from the patient file and displayed on the
screen. You must then accept of reject the entry you have
just made by pressing the Y or N (for Yes or No) key. This
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is to reduce the potential for error in keying the chart
number.
When you enter information for the 'LAST OH' (Last Oral
Hygiene), the NEXT OH field is also updated. Each patient
record has a time interval field which you may complete on a
patient by patient basis. If that information is present,
the computer will use it to update the NEXT OH field. If it
is not present, the computer will default the NEXT OH to 6
months and 1 day from the LAST OH date. This date may then
be used to generate recall letters or post cards.
5.9 Add/Change Procedure File
This processing is entered by selecting Option 8 at the Main
Menu. When you first enter Procedure File processing, you
are asked whether you want to add a new procedure or to
change an existing procedure. The selection options are [A]
and [C].
To enter a new procedure to the file, you are required to
enter the procedure number, one or two lines of description
(these are used on the Attending Dentist's Statement and on
patient bills) and your fee for this procedure.
If you choose to change a procedure, you are asked for the
number of the procedure you wish to change. Enter that
number and press [ENTER]. The information currently on file
is then presented on-screen and you are automatically placed
in change mode. Move around the screen making whatever
changes you wish and then press the [F6] key when you are
finished to update the information on file. If you press the
[Esc] key rather than the [F6] key, you are returned to the
Main Menu without updating the information on file. When you
first install your system, you receive a sample procedure
file which you may load and then modify as you wish.
There are 2 fee fields on the procedure file. The field
simply listed as FEE will be your standard fee. The second
field, STATE FUNDED FEE, only has meaning when it is used
with a state funded program. These programs are only
available to registered users, upon request. Just ignore
this second field.
5.10 Mailing Labels & Post Cards
This option will permit you to print on either mailing
labels or continuous form post cards. After choosing Option
11 at the Main Menu, you are asked to choose between Labels
or Cards. Press the "L" or "C" keys as appropriate. Labels
are designed to print on standard 3 1/2 x 15/16 labels. Post
cards print on 3 1/2 inch post card stock. Labels will begin
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printing in print position #1 and postcards will begin in
position #11. You are given an option to align your printing
according to the option you have chosen.
You will be presented with a menu of options. These include
BIRTHDAY, LAST OH, NEXT OH, EXTRACTION, BRIDGE, PARTIAL,
DENTURE, ENDO. TREATMENT, PERIO. TREATMENT, RECALL LETTER,
ZIP CODE, INSURANCE COMPANY, REFERRED BY, EMPLOYER, RECALL
CODE. After choosing your option, you will be asked to enter
the selection data. For dates, you are asked for a range of
dates by entering a starting and an ending date. For
example, if you wish to obtain labels for all persons with a
birthday in July, you would select the birthday option and
then enter the starting date as 0701 and the ending date as
0731.
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5.11 List Procedure File
This option will prepare a listing of your Procedure file in
procedure number order. This report is particularly useful
for reviewing your fee schedule. You will also probably want
to print a copy of the file provided with the system to
review the procedures and explanations provided with the
system in order to determine what procedures you might wish
to add and those which you might wish to change. You will
also need to enter your fee schedule initially.
5.12 Word Processing Extract
This option will create a file of extracted information to
be used in preparing form letters via the merge option of
your favorite word processor. A few early options remain on
the menu, but we suggest that you use the ASCII options as
virtually all word processors will work with an ASCII
delimited file.
The information provided on the extract is:
FIRST NAME, LAST NAME, ADDRESS, CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE, DATA,
EXTRANEOUS. The DATA field is the information contained in
the field you extracted on.
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5.12.1 Supported Word Processors
Use the ASCII option only. All major word processors accept
an ASCII delimited file as input to their merge function.
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5.12.2 Extract Options
See the Mailing Labels option for a discussion of the menu.
5.12.3 The Extract File
A file with the extract information is created and is named
'PASSFILE.DAT'. You use this file as input to your word
processor to create personalized letters. In the ASCII file,
there are eight fields, seven of them usable. The last field
contains useless information for most word processors and
was set up to provide space for some specialized
information. However, you will have to let your word
processor know of its existence in most cases. Simply give
it a name in your field definitions and then ignore it.
5.13 Select Records (reports)
This option provides reports based upon the same selection
criteria used in the word processing extract and in the
mailing labels. After making your selection as defined in
those sections, make certain that your printer is loaded
with plain paper and is on-line. You will then be asked to
choose between the Address and Telephone formats. The
address format would be most useful if you were to
personally address cards to patients while the telephone
format would be most useful in providing telephone followup.
Depending upon the number of records chosen, the computer
may get well ahead of the printer if you are using a spooler
program or a hardware buffer. In this case, you will return
to the Main Menu and may continue other uses of the computer
without waiting for the report to complete. If you wish to
obtain another plain paper type of report, you may go ahead
and make the selection. The computer can then work on
creating that report while it finishes printing the current
one. As soon as the current report completes printing, the
computer will immediately begin printing the next report. If
a paper change is required, however, you will have to wait
until the computer finishes, change the paper, and then
start the next report.
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NOTE: Any records flagged as inactive will be excluded from
the reports.
5.14 Insurance company Master List
The insurance company listing, Option 18 at the Main Menu
will print a list of the insurance companies on your file by
company number. You should always have a current copy of
this list handy when you are entering data so that you can
enter the correct company number on the patient record. You
need only ready the printer, press [ENTER] and the computer
will do the rest. Since this list is not usually very long,
the job should complete very quickly.
5.15 Utilities
A number of utilities have been included with the Patient
Management System to help you maintain your system. These
are programs not normally used in the day to day operation
of your system
5.15.1 The Utility Menu
The Utility Menu is entered by selecting the Utilities
option at the Main Menu. You are then presented with the
Utility sub-menu. When you return from any of the utility
programs, you will return to this sub-menu. Note that
selection of option 99 will return you to the Main Menu.
5.15.2 Deleting Records
Since a disgruntled staff member could do a considerable
amount of damage by deleting patient records from your
files, the deletion program is password protected. This
means that every time you enter the deletion program in
order to delete a patient record, you must give the master
password. You are asked to enter it on a password screen. As
you type in the letters, you will not be able to see what
you have typed. This is done to make it harder for a nearby
observer to discover what the password is by watching the
screen.
When you receive your system, the master password is
'PASSWORD', exactly as typed (without the quotes). You must
enter it in all capital letters. All passwords are case
sensitive and are matched exactly with the way they have
been defined to the system. If you have changed the password
via the 'UPDATE STATIC INFORMATION' option, you must enter
it here exactly as you changed it.
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If you enter an incorrect password, you are returned
immediately to the Utility Menu. If the password is correct,
you are asked for the chart number of the patient record
which is to be deleted. You will then be shown the
abbreviated form of the patient data and asked to verify
that it is the correct entry.
After each delete, you are again asked to enter the
password. While this may seem to be a nuisance at times, it
is to protect against the time when you may be engaged in
deleting records and are called away. If you were to forget
to exit the deletion routines, your system would then be
exposed to possible malicious damage. Since deletions should
be relatively infrequent, this should only be a slight
inconvenience.
5.15.3 Rebuilding Patient Files
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5.15.4 Display File Statistics
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5.15.5 List Inactive Patients
This is a report designed to help you keep track of your
inactive patients. You are provided with two options; you
may print all of the inactive patients on the file or those
with a certain code. To print all patients, simply press
[ENTER] when asked to provide the code to be listed;
otherwise, enter the appropriate code.
This code is case sensitive. If you have some patients that
are not appearing where you think they should, consider
running a full list and verifying the INACTIVE code. In many
cases, you are likely to find that the code is in lower case
when you requested upper case, etc.
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5.15.6 Update Static Information
The static information section is primarily used for the
management of passwords.
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5.16 End Of Job
You use the END OF JOB option whenever you must exit from
the system, whether it is actually at the end of the day or
if you are going to stop the system in order to use the
computer for other purposes. For example, you may be going
to run form letters using your word processing program and a
file that you have created. You would exit the system using
this option and go about your word processing tasks.
If you need to re-enter the Patient Management System after
you finish with your other chores and you are still in the
correct sub-directory or have returned to it, enter the
command:
PMS [ENTER]
The system will re-initialize and the Main Menu will be
presented.
5.17 Abnormal Power Down
Abnormal power downs may be harmful to your computer and/or
to your data. Generally, these occur during storms or other
situations likely to be preceded by a voltage spike. All
electronic equipment is sensitive to these spikes; computers
more than most.
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The Patient Management System is reasonably protected
against these kinds of situations. It accomplishes this by
closing files as soon as possible. If all files are closed,
your data will not be damaged, provided that physical damage
does not occur to the hard disk itself.
Following a power failure, try to re-start the system in the
normal manner. Then call up the information you were just
working with. If it comes up on the screen, look at a few
other recent entries. If these all appear to be okay, you
have probably not suffered any data damage.
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If the computer appears to be operating properly but you are
unable to use your files properly, it will be necessary to
go to your last backup of the system and to restore your
files at that point. Work entered since then will likely
have to be repeated.
5.18 Data Base Index
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6. Patient Billing / Accounts Receivable
This section describes the use of the Patient Billing
(Accounts Receivable) module of the Patient Management
System. To use this module, you must have the data base
module installed and operating. The Accounts Receivable
module is tightly coupled with the Patient Management System
and will NOT operate as a stand-alone accounts receivable
system.
The terms Accounts Receivable and Patient Billing refer to
the same process and are used interchangeably in this
documentation.
6.1 Introduction to Billing
To use this module effectively, you will need a supply of
statement forms which the computer may use to automatically
produce your monthly statements. The form we programmed for
around is form number 9060 from Nebs Computer Forms. This
form is compatible with much Apple software, the Small
Business Systems Group software for several computers, and
the Star Software Systems for CP/M and MP/M based systems.
This form was chosen for two reasons. First, it should be
readily available from most publishers of continuous forms
because it is used by so many popular general purpose
accounting systems and secondly, it is one of the few forms
which utilize a "tear off" portion to be returned with the
remittance. The tear off and return portion makes posting of
payments much easier since the chart number, required for
posting, is on that part of the form. This eliminates the
time consuming operation of looking up patient information
when remittances are received.
Most publishers of continuous forms can supply single or
dual window envelopes for ease of mailing plus return
envelopes to help in your collection efforts. This makes the
monthly billing chore as simple as having the computer print
the statements, removing the printed statements from the
printer, stripping the perforated edges, stuffing the
envelopes, applying postage, and mailing.
We suggest that you consider obtaining your statement forms
in 2 part carbonless forms. After printing, you simply
separate the two copies and keep the duplicate intact for
your permanent records.
IMPORTANT: To avoid tying up the computer while you are
entering charges and payments, this information is NOT
posted directly to the patient's account. The information is
collected in a transaction file until you run the POST
function. When you post, all transactions you have entered
directly as well as those created when you prepared actual
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Attending Dentist's Statements are posted to the patient's
records. See the POST function for more information.
6.2 Accounts Receivable Menu
The Accounts Receivable sub-system is entered via Option 21
at the Patient Management System Main Menu. You are first
presented with a screen identified as the 'ACCOUNTS
RECEIVABLE ACCESS SCREEN' where you are asked to 'ENTER
PASSWORD' and you are presented with a series of asterisks.
You must enter the correct password to gain access to the
accounts receivable sub-system. As you type the password,
the cursor will move across the asterisks but the letters
you type will not be displayed for security reasons.
The password, when your system was originally shipped was
'PASSWORD' (no quotes, and all capital letters). This must
be entered exactly as given.
If you enter the password correctly, you will be presented
with the Accounts Receivable Menu which looks and functions
very much like the Main Menu. As you move in and out of the
accounts receivable modules, you will return to this menu.
If you do not enter the password correctly, the screen will
turn red on a color monitor, the message INVALID PASSWORD
ACCESS DENIED will be printed on the screen and you will be
unceremoniously exited from the Patient Management System.
If this happens, you must restart your system with the PMS
command.
6.3 Enter Charges
This program is used to enter charges directly to a
patient's statement. It is used when an Attending Dentist's
Statement has not been prepared. If an Attending Dentist's
Statement has been prepared, it is not necessary to use this
function as the charges entered on that form will
automatically be transferred to the patient's billing
statement.
There are only four fields required for entering a charge
and two of these will carry the date forward from one screen
to the next. The four fields and their purpose are described
below.
PATIENT CHART NUMBER: Enter the patient's chart number here,
not the billing chart number. This is important as the
billing statement will reflect the patient's name. If the
billing chart number is different, as in the case where a
single statement is sent for all members of a family, the
computer will handle the consolidation automatically.
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As you enter each chart number, the patient's name and
address are read from the patient file and displayed on the
screen. You must then accept of reject the entry you have
just made by pressing the Y or N (for Yes or No) key. This
is to reduce the potential for error in keying the chart
number.
Since there will often be more than one billing item per
patient, after you complete the entry, the patient's chart
number will still be in this field. To enter another charge
for the same patient, simply press the [ENTER] key to tab to
the next field. If the next charge is for a different
patient, just type the new chart number over top of the
number on the screen.
DATE: Whenever you first enter the charge screen, the
current date is obtained from the system and is placed into
this field for your convenience. If you are entering charges
for the current date, you may simply tab past this field.
However, as this is the date that will be reflected on the
patient's statement, you should over type it if the charge
date is different. Once you change the date, the new date
will remain in the field until you again change it.
PROCEDURE NUMBER: All billings are based upon the entries in
your procedure file. You just enter the procedure number and
the description in the procedure file will be used on the
patient's billing statement giving complete, descriptive
billing without all the typing! In all cases, the basic fee
is used; never the state funded fee.
AMOUNT: You have two options in the amount field. To use the
standard amount as reflected on your procedure file, just
press the [ENTER] key. You will see the computer fill in a
zero amount for a moment. This zero amount is an indication
to the computer that you wish to use the standard amount and
the computer will obtain that amount from the procedure
file. If, however, you wish to bill a different amount than
what is on your file, enter the amount you wish to bill in
this field. The amount you enter will be used rather than
the amount on file.
NOTE: You may need to pay particular attention to the amount
field whenever you have made recent changes to a fee on the
procedure file. For example, if you have already changed the
fee for an extraction and you are still entering charges
from a date prior to the change, you will need to enter the
correct fee here. Accepting the default will cause the new
fee to be used.
When you have completed your entries, use the [Esc] key to
exit this option. You will then be returned to the Accounts
Receivable Menu.
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6.4 Enter Payments
This is Option 12 at the Accounts Receivable Menu screen and
is used for entering payments only. If you are adjusting an
account balance, use option 13; do not use the payment
entry.
PATIENT CHART NUMBER: You may enter either the billing chart
number or the patient chart number (if different) and the
payment will get to the appropriate account based upon the
BILL TO information on the patient chart. In most cases, you
will have the billing chart number which will be printed on
the return portion of the patient's statement.
As you enter each chart number, the patient's name and
address are read from the patient file and displayed on the
screen. You must then accept of reject the entry you have
just made by pressing the Y or N (for Yes or No) key. This
is to reduce the potential for error in keying the chart
number.
DATE: This date field will be initialized and handled
identical to the date field in the charges input screen.
PAID BY: There are two 'paid by' options; 'Patient' and
'Insurance Company'. Simply enter anything in the
appropriate field (we use an X, but you can use whatever you
wish). The importance of this field shows up on the
patient's statement. Entries indicated as having been paid
by the patient will state 'PAYMENT - THANK YOU' on the
patient's next statement whereas entries indicated as having
been made by the insurance company will reflect 'PAID BY
INSURANCE COMPANY'. This will help give the patient a proper
record of just who paid what. It is also important to
identify insurance company payments if you are tracking open
insurance company payments with the report option.
AMOUNT: Enter the amount of the payment.
CHECK NUMBER: This information is not carried over to the
statement so you may ignore it if you choose. However, it is
printed on the posting report and can at times be of value
in tracing activity on an account. Whether or not you use
the field is a decision for your office to make.
NOTE ON APPLYING PAYMENTS: For aging purposes, all payments
are applied to the oldest balance first.
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6.5 Enter Adjustments
The adjustment screen is used to make adjustments to a
patient's account, either positive or negative (see AMOUNT,
below). This screen should be used to correct an error on an
account or to make any other required adjustment so that the
adjustment is properly reflected as an adjustment on the
patient's next statement.
PATIENT CHART NUMBER: Like the charges screen, the patient's
chart number should be entered, not necessarily the billing
chart number. The computer will see that the entry is posted
to the proper billing chart, if it is different.
As you enter each chart number, the patient's name and
address are read from the patient file and displayed on the
screen. You must then accept of reject the entry you have
just made by pressing the Y or N (for Yes or No) key. This
is to reduce the potential for error in keying the chart
number.
DATE: Handled the same as the charges and payments.
AMOUNT: To add to (increase) a patient's balance, enter the
amount of the adjustment here. If you are lowering the
balance, enter the adjustment amount and then press the [-]
(minus) key BEFORE you press the [ENTER] key. In either
case, the amount will be reflected on the patient's next
statement with the notation 'ADJUSTMENT'.
6.6 Look Up An Account Balance
The purpose of this option is to do a quick lookup on an
account. It is important to remember, however, that only
POSTED amounts will be reflected in the balance shown. Any
unposted amounts will not show up. So if you have unposted
transactions for the patient you are looking up, you must
add these amounts to the balance displayed here in order to
arrive at the correct present balance for the account.
This lookup function operates much like the REVIEW/CHANGE
PATIENT RECORD in the main data base in that you may look up
a balance either by chart number or by name. For more
information on finding the appropriate record, please see
that section of your data base manual.
Once you have obtained the appropriate patient record the
balance lookup begins. The screen you are presented with
will show the patient chart number you requested, the
billing chart number (which may be the same or different)
and the billing name (again, may be the same or different).
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The billing name and chart number are presented as an
indication to you that the balance you are shown may contain
charges for other, related patients. Remember, while you
enter charges and payments by patient, the computer
maintains its records by billing chart.
6.7 Initialize Prior Accounts
When you first transfer your patient records to the
computer, you need a method of setting up existing balances
before you can take full advantage of the billing system.
There are four fields on the screen for each of your current
billing records.
PATIENT CHART NUMBER: Enter the patient chart number here.
If the patient record indicates that billings are to be
consolidated on another statement, the computer will make
that consolidation automatically. Note that even if you
currently have separate statements but wish to consolidate
them on your automated system, there is no need for you to
pre-consolidate the accounts. As long as you have the 'BILL
TO' fields completed on the patient records, the computer
will make the consolidation automatically. Also, to help you
understand just what will be done, the 'BILL TO' information
is displayed along with the patient information while you
are entering data.
30 - 60 DAYS: Enter in this field amounts which are for the
PREVIOUS month only. For example, if you were converting in
the month of May, this field would contain unpaid amounts
which were billed in April.
60 - 90 DAYS: Enter amounts which were billed two months ago
and remain unpaid. In the example given above of converting
in May, this field would contain amounts which were billed
in March.
90 DAYS: Enter the amount in this field which remain unpaid
from three months or longer (February and older in our
example).
Do not enter current months charges in any of these fields.
All current months charges should be entered directly either
through an insurance billing or via option 12 at the
Accounts Receivable Menu so that proper descriptive billing
can take place.
Note that the [F1] key is indicated as 'cancel' at the
bottom of this screen. If you discover that you have made a
number of errors on the entry and need to start over, use
this function key to exit the current entry without saving
your work and without returning all the way to the menu.
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NOTE: Do NOT set up accounts which do not have outstanding
balances. It is not necessary and just wastes computer
storage space. Whenever you make an entry to an account
which has not been set up in advance, the account is
automatically opened on the Accounts Receivable masterfile
when you post the entry. The account is also automatically
removed at the end on the month when the balance is zero to
help conserve space.
6.8 Posting
Whenever you enter charges, payments, or adjustments to a
patient's account, the line items are placed in a
transaction file where they are held by the computer. The
transactions are NOT posted to the account file immediately
because of the time required to look up all of the
appropriate information. While this may only take a second
or two, even this amount of time can be distracting to the
operator faced with entering a large quantity of data.
Consequently, we have chosen to make the data entry
operation as fast as possible and let the computer do all of
its lookups at one time while your office staff is doing
something else.
This suggests that you should probably run a daily posting
cycle to update all charges and payments. If run daily, this
should only take a minute or two. We recommend that you
either post at the end of your day or at the beginning.
However, you may post at a time that best fits your
schedule.
To post, first make certain that the printer is loaded with
plain paper and is on-line so that the posting report can be
produced as the computer posts. Then, simply select this
option and let the computer do the work.
All of the transactions are first sorted. This is primarily
for reporting purposes so that all of a patient's entries
will be together to aid in your review of the posting
report. While the sort is taking place, the computer screen
displays a 'SORTING' notation.
PLEASE NOTE: The sort is particularly sensitive to
experiencing problems with TSR programs. In all cases where
clients have experienced sort problems, they had a TSR
program running. So if you have any problems, get rid of
those TSRs.
When the sort has completed, a 'POSTING' notation is placed
on the screen and a 'DO NOT DISTURB' sign is "hung up". As
an extra precaution against anyone interrupting the posting
process, the screen is turned red on a color monitor.
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As each transaction is processed, the transaction is listed
on the ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE POSTING REPORT. This report is in
billing chart order and also lists the patient chart for
reference. The type of transaction is indicated by CHG for
charge, PMT for a payment, and ADJ for an adjustment amount.
The customer's check number is listed next for payments and
the procedure number is listed for charges. The procedure
(or payment) date is listed next, followed by the billed
amount (payment amount for payments). Finally, if the item
was obtained from an insurance company billing, it is so
indicated on the report.
6.9 Close Period
This option is selected at the completion of the billing
cycle. Its purpose is to close out the period and get ready
for the next cycle. You select this option AFTER you have
completed all work, reports, statements, etc. for a billing
cycle and before you begin the next cycle; normally once a
month.
*-----------------------------------------*
* THIS SECTION OMITTED IN EVALUATION COPY *
*-----------------------------------------*
6.10 Aging Report
The aging report is selected after all transactions have
been posted for the billing cycle and before the period is
closed. It is at this time that the information is most
accurate for aging purposes. That is, data in the OVER 30
DAYS category is between one and two months old, etc.
When the period is closed, the information is shifted one
period and will then most appropriately represent what the
status will become at the end of the cycle if the amounts
are not paid during that cycle. This is still useful
information and you may choose to run the report
periodically during the cycle to see how your collections
are coming along.
*-----------------------------------------*
* THIS SECTION OMITTED IN EVALUATION COPY *
*-----------------------------------------*
6.11 Print Statements
The statement print option will prepare your monthly
statements using the information accumulated during the
month. Make certain that your posting is up to date and then
select the statement option.
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You will first be given an opportunity to align your forms
in the printer to prepare for the run. You should always
print at least one form in alignment mode to make sure that
you are satisfied with the way the statements will be
printed. If everything prints in the proper location, you
may proceed on to the printing of the actual statements. If
the forms are mis-aligned, correct them and print another
alignment copy.
Once statement printing begins, it will continue until all
of the statements have been printed without any further
intervention. However, no matter how careful the planning,
things sometimes go wrong. If you experience any
difficulties during your statement print run, please refer
to the Statement Reprint function.
If there are any missing charts that are required by the
statement print program, a special report of these chart
numbers will be produced at the completion of the run. These
represent billings which the computer was not able to
produce. Add the charts to your master file and then use the
STATEMENT REPRINT option to print these statements -- BEFORE
-- you close the period.
6.12 Statement Reprint
No matter how careful the planning, things sometimes go
wrong. And this is never more true than during a long
computer run. You may run out of forms and while you load
new ones, a couple of statements are printed out of
alignment. Or perhaps your ribbon breaks and several
statements are printed before you recognize the problem. The
statement reprint function was designed to help you resolve
these kinds of problems.
The screen presents you with the option of reprinting any
group of statements by entering the beginning and ending
billing chart number to be reprinted. If you do not enter a
beginning number, statements will be reprinted from the
beginning of the file. If you do not enter an ending chart
number, statements will be reprinted to the end of the file.
Therefore, simply pressing [ENTER] for both numbers will
cause the entire file to be reprinted.
6.13 Open Insurance Payments
This is a report of insurance payments which are indicated
as being open longer than some period of time. You may
select any period of time in months and or days. If, for
example, you select a period of two months and the current
date is June 30, then any patient with an insurance billing
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made before April 30 with no insurance payments received
since that time will be reported. Note that this will not
report on any insurance billings made prior to installation
of version 3.1 and that it is important to properly identify
the source of payments.
6.14 Return to Main Menu
This function will return you to the main system menu. Once
you return to the Main Menu, you will be required to re-
enter the password to again access the Accounts Receivable
functions. If you have instituted password protection for
your system (i.e., if you have installed passwords beyond
the 'PASSWORD' that was shipped with your system( you should
be very careful to exit the Accounts Receivable menu when
you are away from the computer for some time.
*-----------------------------------------*
* THIS SECTION OMITTED IN EVALUATION COPY *
*-----------------------------------------*
6.15 Accounts Receivable Index
*-----------------------------------------*
* THIS SECTION OMITTED IN EVALUATION COPY *
*-----------------------------------------*
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PATIENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - USERS GUIDE
Copyright (c) by SureSoft, 1990
PLEASE NOTE:
We do not know from where you obtained your copy of the
system, upon what equipment you intend to install it, or how
you intend to use it. You may even intend to use it for
purposes other than that for which it was originally
intended. Because we have no salesmen to verify your
intended use or other control over your use and because you
have the opportunity to freely evaluate the system before
becoming a registered user, we must issue the following
disclaimer...
DISCLAIMER
You assume full responsibility for the selection of this
system of programs and for the installation, use, and
results from this program.
SureSoft makes no representation of fitness or warranties
with respect to the programs or their contents and disclaims
any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for any
particular purpose. The entire risk as to the quality and
performance of the program is with you.
In no event shall SureSoft or the Author be liable to you
for any damages, including any lost profits, lost savings,
lost opportunity costs or other incidental or consequential
damages arising out of your use or inability to use this
system of programs, even if the Author has been advised of
such damages, or for any claim by any other party.
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PATIENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - USERS GUIDE
Copyright (c) by SureSoft, 1990
ORDER FORM
----------------------------------------------------------
J. D. Tucker
SureSoft
P.O. Box 2082
Van Nuys, CA 91404
Please register my use of the SureSoft Patient Management
System, version 3.2, send me the printed set of
documentation and your support telephone number, and notify
me of the next upgrade. I understand that I am entitled to
free upgrades for a period of one year with my registration.
After my free year of support, you will offer me the
opportunity to extend my support on an annual basis at a
nominal cost. I may then choose to continue to obtain
upgrades to keep my system current or I may decide to
continue using the version of the system which I am then
using.
Also, if these is a more recent version of the system than
the one I am registering, send me the diskettes for that
version. I understand that I am entitled to the most recent
version but, as I new registered user, I will not receive
any automatic upgrade programs to convert from prior
versions to the most current version.
PMS v. 3.2 Registration. . . . . . . . . . . . $125.00
(includes printed manual)
$
6.75% California state sales tax . . . . . . . -------
$
TOTAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -------
****** Make Checks payable to J. D. Tucker
Please indicate:
5 1/4" diskettes: ______ 3 1/2" diskettes: _____
Name
---------------------------------------------
Address
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Address
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City State Zip
------------------------- ------ ------
Daytime phone number (____) ____ - ________
(in case there is a problem with your order)
- 40 -
Directory of PC-SIG Library Disk #1251
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
PMS DOC 116366 3-09-90 2:11p
PMS01005 EXE 62505 3-25-90 7:22p
PMS01012 EXE 48187 5-02-90 7:22p
PMS00002 EXE 41903 3-24-90 1:46p
PMS03008 EXE 36981 3-24-90 3:10p
PMS03009 EXE 43483 3-24-90 3:13p
GO BAT 38 10-19-87 3:56p
GO TXT 617 5-02-90 7:24p
FILE1251 TXT 1260 6-01-90 2:57a
9 file(s) 351340 bytes
5120 bytes free