IDEXX Cornerstone. Administrator’s Manual (8.3 NEXT version 8.3.6)

Chapter 12: Setting Up the Appointment Scheduler

Setting Up Appointment Suites

The Suite Setup feature is used to display selected columns for individual staff members. Using

appointment suites, you can group rooms together and arrange the order in which the rooms appear on

the daily and weekly schedules. (For example, you may want to group all your boarding rooms together

and all your examination rooms together.) If new appointment rooms are added after you set up the

suite feature, the room(s) will be added to the bottom of each suite. A default suite will automatically be

set up that contains all the rooms in your system. This suite cannot be changed or deleted.

To set up your appointment suites:

1. On the Controls menu, select Appointment Scheduler > Suite Setup.

2. Click New to add a new suite. The Suite Information dialog box appears.

Suite Information dialog box

3. In the Suite description text box, type the name of the suite.

4. For the Columns on grid setting, click the number of columns (4, 6 or 8) you want to display when

this suite is viewed on the Schedule for Today window.

5. In the Display column, select the check box next to each room that you want to include in the suite.

6. To arrange the order in which the rooms will display, highlight a room and click the

arrow

button to change its position as needed.

7. Click OK.

272

Chapter 13: Setting Up the Electronic Whiteboard

This chapter covers the steps required to set up the Electronic Whiteboard the IDEXX Cornerstone

Practice Management System. For information on entering treatment orders and other daily usage tasks

in the Whiteboard, see “Chapter 10: Using the Electronic Whiteboard” in the Cornerstone User’s Manual.

Overview

The IDEXX Cornerstone* Practice Management System features an Electronic Whiteboard where all

treatments for patients can be ordered and tracked by staff. Upon completion of patients’ treatments,

treatment items are automatically placed on the Patient Visit List and completed treatments are placed in

patient history.

The Electronic Whiteboard comes ready to use. Standard categories (vital signs, treatments, etc.),

frequencies (SID, BID, etc.) and patient hospital statuses (Inpatient, Ready to go home, etc.) have been

provided so that no setup is required. However, if desired you can customize the Electronic Whiteboard

setup to better meet the needs of your practice using the following setup tasks.

Note: Information on setting up Whiteboard defaults, patient hospital statuses and wards/locations is

provided in other chapters (as indicated below, following each of

these tasks). The remaining setup tasks are covered in this chapter in the following pages.

• Set up Whiteboard defaults (see “Whiteboard Defaults” on page 144)

• Set up treatment categories

• Set up patient hospital statuses (see “Patient Hospital Status” on page 70)

• Set up wards/locations (see “Wards/Locations” on page 71)

• Set up treatment areas

• Set up treatment frequencies

• Set up Whiteboard alerts

Note: Remember to have a Cornerstone Administrator adjust Whiteboard security settings as needed for

each staff member.

Setting Up Treatment Categories

Treatment Categories manage the way tasks are grouped on the Electronic Whiteboard’s Patient

Treatments window. The categories are selected on the Patient Orders window and then organized and

displayed on the Patient Treatments window’s Treatments column.

There are several categories set up within Cornerstone already, including Vital Signs, Diagnostics,

Treatments, Medications, Daily Care, and Communication/Discharge.

To add or edit a treatment category:

1. On the menu bar, select Lists > Electronic Whiteboard > Categories. The Treatment Category

List dialog box appears.

2. Click New to add a new category or double-click an existing category to update it. The Treatment

Category Information dialog box appears.

273

Chapter 13: Setting Up the Electronic Whiteboard

3. In the Description text box, type or edit the name used to describe the category.

4. Click OK and then click Close.

To set the order of the Category drop-down list (available in Patient Orders):

1. On the menu bar, select Lists > Electronic Whiteboard > Categories. The Treatment Category

List dialog box appears.

2. Click Order. The Treatment Category Display Order dialog box appears.

3. For each category you want to move, highlight the category and use the

and arrow buttons to

move the category to a different position on the list.

4. When you have finished setting the order of the list, click OK and then click Close.

Setting Up Treatment Areas

Treatment areas are locations within the practice where inpatient orders are scheduled to be performed.

With treatment areas set up in Cornerstone, it is possible to assign an area to a specific treatment order

on the Patient Orders window. This allows staff to narrow the list of patients/treatments that display on

the Whiteboard and Patient Treatments window to a specific area.

For example, with the Lab and Radiology/X-ray treatment areas set up, you can easily edit the filters on

the Whiteboard to select one of these areas and narrow the list of patients to show only those needing

an x-ray or needing lab work.

To add or edit a treatment area:

1. On the menu bar, select Lists > Electronic Whiteboard > Areas. The Treatment Area List dialog

box appears.

2. Click New to add a new area or double-click an existing area to update it. The Treatment Area

Information dialog box appears.

3. In the Description text box, type or edit the name used to describe the treatment area.

4. Click OK and then click Close.

Setting Up Treatment Frequencies

Treatment frequencies are used to determine how often and when a treatment is scheduled for an

inpatient on the Whiteboard. The Treatment Frequency List allows you to set up treatment frequencies to

occur Every day or Every x days. The frequencies set up here display as options in the Frequency field

on the Patient Orders window when adding treatment orders for a patient.

Some common frequencies are included with Cornerstone, including Continuous, One time, Until

Completed, SID (once a day), BID (twice a day), TID (three times a day), QID (four times a day), and

frequencies performed "Every x number of hours" (e.g., Every 4 hours-q4h).

Some frequencies cannot be updated or deleted, including Continuous, One time, Until Completed and

frequencies performed "Every x number of hours."

To add or edit a treatment frequency:

1. On the menu bar, select Lists > Electronic Whiteboard > Frequencies. The Treatment Frequency

List dialog box appears.

2. Click New to add a new treatment frequency or double-click an existing frequency to update it. The

Treatment Frequency Information dialog box appears.

3. In the ID text box, type a unique identification code to use for this frequency (e.g., BANCHG).

274

Chapter 13: Setting Up the Electronic Whiteboard

4. In the Description text box, type a name used to describe the frequency (e.g., Bandage Change).

5. Do one of the following:

• If this frequency applies to treatments that will be performed every day, click the Every day

option and then click to place a check mark next to each default time a treatment should be

performed for this frequency.

Every day frequency

• If this frequency applies to treatments that will be performed every 2 to 7 days, click the Every x

days option, select a recurrence of every 2 to 7 days, and then specify the time you would like

the treatment to occur on those days.

Every x days frequency

6. Click OK and then click Close.

275

Chapter 13: Setting Up the Electronic Whiteboard

To set the order of the Frequency drop-down list (available in Patient Orders):

1. On the menu bar, select Lists > Electronic Whiteboard > Frequencies. The Treatment Frequency

List dialog box appears.

2. Click Order. The Treatment Frequency Display Order dialog box appears.

3. For each frequency you want to move, highlight the frequency and use the

and arrow buttons

to move the frequency to a different position on the list.

4. When you have finished setting the order of the list, click OK and then click Close.

Setting Up Whiteboard Alerts

The Whiteboard Alerts List allows your practice to create a list of commonly used hospitalized patient

alerts to be displayed on the Electronic Whiteboard windows for the current visit.

Note: Whiteboard alerts can also be free-form typed for each patient at the time of use as needed.

(Alerts entered manually at the time of use are not saved in your Whiteboard Alerts List.)

To add or edit a Whiteboard alert:

1. On the menu bar, select Lists > Electronic Whiteboard > Alerts. The Whiteboard Alerts List dialog

box appears.

2. Click New to add a new alert or double-click an existing alert to update it. The Add/Edit Whiteboard

Alert dialog box appears.

3. In the Description text box, type the alert text as you want it to display at the time of use on the

Whiteboard.

4. Click OK and then click Close.

276

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Overview

A reminder is a means of following up with a client about a patient’s specific needs; for example, a

reminder to make a phone call or a reminder to send a letter, postcard, or email.

Reminders are a vital component of the IDEXX Cornerstone* Practice Management System. Using

reminders, you can:

• Easily contact your clients regularly

• Remind clients of appointments

• Inform clients of medical updates or new products

• Analyze the productivity of your practice

Reminders are also a means of contacting clients who meet specific criteria. Cornerstone software

places reminders in a patient’s record when:

• An invoice item linked to a reminder is added to an invoice for the patient.

• A reminder is entered manually in the patient’s reminder information.

For information on linking reminders to invoice items, see “Adding Reminder Information to Invoice

Items” on page 192.

Reminder Printing Options-Cornerstone or Microsoft^® Word^®

The process of generating reminders is done entirely within Cornerstone. As part of this process, the

Cornerstone software searches all of the patient reminder files (that meet the criteria you specify) and

pulls the reminder information data into a text (.txt) file. This file can then be used to merge the data into

reminders that can be printed using Cornerstone software or printed/emailed using Microsoft Word.

The process is summarized as follows:

1. Use Cornerstone software to produce the list of clients/patients to whom reminders will be sent.

2. Do one of the following:

• Use Cornerstone software to print reminder cards with options to include a Postal Bulk Rate

(PRESORTED STANDARD) stamp, a pet picture, and/or a four-line reminder message.

• Use predefined Microsoft Word templates (or other applicable word processing programs) to

merge the list of clients and patients into documents that can be printed or emailed.

277

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

What Information Prints on a Reminder?

Each reminder template contains the following information:

• Practice name and address (the templates must be customized with your practice’s name and

address)

• Patient name

• Client ID, name and address

• Postage information (when applicable)

In most cases, you will need to update the practice name, address and phone, reminder text and

postage information to meet your practice’s needs. You can later change these settings by editing the

reminder template.

Sample reminder card:

Countryside Animal Medical Clinic

PRESORTED

Drs. Papp, Williams, Orosz & Hogue

STANDARD

8338 Main Street

U.S. POSTAGE

Eau Claire, WI 54701

PAID

Phone: 715-555-5432

PERMIT #12345

CITY, STATE

A reminder that Ghost is due for:

4/6/09 Feline 3 + IMRAB

Ms. Karla Kracker

1001 Mockingbird Lane

Eau Claire, WI 54703

Your pet's health is very important to us.

Please call our office for an appointment.

To view reminders, print a Reminder Letter Report.

Reminder Strategies

The Cornerstone reminder system is an important means of contacting clients. With a solid reminder

strategy, you can do the following:

• Protect your client base

• Enhance client loyalty

• Improve preventative care

• Increase revenue

• Improve compliance

To use reminders effectively, predetermine and follow a strategy for generating and sending reminders.

Invoice Items and Reminders

When an invoice item that has reminders linked is included on an invoice, Cornerstone automatically

places a reminder (or several reminders) in the patient’s file. When the due date is reached, you can

print postcards or letters that list these invoice items. See “Adding Reminder Information to Invoice

Items” on page 192 for information.

278

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Generally, there are two ways to set up reminders on invoice items and you are encouraged to use both

simultaneously.

• Method 1—Set up items that are purchased sequentially

• Method 2—Set up items that are interchangeable

Method 1—Set up items that are purchased sequentially

Items set up sequentially should satisfy all earlier items in the sequence. If a client skips one part of the

series, the existing reminders should still be satisfied.

Example:

When Molly was one month old, Ms. Carlyle brought her in for her DHLPP 1st vaccination. This invoice

item DHLPP1 generated a reminder for another invoice item DHLPP2. When Molly was two months old,

however, Ms. Carlyle forgot to bring her in for the DHLPP 2nd vaccination. The practice used

Cornerstone to generate a second (unsatisfied) reminder for the DHLPP 2nd vaccination.

Ms. Carlyle brought Molly back in when she was three months old. At this time, Dr. Morris decided to

administer the DHLPP 3rd vaccination instead of the DHLPP 2nd. Because Dr. Morris’ reminder system

was set up correctly, Ms. Carlyle will not receive another reminder for the DHLPP 2nd even though Molly

never received the vaccination. The DHLPP 3rd vaccination satisfied the DHLPP 2nd vaccination and

also generated a reminder for a yearly DHLPP Booster.

Method 2—Set up items that are interchangeable

Interchangeable services should satisfy each other.

Example:

A practice interchanges two different types of heartworm tests, Heartworm Antigen and Heartworm

Occult. Each of these items generates a reminder in 12 months for the same service. In 2004, Ranger

gets the Heartworm Antigen. A reminder is created in 2005 for the Antigen test. When Ranger returns to

the practice in 2005, Dr. Randolph decides to use the Occult test instead. In order for Cornerstone to

delete the existing reminder for the Antigen test, the reminder for the Occult test must also satisfy the

reminder for the Antigen test and vice versa.

Call vs. Letter Reminders

Patient reminders provide two options for contacting clients—calls and letters.

• Call refers to “call backs” or “recalls” that you can view on the Reminder Recall Report or on the

Daily Planner. Calls are used to contact clients in more immediate situations, such as follow-up

calls after a surgery and reports on hospitalized animals.

• Letter refers to a printed reminder. Reminder letter formats include postcards, letters and email

reminders.

279

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Classifications and Flagged Owners

By classifying clients and flagging owners, you can narrow the focus of your reminders. Some common

strategies include:

• Using classifications for various types of clients (preferred, seasonal, etc.). For example, use a

classification of Seasonal-W for winter clients. Clear the Send reminders check box (Controls

> Classifications, select the Client tab) for that classification during the summer months when

you do not want to send reminders to winter clients.

Classification Setup for Client dialog box

• Using flagged owners to narrow your reminder list. Clients who have the Send reminders check

box selected in the Patient Owner Information dialog box are considered “Flagged Owners” and

will receive mailings sent to flagged owners if their classification is selected. Flagged Owners

may be your best clients who receive more frequent reminders.

Patient Owner Information dialog box

Note: See “Generating Your Reminders” beginning on page 288 for information on selecting

classifications and flagged owners when generating reminders.

280

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Setting Up a Reminder System

The following example is of a three-tiered reminder system. This means that reminders are generated

twice each month (such as at the beginning of the month and at mid-month). Note that this is an

ongoing activity; this example only follows reminders that were due between 2/1 and 2/29.

Note: This is just one example of a reminder system. Your practice should form its own reminder

strategy.

Date Reminders

Reminder

Future

Were Generated

Due Dates

Time Sent

(Mailed)

(Date Range)

Overdue

The first time this

Ö 1/15

Ö 2/1 - 2/29

Ö Future

Ö 1^st

group of reminders

11/1 - 11/30

Overdue

3^rd

was sent was two

weeks before the

first reminder was

due.

1/31

12/1 - 12/31

Overdue

2^nd

2/15

3/1 - 3/31

Future

1^st

12/1 - 12/31

Overdue

3^rd

2/29

1/1 - 1/31

Overdue

2^nd

3/15

4/1 - 4/30

Future

1^st

1/1 - 1/31

Overdue

3^rd

The second time this

Ö 3/31

Ö 2/1 - 2/29

Ö Overdue

Ö 2nd

group of reminders

was sent was when

the reminder was

two months overdue.

The third (and last)

Ö 4/15

5/1 - 5/31

Future

1st

time this group of

Ö 2/1 - 2/29

Ö Overdue

Ö 3rd

reminders was sent

was two weeks after

the second set.

To calculate your return on reminders

You can calculate the financial return you’ve gained by using reminders. The compliance rate (satisfied

reminders) shows the effectiveness of your reminder system. Use the following table to calculate your

response rate of satisfied reminders. When you generate your reminders, make a note of the number

generated so you can accurately calculate the return.

Note: You can use this same method for calculating a response rate on cards generated.

281

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

1st

2nd

3rd

Month

A - B

B - C

C - D

Total

January

492

336

239

220

32%

29%

69%

February

526

347

271

255

34%

22%

62%

March

427

303

225

29%

26%

April

359

215

36%

May

395

A = # 1st reminders sent, B = # 2nd reminders sent, C = # 3rd reminders sent, D = # 4th reminders

(not printed)

Tips for Using Reminders Effectively

•

Confirm that interchangeable items satisfy each other.

•

Decide on a strategy that works realistically for your practice.

•

Track the response rate by keeping track of the number of cards generated for each group each

time they are generated. Do not generate two time frame groups together (such as 5/1 - 5/31

and 2/1 - 2/29).

•

Set up a method to track when you send reminders. One method of tracking is to use a

calendar and three (or the number of times each group of reminders is sent) colored

highlighters to track the number of times you have mailed that group of reminders. Circle the

date that the first round was generated, and continue to circle that date with a different color as

each consecutive round is generated.

•

Verify that your reminders are set up in the system correctly. Run an Invoice Item Reminder

Information Report to check.

•

Be attentive to overdue reminders. Choose a certain period of time (such as monthly or yearly)

and pull out the clients that haven’t visited within a specific time period. Send these clients a

letter or call them to let them know that you are concerned for their pet and that you would like

an update of their pet for your files.

•

Talk to one client at a time. As clients come in to your practice, check the reminders on all of

their pets. If any reminders are overdue, ask them for an update of that pet. (You can preview a

Check-In Report for each animal who enters your practice and look for any overdue reminders.)

•

Use Cornerstone performance tracker to gather information about client’s compliance with your

recommendations. See “Chapter 27: Using Cornerstone Performance Tracker” beginning on

page 441 for more information.

To view a list of reminders that each item generates and satisfies, print the Invoice Item Reminder

Information Report.

282

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Cornerstone Reminder Card Setup

If you use Cornerstone software to print reminders, the following items can be printed on reminder

cards:

• Postal Bulk Rate (PRESORTED STANDARD) stamp

• Pet pictures

• Four-line reminder message

You can also easily change the alignment and placement of reminder information on reminder cards.

Setting Up a Bulk Rate (PRESORTED STANDARD) Stamp

The U.S. Postal Service provides special postage rates for large mailings. If your practice sends a large

number of reminders (200 or more), the special rate most likely applies. (There are some restrictions

based on the size of the reminder card. Consult your local post office for details.)

To take advantage of the special rate:

• A permit number issued by the post office is required.

• A bulk rate (PRESORTED STANDARD) stamp must be printed on reminder cards.

Note: This feature applies only to reminder cards that are printed in Cornerstone, not Microsoft Word. To

include a bulk rate stamp on a Microsoft Word reminder, type the bulk rate information and permit # for

the stamp on the applicable reminder template.

To set up a bulk rate stamp:

1. On the Activities menu, select Reminder Selection > Reminder Print Options > Reminder Bulk

Rate Permit Setup. The Bulk Rate Permit Setup dialog box appears.

Bulk Rate Permit Setup dialog box

2. Click on the Permit # line and type your permit number. Use care to not delete other bulk rate

information. This information complies with U.S. Postal Service regulations and should be left as is.

3. Click on the City, State line and enter your city and state.

4. If necessary, click Reset to reset the bulk rate permit wording to the default standard bulk rate

wording.

5. Click OK.

Including Pet Pictures on Reminder Cards

If you print reminder cards directly from Cornerstone (not Microsoft Word), you can include pet pictures

on them. Up to four pictures can print on two and four card reminders and up to three pictures can print

on three card reminders.

Note: This feature only applies to reminder cards that are printed in Cornerstone, not Microsoft Word.

283

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

To include pet pictures on reminder cards:

1. On the Controls menu, select Defaults > Practice and Workstation. The Practice and Workstation

Defaults window appears.

2. In the navigation pane, click Workstation. The Workstation configuration pane appears on the right

side of the window.

Select Reminders to

print pet pictures on

reminders

Workstation defaults

3. In the Print patient pictures on area, select Reminder to print pet pictures on reminders.

Note: This setting must be set on each workstation.

4. Click OK.

Modifying Reminder Card Alignment and Placement

You can easily change the alignment and placement of Cornerstone reminder card information by

modifying the reminder print options.

Note: This feature only applies to reminder cards that are printed in Cornerstone, not Microsoft Word.

To change alignment and placement of reminder card information:

1. On the Activities menu, select Reminder Selection > Reminder Print Options > Two/Three/Four

Card Reminder Alignment. The Reminder Alignment dialog box appears.

284

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Reminder Alignment dialog box

2. To change the position of the information on the reminder cards, click a box and use your keyboard

arrow keys to move it.

Note: If you choose to include pet pictures on reminders, you need to set Workstation defaults to

include reminders. See “Including Pet Pictures on Reminder Cards” on page 283 for more

information.

3. To change the alignment back to the original reminder alignment, click Reset.

4. To print a test page to check the alignment, click Test page.

Note: If you change the alignment of pet picture boxes (the small boxes marked Pix1, Pix2, etc.),

we recommend that you test the alignment before printing all of your reminders.

5. Click OK.

Creating a Reminder Message

You can create reminder messages that print on the bottom of reminder cards. To match the reminder

reason, a message can easily be changed each time reminders are generated. You can also create a

number of different reminder messages. When you generate reminders, you can select the applicable

message from a drop-down list. You can print one four-line message per card.

Other reminder message options allow you to do the following:

• Change the standard Patient message (A reminder that [name] is due for:) to wording of your

choice.

• Add a reminder message line for overdue reminders. If you include overdue reminders on

reminder cards, this message precedes the overdue reminders.

• Select one set of reminder messages as the default set.

Note: This feature applies only to reminder cards that are printed in Cornerstone, not Microsoft Word.

285

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

To set up a reminder message:

1. On the Activities menu, select Reminder Selection > Reminder Print Options > Reminder

Message Setup.

2. Click New to add a new message or double-click an existing message to update it. The Reminder

Message window appears.

Reminder Message window

3. In the Message title text box, type the name you want to use for this message. This title will not

appear on the reminders, but will appear in the Reminder Message dialog box.

4. In the Patient message text box, type the text that you want to print for the patient message line on

the reminder card and press TAB. To include a patient name bookmark in the text, enclose name in

brackets (e.g., [name]).

5. In the Past due message text box, type a message line to precede past due reminders. This line

prints only if past due reminders are found and included on a patient’s reminder card. If this

message is not entered, past due reminders are included with reminders that are currently due for

the selected date range.

6. In the Reminder message details area, type the text of your message. Your message is limited to

four lines of 60 characters each.

7. If you want this message to be the current message used on your reminder, select the Default

message check box. Only one message can be selected as the default.

Note: A default message is not required. You can select a message when generating reminders.

8. Click OK and then click Close.

286

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Microsoft Word Reminder Card Setup

Reminder templates that can be used when you print reminders using Microsoft Word are included with

the software. Before using the templates for reminders, edit the templates to include your practice name,

address and telephone number.

Reminder templates included with your software include:

• reminder2.dot-Use to print two postcard reminders on a laser printer.

• lasrem3s.dot-Use to print three postcard reminders on a laser printer.

• reminder4.dot-Use to print four postcard reminders on a laser printer.

• postcrds.dot-Use to print postcard reminders on a dot-matrix printer.

• trifolds.dot-Use to print letter size reminders which can be folded in thirds and mailed.

Before You Begin

1. Save a copy of the .dot (Word template) file that you want to change. You will find the reminder files

in your Cornerstone directory (e.g., C:\Cstone). Save a copy in another folder or on CD.

2. Open Microsoft Word.

3. Generate reminders in Cornerstone. See “Generating Your Reminders” on page 288.

Note: Depending on the version of Microsoft Word you are using, the Word functions and dialog boxes

referenced in this section may vary slightly from your version of Word. Refer to the Microsoft Word online

Help for instructions specific to your version.

To edit a reminder template in Word:

1. In Microsoft Word, open the reminder template you want to use to print reminders:

a. On the File menu, select Open.

b. In the Files of type box, select Document Templates (*.dot) to view Word template files.

c. Look in your Cornerstone directory (e.g., C:\Cstone) and select the file.

d. Note the following:

• If the Macro Virus Protection Warning box appears, click No.

• If the Print dialog box appears, click Cancel.

• If the Command Failed message appears, click OK.

2. Edit your practice information, messages and postage information. Remember to edit all postcards

included in the template.

3. On the File menu, click Save to save your changes in the template.

4. If a message appears asking if you want to overwrite the older Word version with a newer Word

version format, click Yes.

5. If the message appears to inform you that Word converted the macros in the template and asking if

you would like to save a backup copy of the original template, click Yes.

For more information on working with document template (.dot) files, refer to your Microsoft Word online

Help.

287

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Generating Your Reminders

When you are ready to send a batch of reminders, you must tell Cornerstone which reminders you want

to generate. The Cornerstone Generate Reminders window allows you to identify specifically what types

of reminders to send and to whom.

In addition, you can set the Reminder type field to specify your reminder output and printing

preferences. Reminder type options include:

• Two card/Three card/Four card-If you select one of these Cornerstone reminder card options,

at the end of the Generate Reminders process, the Report Preview window appears and allows

you to print your reminders immediately.

• Create Word file-Select this reminder type if you plan to generate reminders using Microsoft

Word. At the end of the Generate Reminders process, Cornerstone will create a text (.txt) file that

can be used to merge the data into reminders that can be printed or emailed from Word.

• Create Reminder Service file-Select this reminder type if you plan to generate reminders for

the IDEXX Reminder Service. See “Using the IDEXX Reminder Service” on page 291 for more

information on using this service.

Before You Begin

• Print the Invoice Item Reminder Information Report to review a list of reminders that each item

generates and satisfies, and verify that your reminder setup is correct.

• Print and review the Reminder Letter Report and make any necessary changes.

• If you plan to print reminders in Cornerstone as part of the Generate Reminders process, make

sure the applicable reminder cards are loaded in the printer. Reminders print to the printer set

up as the default printer.

To generate reminders:

1. On the Activities menu, select Reminder Selection > Generate Reminders. The Generate

Reminders window appears.

Generate Reminders window

288

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Multi-Location/Single Database configuration only: If desired, select a practice from the Practice

drop-down list to filter specific clients based on their assigned home practice. (An All Practices

option is also available.)

In the Date range area, do the following:

a. Specify the Beginning date and Ending date of the reminders you want to print. (These dates

are the reminder due dates.)

b. In the Past Due date text box, specify a past due date or press TAB and continue to the next

field if you do not want to include past due reminders. Any reminders with due dates that fall

between the past due date and the beginning date for reminders will be included on the

reminder cards. This applies only if the patient also has reminders due that fall in the beginning

and ending date range.

In the Client information area, do the following:

a. In the Send reminders to drop-down list, do one of the following:

• Select All owners to send reminders to all owners who have the Send reminders check

box selected and/or who have a classification with the send reminder option set. Continue

to the Sort by field.

• Select Flagged owners to send reminders to owners based on classification. In the Client

Classification selection list, select the classification(s) for which you want to send

reminders. Reminders will be generated for all flagged owners (those with the Send

Reminders check box selected) who have the selected classification.

Tip: In the Client Classification selection list, all classifications are highlighted and selected by

default. Click the classifications you do not want to include to deselect them.

b. In the Sort by drop-down list, do one of the following:

• Select Client Name. In the Beginning last name and Ending last name fields, enter the

range of client names you want to select for reminders, or press TAB for both fields to

include all client names.

• Select Client ID. In the Beginning client ID and Ending client ID fields, enter the range of

client IDs you want to select for reminders, or press TAB for both fields to include all client

IDs.

• Select Postal Code. In the Beginning postal and Ending postal fields, enter the range of

postal ZIP Codes for reminders, or press TAB for both fields to include all postal codes.

In the Species information area Selection type drop-down list, do one of the following:

• Select All to generate reminders for all species.

• Select Small to generate reminders for all small animal species only.

• Select Large to generate reminders for all large animal species only.

• Select Individual and then in the scroll list, click the species for which you want to generate

reminders.

In the Output information area Reminder type drop-down list, select the type of reminder cards to

generate:

• To generate standard Cornerstone reminder cards, select Two card, Three card or Four card.

• To generate reminders using Microsoft Word, select Create Word file.

289

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

• To generate reminders for the IDEXX Reminder Service, select Create Reminder Service file.

Set the following Output information fields as applicable for the reminder type selected in the

previous step (the fields available will vary depending on the selected reminder type):

•

To include the bulk rate permit stamp on the reminders, select the Bulk Rate Permit check box.

This applies only to reminders printed in Cornerstone, not Microsoft Word. To set up a bulk rate

permit stamp, see “Setting Up a Bulk Rate (PRESORTED STANDARD) Stamp” on page 283.

•

In the Distribution type drop-down list, select the method or methods to use for distributing the

reminders.

•

If applicable, in the Reminder message drop-down list, select a message to print on reminders.

This applies only to reminders printed in Cornerstone, not Microsoft Word. To set up reminder

messages, see “Creating a Reminder Message” on page 285.

•

In the Name text box, type the path to use for generating a your name list (typically saved in

your Cornerstone directory as C:\Cstone\namelist.txt). If necessary, click Browse to search for

and select an existing file to replace with the newly generated name list.

•

Select the Include Pet Pictures check box to include pet pictures on cards printed using the

IDEXX Reminder Service (available only for the Create Reminder Service file option). See

“Using the IDEXX Reminder Service” on page 291 for more information on the IDEXX Reminder

Service.

•

In the Reminder information to generate box, address information appears. To deselect a

highlighted address item (e.g., Client ID), click the item. Deselected items do not print on

reminders.

•

In the Number of reminders per card (1 to 9) text box, type the maximum number of

reminders to print on a card. If you type 3, up to three reminders appear on a card. If a patient

has more than three reminders, a second card is printed. (The default of 9 reminders per card is

recommended.)

In the Invoice item information area Selection type drop-down list, do one of the following:

• Select All to include all invoice items.

• Select Individual to include certain invoice items and specify the items to include.

• Select Service to include only Service type items.

• Select Inventory to include only Inventory type items.

• Select All Except to exclude certain invoice items and specify the items to exclude.

Click OK. The Generating Reminders status box displays.

Cornerstone searches all of the patient reminder files (that meet the criteria you specified) and will

either create a namelist.txt file for mail merge with Word or generate the reminders for printing within

Cornerstone.

10. When Cornerstone has finished generating the reminders, make a note of the number of reminders

that were generated for your records.

11. If applicable, choose one of the following options:

• If you generated two-card, three-card or four-card reminders, click OK again and the Report

Preview window displays, showing the generated reminders. To print the reminders, click Print.

290

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

• If you selected Create Word file to generate reminders, the Report Preview window does not

display. Click OK to exit. Open Microsoft Word and print reminders. See “Printing Reminders

from Microsoft Word” on page 293.

• If you selected Create Reminder Service file, select the Open IDEXX Reminder Service

check box and click OK. The reminder service website displays. Click Place your order now,

and the reminder service will print and mail reminders directly to your clients. See “Using the

IDEXX Reminder Service” in the following section for more information.

Using the IDEXX Reminder Service

The IDEXX Reminder Service allows you to delegate the printing and mailing of your practice’s

reminders to someone else. You can choose from a variety of card designs that will grab your clients’

attention and boost response rates.

Option to Include Pet Pictures

You can provide a more personal touch to your clients with the addition of custom-printed pet pictures

on their reminder cards. With this IDEXX Reminder Service feature, you can include a small picture of the

Cornerstone patient on the client address side of the reminder postcard.

IDEXX Reminder Service postcard with Pet Picture included

For more information regarding the IDEXX Reminder Card Service, contact IDEXX Practice Solutions at

1-888-224-4408.

To send reminders using the IDEXX Reminder Service:

1. On the Activities menu, select Reminder Selection > Generate Reminders. The Generate

Reminders window appears.

2. Set up your reminders as you would normally, and in the Reminder type drop-down list, select

Create Reminder Service file. (See “Generating Your Reminders” on page 288 for information on

setting up reminders in the Generate Reminders window.)

291

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Generate Reminders window-Create Reminder Service file

If you want to include pet pictures on reminders (for those patients having an existing pet picture in

Cornerstone), select the Include Pet Pictures check box. If this option is selected, Cornerstone will

copy the applicable pet pictures and save them to a compressed ZIP file.

When you have finished setting up your reminders, click OK. The Generating Reminders dialog

displays the number of reminders generated and the number of associated reminder cards.

On the Generating Reminders dialog box, select the Open IDEXX Reminder Card Service check

box and then click OK. Your web browser will open to the IDEXX Reminder Card Service Web page.

Tip: You can also access the IDEXX Reminder Card Service Web page by selecting Reminder

Service from the Web Links menu in Cornerstone.

On the IDEXX Reminder Card Service Web page, click Place your order now and enter your login

information to create a new order.

If you previously selected the Include Pet Pictures option on the Generate Reminders window, do

the following to upload the pet pictures file:

a. When specifying the type of cards to create, select the All Cards option.

b. Under the Select Items area, click the Reminder Cards w/Pet Photo tab.

c. Complete all required practice information fields, then click the Upload File button and browse

to select and upload the Cornerstone-generated namelist.zip file containing your pet images.

Note: Only one pet picture may be used per reminder card.

Follow the on-screen prompts to enter your information, attach your reminder mailing list file and

review your order. If you uploaded a pet pictures ZIP file, the reminder service will match up the pet

pictures with the corresponding practice ID, patient ID, and client ID information to print the pictures

on the reminder cards.

When you have reviewed all information and you are ready to submit your order, click Send Order.

The reminder card will be printed and sent to the recipients on your list.

292

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Printing Reminders from Microsoft Word

After reminders are generated in Cornerstone, you can use Microsoft^® Word software to print the

reminders using a reminder template.

If you use Microsoft Word to print your reminders, initially, you will need to enter your practice name,

address and phone number and postage information. You may also want to change or add reminder

text. You can change these settings by editing the reminder template.

Microsoft Word uses templates (postcrds.dot, trifolds.dot, lasrem3s.dot, reminder2.dot, and

reminder4.dot) to merge the client/patient data into a document file and then prints the reminders (in

Word). See “Microsoft Word Reminder Card Setup” on page 287.

Before You Begin

• Create the Cornerstone reminder .txt file (Activities > Reminder Selection > Generate

Reminders). See “Generating Your Reminders” on page 288.

• Make sure your reminder templates have been customized. See “Microsoft Word Reminder

Card Setup” on page 287.

• Make sure the correct paper is in the printer. Reminders print to the printer set up as the default

printer.

Tip: You can print mailing labels from the Cornerstone Editor using the sample document template for

the Avery^® 5160 label.

Note: Depending on the version of Microsoft Word you are using, the Word functions and dialog boxes

referenced in this section may vary slightly from your version of Word. Refer to the Microsoft Word online

Help for instructions specific to your version.

To print reminders in Microsoft Word:

1. Open a reminder template by browsing to the Cornerstone > Reminder Documents folder in

Windows^® and then selecting the applicable reminder template.

2. If a SQL command message appears, click Yes to continue.

The selected reminder opens in Microsoft^® Word.

3. Open the Mail Merge window in Word (this varies depending on your version of Word).

4. For the document type, select Letters.

5. For the recipients, select Use an existing list, and then browse to select the namelist.txt file from

your Cornerstone directory (usually C:\Cstone). To find this file, search for only text files by selecting

Text Files (*.txt) from the Files of type drop-down list. After selecting the namelist.txt file, click

Open. The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box opens.

6. To include only some of the people on the list, edit the recipient list.

Tip: If you do not want to send printed reminders to clients selected to receive email reminders, you

can filter out those records using options in the Mail Merge Recipients dialog box: Scroll over to

locate the EmailAddr field and select (Blanks) from its associated drop-down list of options. This

will change the recipient list to include only those clients with a blank email field.

7. Write and preview your letter, and then complete the merge.

8. Verify that the correct printer and printing options are selected, and then print your reminders.

293

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Troubleshooting: Letter Reminders

If the reminders you printed are not the same as the reminders you thought you printed, check the

following in Cornerstone:

• Who did you select to send reminders to? (Flagged Owners or All Owners)

• Is the Send reminders check box selected for the classification assigned to the client?

To do this, on the Controls menu, select Classifications. Click the Client tab. Select the

classification and click Update. Click the Send reminders check box.

• Is the client a current owner marked as active? (Cornerstone does not generate reminders for

inactive clients). To do this, open the client record and check to see that the client’s status is

active.

• Is the patient active? (Cornerstone does not generate reminders for deceased and inactive

patients, but deceased and inactive patients print on the report unless you filter them out of the

report.) To check to see that the patient is active, at the bottom of the Client Information window,

double-click to select the patient (or right-click and select Update). In the Patient Information

window, select Active as the patient’s status. (You can also check the patient’s reminders while

you are here; click the Reminders tab.)

• If you chose Flagged Owners, did you make sure that, in the Patient Owner Information dialog

box, the Send reminders check box is selected for clients you want included? (Double-click the

owner in the Patient Information dialog box or select the owner, right-click and select Update.)

Tip: Owners who have the Send reminders check box selected but do not have a classification

assigned to them are included when All Owners is selected. If a patient has multiple owners, each owner

who has the Send reminders check box selected and/or has a classification with the reminder option

set receives a reminder.

Emailing Reminders from Microsoft Word

Save postage by sending email reminders instead of regular postal mailings. You can send both

electronic and regular mailings to give your clients the extra reminder.

You can send email reminders to clients who have an email address and have the E-mail reminders

check box selected in their client record.

Before You Begin

• Enter email addresses on the client record and select the E-mail reminders check box.

• Generate reminders as usual (to generate the namelist.txt file).

• Verify that you have all necessary hardware and software in place:

o Appropriate hardware and Internet service provider (ISP) for accessing the Internet

o An email account

o Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook^®

• If you have not generated email reminders before, you must edit your email.dot template to

include your practice’s location information. If you do not edit this template, you will have

incorrect location information on your email reminders. Open Microsoft Word and locate the

email.dot template. It should be saved in your Cornerstone directory (usually C:\Cstone).

Change the information as needed. Be sure to save the file as a document template (*.dot).

294

Chapter 14: Setting Up a Reminder System

Note: Depending on the version of Microsoft Word you are using, the Word functions and dialog boxes

referenced in this section may vary slightly from your version of Word. Refer to the Microsoft Word online

Help for instructions specific to your version.

To email reminders in Microsoft Word:

1. Open the email reminder template by browsing to the Cornerstone > Reminder Documents folder

in Windows^® and then selecting the applicable reminder template.

2. If a SQL command message appears, click Yes to continue.

The selected reminder opens in Microsoft^® Word.

3. Open the Mail Merge window in Word (this varies depending on your version of Word).

4. For the document type, select Email messages.

5. For the recipients, select Use an existing list, and then browse to select the namelist.txt file from

your Cornerstone directory (usually C:\Cstone). To find this file, search for only text files by selecting

Text Files (*.txt) from the Files of type drop-down list. After selecting the namelist.txt file, click

Open. The Mail Merge Recipients dialog box opens.

6. To include only some of the people on the list, edit the recipient list.

7. Write and preview your email message, complete the merge, and then send your message.

295

Chapter 15: Setting Up Physical Exam and Pet Health Report Card

This chapter covers the steps required to set up the Physical Exam and Pet Health Report Card features

in the IDEXX Cornerstone* Practice Management system. For information on daily usage tasks for

Physical Exam and printing a Pet Health Report Card, see “Chapter 15: Using Physical Exam and Pet

Health Report Card” in the Cornerstone User’s Manual.

Overview

The Physical Exam feature is included with all Cornerstone systems. It allows practices to record

physical exam observations and comments using standard body system templates and print a Pet

Health Report Card.

Cornerstone’s Physical Exam feature provides the following:

• A quick, easy way to record body system observations and comments while the patient is being

examined

• A number of standard body system templates to use to record your observations

• A Pet Health Report Card that can be printed when the exam is complete

• A record of the physical exam that is stored in the patient’s history

Note: If you have installed the Patient Advisor* module, “Patient Advisor Exam” will display in place of

“Physical Exam” in several areas within Cornerstone (Practice and Workstation defaults, right-click menu

on the Patient Clipboard*, Activities menu, window title bars, etc.).

Ready to Use

The Physical Exam feature is set up so that you can create physical exam records without any additional

setup. For your convenience, a number of standard body systems templates are included.

In addition to the standard body system templates provided by Cornerstone, you can add your own

system templates or change the templates that came with your software. See the “Creating Your Own

System Templates” section that follows for more information. Pet Health Report Card defaults can also

be changed. See “Physical Exam/Patient Advisor* Defaults” on page 121.

Creating Your Own System Templates

System templates include the body systems that are applicable to the type of physical exam being

performed. System templates can be set up for specific species, and more than one system template

can be set up for each species. Only one system template can be designated as the default.

Before You Begin

¾ Set Physical Exam/Patient Advisor defaults (see “Physical Exam/Patient Advisor* Defaults” on page

121).

297

Chapter 15: Setting Up Physical Exam and Pet Health Report Card

To add or edit a system template:

1. On the Lists menu, select Physical Exam > System Templates (or Patient Advisor > System

Templates). The System Template List dialog box appears.

2. Click New to add a new template or double-click an existing template to update it. The System

Template Setup dialog box appears.

System Template Setup dialog box

3. In the Description text box, type a descriptive name for the system template.

4. If you use this template for the majority of your physical exams, click the Default check box. The

default system template automatically appears when a physical exam is started for a patient;

however, you have the option of selecting a different template.

Note: You can have only one default template. (If another template is marked as the default, clicking

the Default check box here deselects the other template as the default.)

5. To include a body system on a template, click the gray box to the left of the system to make the

green check mark appear. To remove a body system, click the check mark to clear it.

6. Click the down arrow to the right of Normal and from the drop-down list, select a default observation

status for the system (Normal, Abnormal or Did Not Examine).

7. To arrange the systems in the order in which you want them to appear on the physical exam and on

the Pet Health Report Card, click the system you want to move and use the

and arrow

buttons to move the system up or down in the sequence.

8. Click OK and then click Close.

Creating and Updating Observation Text

Observation text for each body system can be set up in advance for Normal, Abnormal or Did Not

Examine statuses. More than one set of observation text can be set up for each body system status.

Only one set per body system status can be designated as the default observation.

Some standard body system observations are included with Cornerstone software. You can modify the

text of these observations and create additional sets of observation text.

To add observation text to body systems:

1. On the Lists menu, select Physical Exam > Physical Exam Setup (or Patient Advisor > Patient

Advisor Setup). The Physical Exam Setup dialog box appears.

298

Chapter 15: Setting Up Physical Exam and Pet Health Report Card

Physical Exam Setup dialog box

2. Click New if you want to create a new body system, or select an existing body system and click

Update. The System Setup dialog box appears.

a. In the Description text box, type a descriptive name for the body system.

b. If you want the Vital Signs/Weight

icon to appear with this system in the Physical

Exam/Patient Advisor Exam Observations tab, select the Vital Sign System check box.

c. Click OK.

3. In the left pane of the Physical Exam Setup dialog box, find the body system to which the

observation will apply; click the + sign to the left of the system. The body system folder expands

with more options.

4. Under the expanded body system folder, click the + sign to the left of Observations.

5. Select the status (Normal, Abnormal or Did Not Examine) to which the observation text applies.

6. Click New to create a new line of observation text or click Update to modify existing observation

text. The Observation Setup dialog box appears.

Observation Setup dialog box

7. If the observation text applies only to a specific species, in the Species field, from the drop-down

list, select the species to which the observation text applies.

299

Chapter 16: Setting Up Vital Signs/Weight

This chapter covers the steps required to set up the Vital Signs List for your practice. For information on

daily usage tasks for Vital Signs/Weight, see “Chapter 16: Recording Vital Signs/Weight Information” in

the Cornerstone User’s Manual.

Using the Vital Signs/Weight features in the IDEXX Cornerstone* Practice Management System, you can

view, add, edit and graph vital signs for a patient. You can also include vital signs information in medical

notes and on Pet Health Report Cards created using Physical Exam/Patient Advisor* Exam.

Before you can start entering vital signs for patients, you must first activate the vital signs you want to

track and assign species to applicable lists for List-type vital signs. Optionally, you can also edit the

default vital signs, add new vital signs, edit the Weight vital sign, and set the vital signs display order.

The Default Vital Sign List

Cornerstone provides a default Vital Sign List—you can use this list as is (see “Quick-Start Setup—

Activating Vital Signs and Assigning Species to Lists” on page 305) or you can customize the list and

add vital signs to meet the needs of your practice (see “Editing Default Vital Signs or Adding New Vital

Signs” on page 306).

Vital Sign

Abbreviation

Type

Start

Decimal

List

Range

Value

Places

Values

Weight (always active)

Weight

Canine 0.1-99.9

Feline 0.01-99.9

Body Score (1-5)

BodyScore5

Numeric List

1-5**

Body Score (1-9)

BodyScore9

Numeric List

1-9**

Temperature

Temp

Numeric

95-102.5

Pulse

Numeric

40-180

Respiration

Resp

Alphanumeric

Mucous Membranes

Muc Memb

Alphanumeric List

Capillary Refill

CRT

Alphanumeric List

Blood Pressure

Alphanumeric

Dental Score

Dental

Numeric List

1-5**

Pain Scale

Numeric List

0-4**

Alert/Attitude

Alert

Alphanumeric List

Appetite

Numeric List

1-6**

Urine Output

Urine Outp

Numeric List

1-8**

Fecal Output

Feces

Alphanumeric List

Gut Sounds

Numeric List

0-6**

301

IDEXX Cornerstone. Administrator’s Manual (8.3 NEXT version 8.3.6) - page 10