Filed under: Tips
A very easy way to target all your remaining QOF targets is to use the ‘Threshold search’ button.
This auto selects patients in ALL the clinical indicators where you can still gain QOF points.
3 steps:
1) In EMIS Population Manager, make sure the ‘Look Ahead’ date is set to ‘End of financial year’.
2) In PatientChase, click the ‘Threshold’ button.
3) Print letters or labels. Or both.
Removing unwanted targets from the Threshold Search
You may wish to remove certain targets from your results, most notably Records 23 – No Smoking Status.
To do so, click the ‘Edit’ button, deselect the target/s and click the ‘Finish Search’ button.
February 1, 2012
PatientChase works with all versions of Microsoft Word.
However, you may encounter the following message “only works with .docx format” if you’ve installed PatientChase 2.0 yourself.
PatientChase’s default configuration is set to work with Word 2007 or Word 2010 and this message indicates that you’re running an older version of Word.
It’s very easy to change this setting.
Go to > Advanced > Options > Using older versions of Word > Click OK.
December 1, 2011
Do any of your patients prefer not to receive invite letters?
If this is the case, there’s a very easy, automated way to flag up such patients within any of your PatientChase recall lists. This way you’ll be safe in the knowledge that your mail merges will not include any of these patients.
Start recording in EMIS
In the first instance, you’ll need to create a custom Read Code in EMIS to record such patient requests.
DT-C-M-F will allow you to create a new Read Code in EMIS.
Whenever a patient asks that you stop sending them letters, make sure you use this Read Code in their medical record.
Removing them from PatientChase searches
These patients can be automatically highlighted and removed from any PatientChase search by doing the following:
1. Run your PatientChase search.
2. Run an EMIS search to find all the patients with the custom Read Code. The only field required is Patient Number.
3. Export from EMIS list into Excel and Save.
4. In PatientChase, load the Results View of your search.
5. Right click and ‘Select Patients from Excel Export’ (see screenshot below).
6. Find your Excel file and Open.
7. Matching patients will be highlighted (see screenshot below).
8. Right click and ‘Delete Patients from Search’.
Your mail merge will no longer include patients who do not want letters.
You can apply the above process to any set of patients you’ve exported from EMIS.
In other words, filter any PatientChase search with any criteria you wish.
Examples: Housebounds, nursing home patients, recently deceased, usual or registered doctor, branch site patients, QOF+ patients, CKD with PVR patients.
November 18, 2011
Do you use the label printing tool to produce automatic QOF alerts for repeat prescription patients?
If the answer is yes, you can now automatically record the label into EMIS at the same time as printing the label. The labels can then be audited for exception reporting, using the reporting tool in PatientChase.
To ensure this feature is enabled, open the Label Printing Pop Up, select ‘Options’ in the top right corner and select the ‘Insert into EMIS’ option.
Click the image below for a screenshot of the label printing options:
If you don’t use the label printing tool, click here for a tutorial.
November 8, 2011
Further to a posting made in January (scroll down this page for more info), a quick reminder that it’s very easy to make instant sweeps across your QOF to help you get 100%.
You can do this in several ways:
1)Using the hotkeys within the Search Builder
2) Using the Threshold Search button on the main screen.
Remember, these auto searches are also editable/customisable to how you see fit.
Also, if you’re presently working on recalling patients across varied conditions why not supplement your letters by also sending prescription label reminders at the same time?
If you’d like help with any of the above, just get in touch.
support@patientchase.com
0845 402 5161
March 17, 2011
Happy New Year from all at PatientChase!
It’s the final quarter of the QOF year but there’s no need to panic if you still have numerous targets to achieve.
At this time of year many practices focus their patient recall on those patients who have still not come in for their QOF checks.
This is the perfect time to be using our ‘threshold search’ feature and/or the hotkeys in the search wizard.
Threshold button
At the click of a button PatientChase identifies all those patients who need to be recalled in order for you to achieve 100% across all thresholds.
All or any of this patient group can then be instantly mail merged.
This feature works brilliantly whatever method of recall you use at other times of the year. In fact, it can be used simultaneously with other recall methods, i.e. month of birth recall, QOF only recall, due diary date recall or opportunistic patient attendance.
Come the new QOF year in April, PatientChase’s flexibility means you can simply revert back to your existing recall method.
Click the big Threshold button at the top of the PatientChase screen to run the pre-built threshold search.
Should you wish to view a tutorial on how the threshold search works, simply click the ‘Learn more’ link that appears once you’ve clicked the button.
Hotkeys in the search wizard
Click on New Search and press either the r or b keys on your keyboard. This will group all your patients together across indicators where you have not yet achieved your targets.
r = red targets / below target
b = black / within 20%
January 5, 2011
Flu season is upon us and don’t forget PatientChase is excellent for recalling all those patients requiring a flu jub who have a chronic disease.
Whether they have a flu jab target in 1,2,3 or 4 disease areas, PatientChase can ensure their letter takes into account all the disease areas.
The label printing feature of PatientChase is also perfect for targeting patients coming in to pick up their repeats who also need a flu jab.
Click here for a tutorial on how to use label printing.
If you’d like help with any of the above, please call 0845 4025161.
September 13, 2010
You can momentarily disable the patient counter while using the Search Builder.
This speeds up making your selections, and is most useful when there are many patients in the categories.
To do this, open the Search Builder and press the ‘p’ key to switch the counter off.
Press the ‘p’ key at any time to switch the counter back on.
Click on the image below for a screenshot of the counter disabled:
August 9, 2010
In addition to being able to customise the automated prose appearing in your mail merge letters, you can also hide a term so it does not show on any of the letters.
In other words, you may wish to recall patients on specific registers or for specific QOF indicators, but you may not wish to display the related term in the letters.
To hide a specific register phrase or specific QOF indicator term:
1) Go to Tools>Options>Prose
2) Select the term
3) Replace the text with [NULL]
4) Click Save.
Subsequently, no text will appear on the letter but PatientChase will still record your invitation for 1st, 2nd, 3rd letter auditing purposes.
Click on the thumbnail below to view an example.
July 28, 2010
In addition to the existing merge fields found in the letter and label templates (access the templates by going to Tools>Options>Letters), any of the following 4 extra merge fields can be added to your template:
[NHSNo]
[DOB]
[Sex]
[TelNo]
Remember to enter them exactly as shown above.
July 27, 2010
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