1. AWARDS
  2. What's New in AWARDS?
  3. 2021 Release Notes

April 2021

Updated

The following new features, enhancements, and updates will be available in your AWARDS database beginning on April 7th, 2021.  

April 2021 Enhancements (40 min)



Calendar - Event Block Time Display Enhancement

Based on feedback from customers who requested the ability to see more text when viewing many Calendar events at-a-glance, a change has been made to shorten the times displayed on event blocks.  This enhancement applies to all event types (except Charting Events and Plans and Reviews), as well as the "Calendar" and "List" viewing formats.  It allows users to see more of the event title, especially when using a condensed view such as the Month display.  Specific changes you'll see as a result of this enhancement are as follows:

  • Events that are one hour or less in duration only display a start time.

  • Events that are longer than one hour in duration display both start and end times.

  • Events that span both AM and PM (for example, 11:30 am to 12:30pm) display both start and end times, regardless of event duration.

Central Intake - Referral Data Now Pre-Populates for OASAS Programs

Applicable only to OASAS programs using Central Intake functionality.  When making a placement from an OASAS central intake program via the face sheet, OASAS data will now pre-populate the destination program's referral form, including data in the Legal Data and Medical Information forms.

Entitlements - New Copays Feature

A new "Insurance Copays" table is now available within the Entitlements > Certified Entitlements feature (also accessible via the Face Sheet). Users assigned a new "Copay/Personal Payments" data entry/access permission can view this new table on the Entitlements form and work with copay records as follows: 

  • The Certified Entitlements page includes the Copay table for the client, including any existing records and an Edit/Add New Copay link that opens the Copays index page.

  • The Copays feature allows users to record different copay types and amounts that are in place for client insurance records. When adding a new copay record, the Insurance Type drop-down displays insurance records currently in effect for the client.  Duplicate records with matching Insurance Types, Copay Types, and overlapping effective dates are not allowed.

  • Prior to beginning data entry for copays, agencies should configure their own copay types using the Billing Copay Types item in the ListBuilder feature.  This setup must be completed BEFORE starting data entry in the Copays feature, as Copay Type is a required field when adding and editing copay records.

  • Copay information also appears on event pop-ups for program appointments in the Calendar, within the Certified Entitlement Report, and on the Entitlements ReportBuilder, where a new Copay Type data variable is now available.  

And coming soon...  A new Personal Payments feature is currently being developed, where users can record payments made by the client (i.e., a copay being collected at the time of an appointment).

Housing Utilization - Report Enhancements for HMIS and Non-HMIS Programs

The Housing Utilization Report has been updated for all programs to use the "Program Enrollment Household ID" in place of the "Global Household ID" when determining which family members were present on any given date. Additionally, for HMIS projects the report will no longer use the Residence Units feature or Agency Program Information fields to calculate the project's capacity.  Instead the report will use the HMIS Bed Inventory (where present) to calculate unit and bed capacity. As a result of this enhancement HMIS staff may see data changes and/or need data clean-up in the following areas:

 HMIS projects are defined as those with the Use HMIS Data Elements option under Add/Edit Entire Program set to "Yes."  HMIS housing projects have both this option set to "Yes," and an HMIS Project Type of "Emergency Shelter," "Safe Haven," "Transitional Housing," or any "PH - " type. 

  • For non-HMIS programs - "Occupancy (Units)" and "Occupancy (Beds)" values from the report come from the "Household Program Enrollment ID." If you are seeing unexpected values in your "Occupancy" columns and your program uses household functionality, run the Demographics ReportBuilder and review the "Household Program Enrollment ID" information found there.  If your program doesn't use household functionality, every client counts as their own distinct household.

  • For HMIS projects - "Occupancy (Units)" and "Occupancy (Beds)" values from the report come from the "Household Program Enrollment ID." If you are seeing unexpected values in your "Occupancy" columns, run the HMIS ReportBuilder and sort by "Household Program Enrollment ID." Your "Unit Occupancy" value will be the number of distinct "Household Program Enrollment ID" values.   ("H" before a household ID indicates the client isn't actually in a household on their admission date, rather it indicates there is no valid Household ID.)  Your "Bed Occupancy" will be the number of client in households.

  • For HMIS housing projects - If you are seeing unexpected values in your "Capacity" columns, cleanup may be necessary in your HMIS Bed Inventory.

  • For HMIS housing projects with a "PH - " project type - The "Permanent Housing Move In Date" is used in place of the client's admission date when determining when a client was actually residing in housing. 

 

Immunizations - Enhancements for COVID-19 Vaccination Tracking

Do you need to track and report on COVID-19 immunizations for the individuals you serve? AWARDS is here to help! We have made some exciting changes to the Immunizations feature in AWARDS in order to allow for enhanced documentation and reporting of COVID-19 immunizations, including:

  • Recommended Immunization Type options and workflow for 1-dose and 2-dose immunizations, including related CVX code tracking.

  • Updated Manufacturer selection list, updated to include all three companies supplying the COVID-19 vaccines (where Johnson & Johnson is labeled as "Janssen.")

  • Updated Date field allows documenting future dates, which in turn allows for documenting scheduled visits in advance.

  • Immunizations index preview information now includes Status, allowing a quick view of "Ordered" vs "Performed" vaccinations. 

Please review the COVID-19 Immunization Tracking - AWARDS Quick Reference Guide to learn more about the recommended workflow, and then complete and submit the COVID-19 Immunization Tracking - Optional Enhancements Request Form to request related configuration changes. Once submitted, we will be in touch to let you know when your AWARDS database is configured correctly to allow for enhanced tracking and reporting of COVID-19 Immunizations.

MedSupport - Emergency Access Now Available

In the event that AWARDS is offline for any reason (for example, during planned downtimes scheduled for the release of new AWARDS features), MedSupport can now be accessed directly using a new Emergency Access feature.  Detailed instructions on the access process are available in the MedSupport Emergency Access - Instruction Sheet.

Keep in mind that in order to take advantage of of this feature you must:

  • Have an accurate work email address in MedSupport.  If you have one in AWARDS, you're all set - it will be synced for you.

  • Have an active AWARDS login as of today (MedSupport access will be restricted for terminated employees).

  • Know your MedSupport login, which is your AWARDS username "@" your AWARDS URL.

Providers - Role/Type Features and WorkFlow Enhancements

As part of our ongoing efforts to make the Medical module's Providers feature as comprehensive and user-friendly as possible, we’re excited to introduce a variety of new features and workflow enhancements related to provider role/type.  Specifically:

  • The Type drop-down option in Providers data entry (as well as the corresponding Providers ReportBuilder data variable) has been relabeled Role/Type.

  • The Search feature available from the Providers index now allows you to locate records not just by specialty or name, but also by provider role/type.

  • When using the Search Providers option, a new Filter by Role/Type checkbox is now available to narrow results by a provider's role/type/

  • A new Role/Type multi-selection list is now available when adding/editing provider records in the Providers Directory.  Corresponding data can be included in the Providers Directory ReportBuilder.

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