With the Progress Notes feature in AWARDS, you can quickly and easily write narrative documentation of contact with a consumer. These notes can be e-signed as needed.
Sometimes, there is a need to modify the information in a progress note, even after it has been signed. Previously, you would need to remove an e-signature from a progress note to allow the note to be edited. Then the note would need to be re-signed. Progress Notes Versioning is new functionality that will allow you to keep an e-signature in place while still allowing edits to be made to the progress note.
Required Permissions
Progress Notes Versioning is an optional feature and should be requested through the AWARDS Help Desk. Once your agency's database has opted-in to this feature, the following permission is required for any user to use the feature:
- E-Signatures - Edit Signed Progress Notes Exception Override Permission
Note: An "Exception Override" Permission means that the permission is temporary and will be automatically revoked 7 days after it is granted. If you need to perform the specific task again, you must be re-granted the Exception Override Permission.
Workflow
If you have the E-Signatures - Edit Signed Progress Notes Exception Override Permission, you can edit a progress note that you previously signed. To do so, select the radio button in front of the e-signature lock and key icon on the note you'd like to edit (on the Progress Notes Index page).
Select the radio button, then click CONTINUE.
On the Progress Note Data Entry Settings page, you can make edits to any of the available fields, except for the Progress Note Type.
Note: You cannot edit the Note Type because changing the Note Type would change any e-signature configurations for that selected Note Type. If you wish to change the Progress Note Type, then the e-signature applied to the note will need to first be removed.
When you edit an e-signed note on the Progress Note Data Entry Settings page, you will see a banner with the following warning: You are editing an E-Signed note. All previous E-Signed versions will stay intact. To change the Progress Note Type selection, all E-signatures must be removed.
On the following Progress Note Data Entry page, you can continue to edit any available fields while also editing the narrative text box. When finished, click Save. Once the progress note is saved, a read-only version of the note will display on a confirmation page.
New Progress Notes Versioning Features
New features are now available on the read-only report version of a note when you've used Progress Notes Versioning:
- E-Signed Version History Drop-Down: This new drop-down list will display once a progress note has been e-signed and then edited after a signature has been applied. A "version" of a progress note is created once a note has been e-signed. Each version of the progress note represents the note as it was when it was signed. Each e-signed version will be displayed in a drop-down list called E-Signed Version History, sorted by the date and time of the versions.
- Click to Re-Sign Signing Link: Once a progress note has been signed and then edited, a new Click to Re-Sign signing link will appear, allowing you to re-sign the note. Above the Click to Re-Sign link, you'll see the following message: This note has been modified since this signature was applied.
- Display/Hide Outdated Signatures Link: Once a progress note has been re-signed, you can view the previous e-signatures on the note by clicking the new Display Outdated Signatures link. These outdated signatures will show along with the date and time of when the signature was applied, and the following message: This is an Outdated Signature. You can click the date and time link to view each version of the progress note. These will show in a separate pop-up window. You can hide these outdated signatures by re-clicking the link that will now be called Hide Outdated Signatures.
Auditing
The Audit Trail ReportBuilder will indicate if any progress notes have been edited after e-signatures were applied with "Edit - E-Signed" in the Action field variable within the report results.
ReportBuilders - New Fields
New fields were added to the Progress Notes ReportBuilder and the Service Contacts ReportBuilder.
Progress Notes ReportBuilder
New fields were added to indicate any notes that have been edited after signatures were applied and also to indicate if a signature was applied to a version other than the final version of a note. These new fields include:
- Multiple E-Signed Versions - For both One Row Per Note and One Row Per Signature Action, an additional field called Multiple E-Signed Versions will show under the Progress Notes section. This field will display "Yes" or "No" for whether there are multiple cached versions of the note (if there were edits to the note and the note was re-signed.)
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Outdated Signature (Yes/No) Field - A "Yes" indicates that there has been a subsequent edit and a "No" indicates that there is not a subsequent edit. This data field should match the indicator that a note was modified even if it hasn't been re-signed yet.
- Note: This only displays when using the "One Row Per Signature Action" report settings option.
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Re-Signed (Yes/No) Field - This Yes/No field indicates if the signature was a "Re-Sign" signature.
- Note: This only displays when using the "One Row Per Signature Action" report settings option and will not apply to Refused/Unavailable signatures.
Service Contacts ReportBuilder
A new field has been added to indicate if a note has been edited after a signature was applied.
- Multiple E-Signed Versions - The "Multiple E-Signed Versions" field will display under the Progress Notes section. This field will display "Yes" or "No" for whether there are multiple cached versions of the note (if there were edits to the note and the note was re-signed.)
Progress Notes Versioning & the BillingBuilder
The BillingBuilder is set up to accommodate Progress Notes Versioning in the following way:
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If you use the option in Procedure Setup to require an electronic signature on Progress Notes, this will continue to function as you know it; however, there is a new checkbox on the Procedure Setup screen that allows you to incorporate "versions" into your billing requirements.
- If the checkbox is selected, and Progress Notes Versioning is enabled, AWARDS will only bill for a note if the original note has an electronic signature AND the most recent "version" of the note also has an electronic signature.
If you would like this feature enabled for your billing, please review the notes below and contact the Help Desk.
- Run the Procedures ReportBuilder, including the Procedure ID field (under Record Information).
- Export it into an Excel file and clearly indicate which Procedures should be set with this new option.
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Send the Excel file to the Help Desk.
- We will update the settings on the back end so you don't have to do that manual setup work.