HOW TO USE THE MAIN
If you use the Appointment Scheduler to enter services
for your patients, you add the functionality of the messages and reminder
sections of TPS 2000. It also creates a
“step by step” cycle that will help the front desk complete all the tasks
necessary for handling your patients.
From
the “Select a File to Open” menu choose Appointment Scheduling, or use the
Navigation Bar Icons, click on the icon
Each time a patient comes into the office for an
adjustment, the receptionist completes the same basic sequence of steps from
the time the patient arrives, until the time he/she leaves. A patient comes into the office, he/she sees
the doctor, the services done are
recorded, and he/she is rescheduled for their next appointment.
TPS 2000 follows this same flow. The process of greeting a patient, entering
the services, entering a payment and rescheduling the patient, is called
"The Main Loop"
"The Main Loop" is started from the Appointment
Scheduler and returns to the same screen once the steps of the
"loop" have been completed As
the status of the patient changes from scheduled to arrived and then to
treated, so does the background color behind their name change. Each color signifies a different status. A patient's name with a background of purple
means that they have arrived in the office.
A patient's name with a background color of green means that the patient
has received their services, and their services have been entered in the computer. This color coding allows you to tell at a
glance the status of each patient on the scheduler.
To schedule a patient on the Day Scheduler for Today,
click in the appropriate column on correct time slot. A list of your active, Patient Claims will
popup. You may select from this list by
scrolling or using the arrow keys to move up and down through the list, or you
may click into either PAT CODE or NAME fields, and start typing. If you know the patient’s code for whom you
are ready to enter services, click on a number in the PAT CODE field and type
in that code. TPS 2000 will take you to
that listing. If you know the patient’s name for whom you are ready to enter
services, click on a name in the NAME field and type in all, or part of the
patient’s name. TPS 2000 will take you
to that area of the list. When you have
found the correct patient, double click, hit enter or click on Select Record.
One of the unique and powerful features of "The
Practice Solution!" is the late message.
The patient's name will turn red if the patient is late. With a Click of the Mouse, the patients
telephone number can be obtained and a message left in the system as to whether
this patient was rescheduled or the reason for missing the appointment. This information will then print out on the
messages report. No longer will patients
just slip through the cracks. You can
use the telephone number in the late message to call the patient and reschedule
that important visit.
To show that the patient has arrived, click on their name
again and the status process will change the background color to purple. Click again, and this patient will move to
the next step of the loop, the services entry.
From the Services List shown on the left-hand side of the
screen, select the services that are applicable for this visit. You may select from this list by scrolling or
using the arrow keys to move up and down through the list, or you may click on
the down arrow next to Categ. and select a specific category of services from
which to pick.
As you select your services, you will see the balance
fields at the bottom of the screen update appropriately.
If you have selected all of the needed services, and this
patient has not made a payment, you may either click on DONE, SAVE CHANGES
(found at the bottom of the screen) to move to the next step of the loop.
If the patient has made a payment for these services,
click on the ENTER NEW PAYMENTS tab.
Enter the amount of the payment (NOTE: If you are using the Fast Pay
method, TPS2000 automatically fills in this field with the amount shown in the
Patient Pays field and distributes the money to the services. If this is not the amount that has been paid,
click on CANCEL CURRENT CHANGES and enter the information in the appropriate
fields as follows). Choose what type of
payment has been made (i.e. Check, Cash, Credit Card, Off Account). If there is a Check or Credit Card Number,
fill in the next field. You may choose
to apply to this current visit first, the oldest visit first, or you may
manually enter the payment toward the specific services if you wish. If you use the “apply to” option (and do not
wish to manually enter the amounts next to each service) you will need to click
on (Re)Apply Payment Amount to distribute this payment to the services.
If the patient is making more than one type of payment
(i.e. using an On Account Credit and paying balance with a check) you will then
click on Save this and Add new Payment.
The payment screen will clear, and you will be ready to add the
additional payment entry.
PLEASE NOTE: If
the patient has made a payment for more than is currently owed, you will see
the following message:
By selecting [YES], the extra money will be placed in the
patient’s On Account field, ready for the next use.
After you have entered all of the needed payments, click
on DONE, SAVE CHANGES (found at the bottom of the screen) to move to the next
step of the loop.
You will now be on the Future Appointment
Scheduling screen, ready to make this patient’s next appointment with your
office. This screen will show
approximately 17 weeks of the calendar.
Any appointments already scheduled for this patient will fill in with
the time on the day of the appointment.
The time of the current appointment and its duration will be filled in
at the top of the screen. If you need to
adjust this time for the next appointment, do so using the to the right of the times listed. Now click on the date of the next appointment.
MUTIPLE APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING
To schedule several
appointments for a patient a one sitting you click on the MULTI button. This will bring the following screen:
You may, if needed, correct the from and to time of the
appointment. You may, if needed, change
the column in which this patient is to be scheduled. Place a 4 in the days of the week this patient is to be
scheduled then select the time period. (i.e. Monday, Wednesday and Friday from
11/21/00 until 01/21/00). When your
selections have been made, click on [Create Appointments]. This will automatically book the appointments
requested for this patient. If the time
and column requested is unavailable for a particular day(s), you will see the
word “CONFLICT” to the right of the appointment date. Simply click on this date to bring up that
day schedule. You may then make an
alternate choice.
When you have completed scheduling this patient, click on
the DAY SCHEDULE tab to complete the “Main Loop”. You will be back on today’s Appointment
Scheduler ready to handle the next patient.