What's New in AWARDS
The following new features, enhancements, and updates will be available in your AWARDS database beginning on Wednesday, August 10th. Once you’ve had a chance to try these new features out, please let us know how they work for you. We welcome your feedback!
AWARDS File Cabinets - You Can Now Preview PDF and Image Files Without Downloading!
Users now have the option to preview the following file types in all File Cabinet modules: pdf, png, bmp, jpg, jpeg, and gif. Users will no longer be required to download these file types.
When selecting the “Download” icon on the File Cabinet feature’s action bar for these file types, the user will have the option to either “Preview” or “Download” the file. When the “Preview” option is selected, the file will open within a new browser tab. This function is also available on the Profile > Face Sheet > Client File Cabinet section when clicking on the file name. Note: Files of other allowed file types will still have to be downloaded to be viewed.
Employee File Cabinet - Work Supervisors Can Now See Work Supervisee Files
The Human Resources Data Work Supervisees permission allows Supervisors access to the Employee File Cabinet on the Human Resources menu under Administration. The worker dropdown in the module will be limited to the user’s work supervisees; meaning, the user can only access the employee file cabinet for their supervisees.
In-House Accounts - You Can Now Enter a Transaction Date for In-House Accounts Transactions
Users can now enter a Transaction Date for In-House Accounts Transactions. This new date field is now available through Entitlements > In-House Accounts > Transaction Data Entry and will default to the current date when adding a new transaction, but can also be changed to a date in the past.
MedSupport & DrFirst - New Medication Merge Tool for Duplicate Medication Records!
For customers using both DrFirst and MedSupport, we have created a new Medication Merge tool to address the issue of duplicate medication records in the client medication index. This new tool allows users to merge duplicate medication records, creating a primary record that maintains all medications and allowing the user to delete the duplicate.
MedSupport & DrFirst - New Source Field Added to Show Where the Medication Originated
For customers using both DrFirst and MedSupport, we have created a new “source” field. This is a read-only field that will auto-populate depending on where the medication originated, with one of three values: AWARDS, MedSupport, or DrFirst.
Payment Posting - New Payment Drop-Down to Select How the Payment Was Made
When entering a Personal Payment, a new configurable drop-down has been added that uses the ListBuilder item “Personal Payment Method,” which allows the user to select how the payment was made. This selection is shown on the completed payment screen, the personal payment listview, and in the Personal Payment ReportBuilder. Additionally, on the Personal Payment index, AWARDS now shows the name of the user who entered the payment record.
Progress Notes Time Conflicts - Contacts Log Report Now Also Identifies Time Conflicts!
Recently, we released an optional enhancement to identity and provide a conflict notification when creating a progress note with a time that overlaps with a previously saved note for the same client and/or the same worker in a program configured to not allow overlapping notes. By default, this feature also allows a later progress note record to have the same Start Time as the previous record's End Time, but can be configured to only allow the later progress note to have a Start Time set to the minute after the previous progress note record's End Time. As part of our ongoing efforts to make this new feature more comprehensive, we have updated the Contacts Log Report to now also identify and flag these same overlapping records when the program has been configured to not allow overlapping notes.
Saved Report/Export ReportBuilder - "One Row Per" Has Been Added as a Data Variable
The “One Row Per'' field has been added as a data variable to the Saved Reports/Exports ReportBuilder. This field will report out on the saved “One Row Per'' option selected for those ReportBuilders with one or more “One Row Per” settings available to them. When FormBuilder ReportBuilder reports are saved, this field will also report the name of the form from which the report was saved.
Service Contact Records - There Is Now a Blank Option for the Service Type Drop-Down Menu
The “Service Type” dropdown field on a Progress Note, Contacts Log, and Group Note record can now have a blank option displayed at the top of the service type list. The service type field will still be required by default so that a record cannot be saved without selecting a service type. However, with this enhancement, an agency can choose to not have the “Service Type” field be required. These new configurations can be requested through the AWARDS Help Desk.
Waiting List Clienty ReportBuilder - An "End Date" Field Has Been Added
The “End Date” field has been added as a data variable to the Waiting List Client ReportBuilder to report on a date that may be different than a Placement Date when an End Date is entered on a client waiting list record.
A Look at What's Ahead...
InSights and DataStudio Content
We have some exciting content upcoming for AWARDS InSights and DataStudio, including for the first time, AWARDS BillingBuilder data! We will be making transaction data available so that analysts can compare services data to invoices and procedures, to see how it lines up with payments and adjustments. This data will be available in both InSights and DataStudio.
We are also working to add patient identifiers into DataStudio so that agencies can have this information available for use in their data warehouses. While we often have a trade-off between developing our infrastructure and content, we’re laser-focused on adding a lot of AWARDS content into our data products over the coming months.
Future Enhancement Release Dates
Here are the dates for the next couple of AWARDS product releases so that you can keep them on your radar:
- September 21st, 2022
- November 2nd, 2022
All deployments (subject to change) are scheduled for the evenings prior to the dates listed here, making the new features and functionality they provide available to users bright and early on release days.
Connect With Us!
To see which training sessions and webinars are coming soon, check out the Upcoming Events in FootholdConnect (accessible from your AWARDS navigation bar). You can also see a current Upcoming Events Calendar in the Resource Center. See something you're interested in? Register today!
The Faces of Foothold
Kevin Schweitz, Support Specialist
We at Foothold talk about ourselves collectively all the time. For example, “We” are launching new AWARDS features, or “We” are working on a large-scale initiative to redesign AWARDS. But behind the “we” are some faces that we think you should know. This section of FootNotes - The Faces of Foothold - is a place to spotlight the individuals working hard (sometimes behind the scenes) to make sure your experience of AWARDS is one that elevates the capabilities and the outcomes of the hard work you do every day.
Meet Support Specialist, Kevin Schweitz! You might recognize his name from your interactions with the Foothold Support Team. The Foothold Support Team’s mission is to provide dependable, timely, and thorough support to AWARDS users. When you connect with the Foothold Help Desk for assistance, to report an issue, or to request some database configurations, Kevin is one of the specialists you’ll work with. Kevin has 6 years of AWARDS knowledge and experience as a Foothold staff member, but that’s not all! Prior to joining Foothold, Kevin worked with Lakeview Health Services as their Local Help Desk Admin for AWARDS. That means Kevin’s AWARDS expertise dates all the way back to 2003. So when you connect with Kevin via the Foothold Help Desk, you’re connecting with a real expert!
We asked Kevin what he likes most about his job. His answer: Having first-hand experience on a Local Help Desk, I look forward to giving the best support to those Local Admins every day. I know my work helps staff members at our customer agencies do their jobs effectively and accurately. And at the end of the day, I know my efforts make a difference in the lives of the clients our customers serve.
Well, there you have it! Another great “Face of Foothold” that we’re happy you now know.
Fun Fact: Kevin is a U.S. Army active duty veteran and was stationed at Fort Bragg, NC - Home of the Airborne! He’s performed 27 static line jumps out of perfectly good aircraft!
News You Can Use!
Have a Referral? - Help Spread the Word About AWARDS!
If you know anyone at a similar agency that would benefit from using AWARDS, we would appreciate your referral to a colleague at that agency. As a thank you for any referrals you pass along, we are happy to offer some additional benefits to your agency. Upon making a referral, you’ll have your pick between a free half day of training or a free ticket to our User’s Conference. And, if we ultimately sign a contract with the organization you refer to us, we have even more benefits you can choose from. These include, but are not limited to, multiple days of free training, free access to the AWARDS certification program, a deep dive conversation with members of our executive and product teams, and a free month of AWARDS for your agency.
Contact your Foothold representative for more details about our referral program. Or, click here to submit your referral.
Tip of the Month - Getting the Data You Want on Your Reports!
Do you find yourself trying to create a report in a specific ReportBuilder and wishing you could see additional data, but the fields you want are not available for field selection in that ReportBuilder? Then this Tip of the Month is for you! See below to learn more about requesting that fields from the Demographics ReportBuilder also be made available on other ReportBuilder in AWARDS.
Any fields that display on the Demographics ReportBuilder can be added to any of these ReportBuilders in AWARDS:
- Entitlements ReportBuilder
- FormBuilder ReportBuilder
- Progress Notes ReportBuilder
- Service Contacts ReportBuilder
- Group Notes ReportBuilder
- BillingBuilder ReportBuilder
- Calendar ReportBuilder
- Providers ReportBuilder
- Hospital Episodes ReportBuilder
- OASAS ReportBuilder
- Service Referral ReportBuilder
- Waiting List ReportBuilder
- HMIS ReportBuilder
Here are some examples to help you think through ways this option can be incredibly useful for your reporting needs:
- Your billing department asks to see information from the progress notes and they want you to include the client’s address and diagnosis. You can request to have the Primary Diagnosis and Street Address displayed on all of the service documentation related ReportBuilders (Progress Notes, Group Notes, Service Contacts). This will allow you to build the requested reports.
- If you have fields in FormBuilder Assessment forms that you selected to make available on related ReportBuilders, those fields are available in the Demographics ReportBuilder. With these fields now on the Demographics ReportBuilder, you can request that they be added to any of the above ReportBuilders - for exponentially powerful reporting capabilities! NOTE: data pulled from FormBuilder Assessment forms will always pull in the most recent data filled in on the assessment form.
If you would like to request that any fields from the Demographics ReportBuilder be added to other ReportBuilders in your database, simply go to the Demographics ReportBuilder and copy the exact name of the field you want to see. Then send a message to the Help Desk asking for that field to be added to the specific RepotBuilder(s) you wish to see it in. It's that easy! Happy reporting!
Follow Us on Social Media - Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook
We’re working to expand the influence of our social media, and we need your help! Please make sure to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook. Also, we want to celebrate all the amazing work you do, so tag us in your posts or email elliot@footholdtechnology.com and we’ll make sure we help spread the word.
Nominate a DSP - Recognize a DSP Doing Great Work!
Click here to Nominate a DSP you believe is doing amazing work, especially if they include technology or data in their daily work. We’ll feature them on our kudos board during DSP Recognition Week – September 12-18. We’ll also send them a $5 Starbucks gift card to say thanks for the great work they do.
New Podcast Episode - Sharing In Our Caring Podcast
We’ve released Episode 6 - Pledge 1% - Turning Profit Into Impact. If you haven’t yet, Click here to check out our podcast, or you can search for it on your preferred podcast platform (you can find it on most podcast platforms.) We can't wait to hear what you think! If you're a podcast listener, please subscribe, rate, review, and help us spread the word!
News From the Field - With Radicle Health Board Member, David Bucciferro
What Role Can Health IT Play When an Epidemic Meets a Pandemic?
A blog by David Bucciferro (Foothold Technology), co-chair of the EHRA and the Opioid Task Force, and Renee Han (Epic), Opioid Task Force member
Over the past several years, community service and health professionals have fought hard to gain ground in the battle against the opioid epidemic. From 2017 until 2020, the number of patients receiving buprenorphine, methadone, or naltrexone – common medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) – consistently increased as more patients at risk for OUD and overdose were identified and treated, according to a report from Epic Research.
What happens when an epidemic meets a pandemic? Click here to continue reading.