The following new features, enhancements, and updates will be available in your AWARDS database beginning on Wednesday, September 8th!
Employee Identifiers - New Feature!
We are excited to announce that a new Employee Identifiers feature is now available in the Human Resources module. This feature can be utilized to document and maintain records of employee IDs from systems other than AWARDS and/or those used by outside agencies.
Key highlights of this new functionality are as follows:
-
Feature Location / Accessibility - The Employee Identifiers feature is accessible from both the Human Resources module menu and as a tab on Staff Information records. Regardless of the point of access, only users with the Human Resources Data Full Access permission will have the authority to use this feature, in accordance with existing Human Resources permission rules.
-
Feature Configuration - The Employee Identifiers feature allows for the use of a customized Identifier Types list. This list, which exists automatically and does NOT need to be created before employee IDs can be recorded, is configurable using the "Employee Identifier Types" list available in the ListBuilder.
-
Reporting - Reports of Employee Identifier information can be generated using a new "Employee Identifiers" section within the existing Employee ReportBuilder. This new section only displays when identifier types are configured in the "Employee Identifier Types" list in the ListBuilder.
InSights - Enhancements
The AWARDS InSights analytics platform recently received a number of significant updates. While AWARDS InSights agencies received a detailed description of these changes via email, we also want to keep every agency informed about these exciting enhancements as well. Specifically, this month we introduced both Plans and Reviews and Incidents by Episode data models and dashboards. We also rolled out several schema and field updates, including the addition of a Vital Signs dimension to the Hospitalization dashboard and a Job History dimension to the Referral Activity and Services dashboards.
Interested in what’s up next for InSights? The roadmap includes:
-
"Flattened" next generation data models (currently in beta - will slowly be integrated into new dashboards)
-
Housing and Program Utilization models and dashboards
-
Health Outcomes models
-
Semi-structured data including FormBuilder and PlanBuilder data for "Builders"
Our data team is hard at work and listening to your feedback, so we'll have new content, features, and products to announce in the months ahead!
OMH PCS 2021 (NY State) - Now Available for Testing
If you're an organization in New York State and are required to submit the OMH Patient Characteristics Survey, AWARDS is ready to assist! The survey in AWARDS has been updated to reflect OMH's adjustments for 2021 and is available for your testing this month ahead of the opening of OMH's practice platform on September 23rd. The 2021 survey week itself is October 25th through October 31st. An updated instruction sheet will be available shortly.
Progress Notes - Mileage Field Updates / New Option for Billable Units
For programs set to display the Mileage number field during progress notes data entry, it has been split into two separate fields to allow for additional flexibility in collecting billable units information - # Units and Unit Type. By default the type list includes a selection of "Miles," but can be customized using the ListBuilder's "Progress Note Unit Types" record to allow for tracking and billing of units other than miles. In addition to these changes the BillingBuilder's procedure configuration process has been updated to allow for billing based on the units captured in progress notes, as well as setting a maximum amount per invoice. The Billing Procedures ReportBuilder and Progress Note ReportBuilder have also been modified to accommodate these new unit options.
If # Units and Unit Type options are not presently included in your database's progress notes configuration and you would like them to be, please contact the Help Desk for assistance.
ReportBuilders - Data Variable Additions and Updates
As part of our ongoing efforts to make the ReportBuilders across AWARDS more comprehensive and user-friendly we've made a variety of improvements this month.
-
Agency Programs ReportBuilder - For HMIS uploading agencies the Submit NYC HMIS data variable has been relabeled Uses HMIS Upload.
-
Incidents ReportBuilder - A new Comments Added By data variable is now available in the "Incidents Detail" portion of the settings page. This variable will pull in the worker names of any users who have added a comment to the incident form.
-
Various Services ReportBuilders - For agencies using the BillingBuilder, the following new procedure data variables have been added to the Progress Notes ReportBuilder, Group Notes ReportBuilder, Contact Log / Support Services Checklist ReportBuilder, and Service Contacts ReportBuilders: Procedure Code, Procedure ID, and Procedure Name. Users can select these options to report on the procedure(s) that were billed for contacts with corresponding Invoice ID (Batch ID) values.