The E-Signatures Configurations tool in AWARDS is designed to allow users to create custom signature sets for the purposes of designating who should electronically sign records, and which options they will have in the signing interface when doing so. This tool is currently available for:
- Progress Notes - As of February 2019, this feature replaces electronic signatures functionality for progress notes. (Previously existing signature rules are accessible via Business Rules.)
- Monthly Checklists - As of July 2019, this feature provides electronic signatures functionality for a new location in AWARDS - monthly checklists (the monthly view within the Services - Individual module's Res / Day Hab Daily Checklist feature).
IMPORTANT! The Res/Day Hab Daily Checklist is an optional database enhancement. If this feature has been made available in your AWARDS database, please keep in mind that its label in the Services - Individual module is configurable and may look differently depending on the program you're working with. Regardless of the label used, the functionality - including its e-signatures configuration - is the same as that described here.
If the Res/Day Hab Daily Checklist has not yet been turned on in your AWARDS database and you would like to learn more, please click here.
The E-Signatures Configurations functionality is very similar to the e-signatures configuration process in the PlanBuilder feature; however, whereas in PlanBuilder each format has its own set of signature options, in Progress Notes you have the ability to configure signature sets for both note types and program types in your database, and in Monthly Checklists you have the ability to configure signature sets for various program types.
Features in E-Signatures Configurations include:
- Options to configure default signature sets at the database-wide level, or for specific note types (applies to progress notes only)
- Ability to configure unique signature sets for each progress note type, as well as for various combinations of note and program types (applies to progress notes only)
- Full flexibility in determining the number of signatures available for records, with options for staff, client, and third-party signers
- Options to document signature refusals, and to note when the signer is unavailable for signing
- Ability to provide an optional comments section for each signer
- Internal audit alert messages in the Messages module when records are available for signing
A corresponding Ready for E-Signature Notification option is available under Notifications for all users who have the Receive External Email Notifications permission assigned to them under System Setup > Permissions Maintenance. Users with this permission can receive external email notifications when an internal audit message is sent to them within AWARDS letting them know when a record is available for signing. In order for those notifications to be sent, the Notifications feature must be configured.
- Ability to set up signing order workflow requirements
- Reporting that allows for true quality assurance of record signing status
Required Permissions
The E-Signatures Configurations feature is available to users with the following permissions:
- E-Signatures Configurations
Permissions are assigned using the Permissions Maintenance feature. If you do not have access to that feature and need a permission listed here, please contact your supervisor or your local Help Desk for assistance.
The E-Signatures Configuration Process
Steps in the Process
The process for setting e-signatures when using the Configurations tool has three primary steps, listed here. For detailed instructions on each step, click the corresponding link below.
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1. Working with Signature Sets - The entirety of a record's signature section configuration is referred to as a "set." The first step in the process of configuring e-signatures is to create a set. Once created, you'll use subsequent steps to add one or more order levels, along with one or more signature lines within each of those order levels.
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2. Working with Order Levels - The second step in the process of configuring e-signatures is to add an order level to the set. A signature set's order levels enable you to group like signatures together for organizational purposes. They also enable you to determine the workflow for signing by specifying whether one or more signatures from a given order level must be applied to the record before individuals within the second order level will be allowed to sign, and so on. Based on these requirements AWARDS will recognize which order levels are currently open for signing on any given record, and notify relevant employees via AWARDS Messages.
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3. Working with Signature Lines - The third and final step in the process of configuring e-signatures is to add signature lines to the order level. The signature lines for each order level are displayed in a sub-index beneath that order level's heading and requirements information. It is here you will set the type of signatures to be included in the record, the role of each individual who is to sign, and whether there are any requirements or optional settings allowed in each instance.
IMPORTANT! Upon completion of the configuration process for progress notes, a behind-the-scenes hierarchy is used to determine which of your existing signature sets (if more than one) a user sees when he or she signs a progress note. We strongly recommend familiarizing yourself with this hierarchy BEFORE getting started with your configurations, as doing so will help you better understand how to approach your progress note e-signatures configuration in a holistic way. This hierarchy is NOT relevant to other signature configurations such as monthly checklists.
Progress Note E-Signatures Hierarchy
IMPORTANT! The e-signatures configuration hierarchy described here applies only when configuring signatures for progress notes under Builders & Tools > E-Signatures Configurations > Progress Notes. It does NOT apply to Monthly Checklist e-signature configuration.
There are three layers that operate in a hierarchy to control what a user sees when he or she signs a progress note. These layers, in order of how they are checked when determining which electronic signature set is used are as follows:
- All Note Types Default - The default signature set used at the database-wide level that every user will see when he or she writes a progress note, regardless of the note type or program they select. The "All Note Types Default" option is applied to all note types that do not have any configurations set, and all program types that do not have a configuration or default set for a note type. Only one "All Note Types Default" signature set can be created.
- Selected Note Type Default - If a note type has a default signature configuration set in place, this is the signature set AWARDS uses unless it finds an explicit signature set enabled for a particular note type/program type combination. Only one default signature set can be created for each note type.
- Selected Note Type / Program Type Combination - Within a particular note type any number of signature sets can be created for use in one or more program types. A program type can only be enabled for one signature set for the same note type.
The following diagram provides a visual representation of how these layers are checked for progress note e-signature configurations, working from the bottom up:
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THIRD (if needed): Assuming one has been created for the agency, the user will see the "All Note Types Default" signature set configuration when writing the progress note if no other signature sets were found for the selected note type on the first or second layers. |
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SECOND (if needed): If a signature set for the specific note type exists, that is the signature set configuration the user will see when he/she writes the progress note, and the other layers are not checked. If this type of set DOES NOT exist, the third and final configuration layer is checked. |
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FIRST: When a user selects a program in which to write a progress note, AWARDS looks for a signature set that has been created for the specific note type and program type combination. If such a set exists, that is the signature set configuration the user will see when he/she writes the progress note, and the other layers are not checked. If this type of set DOES NOT exist, the second configuration layer is checked. |
Before Getting Started!
Before getting started with the progress note e-signatures configuration process, we recommend you not only have an understanding of the hierarchy detailed above, but that you also review the following questions. They are designed to guide you through some important points of consideration regarding how your progress note e-signatures should be set up.
- How will the bulk of your progress notes need to be signed? For example, does every progress note - regardless of program type or note type - need to have a psychiatrist's signature? If so, you'll want to configure a signature set on the All Note Types Default layer to reflect that requirement.
- Are there specific note types that need to be configured differently from the "All Note Types Default" standard, across all program types? For example, does every General Chart Note note type require a Program Director signature, regardless of the program in which it's written? If so, you'll want to configure a signature set on the Selected Note Type Default layer for General Chart Notes in order to reflect that requirement.
- Are there signing requirements for a specific note type and program type combination? For example, does the Collateral Contact note type require a parent/guardian signature for the Clinical Case Management program type but not other program types? If so, you'll want to create a signature set for the Collateral Contact note type and enable it for the Clinical Case Management program type. (This would be a great example of using the Selected Note Type / Program Type Combination layer of the hierarchy.) If you need to create multiple signature sets for a note type based on the program type it applies to, you can do that too.
Getting Started!
The E-Signatures Configurations feature is accessible to users with the E-Signatures Configurations permission, assigned under Permissions Maintenance. Once access has been granted, initial next steps vary based on the AWARDS feature for which e-signatures are being configured:
- Progress Notes - It is intended that once the E-Signatures Configurations tool has been made available, agencies will take the necessary time building out these signature sets while the old progress notes signature rules remain in effect. When everything is good to go with all configurations done and your agency is ready to make the change to those new configurations, Foothold will help you flip the switch globally in your database. From that point in time the new signature sets will be applied to any previously unsigned progress notes, and for all new notes moving forward.
- Monthly Checklists - Electronic signatures are available for use in monthly checklist records as soon as they are configured using the E-Signatures Configurations tool. No additional steps are required; however, we strongly advise you to consult with your Foothold Customer Success & Advocacy team representative before moving forward so that they can help you make sure that your e-signature settings will meet your programs' needs.
For both configuration types, an Electronic Signatures Configurations ReportBuilder can be used to help you keep track of what configuration work has been completed at any point.
Please reach out to your Foothold Customer Experience team representative when you are ready to begin using this exciting functionality!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I edit the signing window for progress note signatures configured using E-Signatures Configuration?
Yes. To do so, complete the following steps from the AWARDS Home screen, noting that the process varies slightly from the typical data entry process:
- Click Administration from the left-hand menu, and then click Builders & Tools. The Builders & Tools fly-out menu is displayed.
- Click E-Signatures Configurations, and then click Progress Notes. The Electronic Signature Sets index is displayed.
- Click the Note Type drop-down arrow in the upper-right corner of the page and select the note type associated with the signature set containing the signature line for which the signing window is to be changed.
- Click the signature set containing the signature line for which the signing window is to be changed, or click the checkbox to left of that signature set, and then click the view icon. The signature set is opened and displayed.
- Click Signatures from the left-hand menu. The signatures index is displayed.
- Click the checkbox to the left of the signature line for which the signing window is to be changed.
- Click the edit icon. The signature line is opened in data entry mode, with the signing window available for editing.
- Make changes to the value in the Signing Window (Days) field as needed.
- Click Save to save your changes.
The process of changing a signing window is now complete. The signing window change is immediately effective for any new instances of progress notes using this signature line moving forward, as well as any saved progress notes using this signature line that have not yet been signed.
- Is there a way to preview what a signature set will look like before beginning to use it?
Yes! From the Electronic Signature Sets index page, click the checkbox to the left of the set to be previewed, and then click the Full Signature Set Preview icon from the action bar above the records table.
This option is only available for the Progress Notes component of E-Signatures Configurations, not for the Monthly Checklist.
A secondary window is opened, displaying the selected set so that you can see how it will look on progress notes.
To save time and clicks, leave the secondary preview window open and refresh it after making a configuration change to see the latest version of the signature set you are working with.
- What happens when you inactivate a signature set? Can it ever be re-activated if needed?
By default all signature sets are "Active," meaning that they are in use for the selected program type and/or note type. If a signature set is no longer in use and should not be available on progress notes moving forward, the Status for that set should be changed to "Inactive."
Inactivated signature sets are kept as a part of any notes that were saved while the set was active. If you choose to create a new signature set, that set is applied to all new notes using this signature configuration moving forward.
WARNING! Once inactivated, signature sets cannot be re-activated.
- Why is one of my signature sets not showing up when I generate an E-signatures Configurations ReportBuilder report?
If the ReportBuilder settings you have chosen to use should have resulted in the inclusion of a specific existing signature set but you are not seeing that set in the report results, it is typically because no settings - order level(s) or signature line(s) - have yet been added to that set. Once the signature set itself is created, order level and signature line settings are accessed by clicking Signatures from the left-hand menu while viewing the signature set record.
Related Reports
Other Helpful Resources
Training Films & Demonstrations
Webinar Recordings
Join us for a review of the Progress Notes component of the E-Signatures Configurations tool in AWARDS, made available in February 2019. This functionality is designed to replace existing electronic signatures functionality (accessible via Business Rules) for progress notes. It is used to create custom signature sets for the purposes of designating who should electronically sign progress notes, and which options they will have in the signing interface when doing so. (May 2019)