Electronic Private Patient Hospital Claim Form Installation notes and usage hints.
What's new in ePPHC 0809
The Electronic Private Patient Claim Form has been updated to comply with the new HCP regulations being introduced at the start of the 2008/09 collection year. Only minor changes have been made from the 06/07 version. These include; - renaming Outreach to Hospital-In-The-Home. - Update to the MBS code list to include all available MBS Schedules. - Update to the diagnosis and procedure code lists to ICD-10-AM. - Minor fixes to improve stability. Full details of the 2008/09 data specifications can be downloaded from the Departmental web-site.
Installation Steps
The ePPHC installer presents many of the typical options for Windows software installers. If you use the default settings, the application is installed to C:\Program Files\HealthDept\ePPHC0809 and a reference to start the program is placed in your list of available programs. Below is a step by step guide to the installer: 1. Download the setup file to a convenient folder on your PC. 2. Double click on the downloaded file. 3. Welcome screen: Click “Next >” on the welcome screen. 4. License Agreement screen: Read the license agreement for using the software. If you accept the agreement, tick the corresponding box and then click “Next >”. 5. Selection Destination Location screen: Specify the installation folder or accept the default. Click “Next >”. (N.B. Do not install this version of the claim form into the same directory as the previous version as this can overwrite previous claim data). 6. Select Start Menu Folder screen: Specify the name of the program group that will appear on the Windows start menu (or accept the default). You may also choose not to create a start menu folder by clicking the relevant option. Click “Next >”. 7. Select Additional Tasks screen: You may choose to create additional shortcuts to the program on the desktop and quick launch areas. Leave these boxes unticked if you do not wish to create these shortcuts. Click “Next >”. 8. Ready to Install screen: Check that the installation options are correct and then click “Install” to proceed.
9. Borland Database Engine Installation/Upgrade dialog: The installer may prompt for the location to install the upgrade. Click OK on this screen. 10. Completing screen: The installation has been completed. You may choose to run the ePPHC software immediately upon closing the final setup screen.
Upgrade for Continuing Users
Running ePPHC0809 for the first time will present the following dialog:
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Choose “Yes” to proceed with importing data from a previous version. Choose “No” to run ePPHC0809 without importing any data. This prompt will still be shown the next time you run the software. Choose ”Abort” to close the application without importing any data. Choose “Ignore” to run ePPHC0809 without importing any data. This prompt will NOT be shown the next time you run the software. However, you may still import data at a later time using the Upgrade0607to0809 utility.
Upgrade0607to0809 Import Utility
How to run Upgrade0607to0809 When you choose “Yes” to the dialog above, ePPHC0809 will run the Upgrade0607to0809 utility. You may also do this manually by: Selecting Start/programs/ePPHC0809/Upgrade 0607 to 0809 from the windows start menu. or Running Upgrade0607to0809 from the installation (by default, this is C:\Program Files\HealthDept\ePPHC0607\ Upgrade0607to0809.exe). Upgrade0607to0809 steps
Once the Upgrade program is running, it will attempt to find old data. If it is unsuccessful it will prompt for a location. This is done by clicking the browse button to open a file dialog to select the data files from the previous version of the claim form. (N.B. This program only needs to be run once to import previous data).
New Users
After the installation process has completed, activate the program by selecting Start/programs/ePPHC/ePPHC0607. You can also put a shortcut to the program on your desktop for future use. (N.B. If the installation failed this may be due to the network administration set up of your computer system. You will need your Systems Administrator to install the software for you. The program needs to create registry settings during installation.)
Usage Hints
Hospital name and provider number. As the program starts for the first time it asks for your Hospital name and provider number. Any information supplied here can be changed at any time by selecting 'Admin/Hospital name' from the main menu. Using the electronic Claim Form program. Fill the fields as per a paper claim form. Where a limited set of possibilities exist for a particular field, drop down lists have been supplied. Select an item from the list. You may move from field to field with the tab key or use your mouse. Move from section to section by clicking on the large arrows on the bottom right of the program window or by clicking the section buttons on the tool bar. Some sections have multiple 'pages' identified by page tabs below the tool bar. Move between 'pages' by clicking on the tabs. If changes are made to fields in any section, a confirmation to have the changes saved is issued as you move off the section. You can, at any time, make an explicit request to save modified data by selecting File/Save from the menu or by clicking the Save button on the tool bar.
Hints for new claims. Selecting File/New from the menu or clicking the New button on the tool bar will generate a new claim. Each claim gets a new (consecutive) number. Claims are in a state of 'Pending' until you mark them as 'Completed'. If you have repeat visits from the same patients, a new claim form can be prefilled with patient information from a previous claim form. This option is activated by selecting the Prefill button on the 'new claim' screen. It allows you to select from a list of names already in the system. The standard prefill copies the name and fund information from the most recent claim associated with the selected individual. See 'hints for admin functions' for more advanced options. Hints for finding an existing claim. Selecting File/Open from the menu or by clicking the Open button on the tool bar will show a list of existing 'Pending' claims. Highlight the claim of interest and select OK. The details of the claim will be loaded onto the screen for editing or viewing. The list of existing claims is ordered by the left-most column in the 'Claim search' screen. To order by the column of your choice simply drag (with the mouse) the column header from its current position to the leftmost position. To sort the data in the ordering column, click the Sort button. Subsequent clicks of the Sort button will toggle the sort order from Ascending to Descending and back again. To include a search of claims that are no longer 'Pending', click the Show all button. Hints for entering Accommodation details. (Hospital section) Each accommodation entry requires a Days claimed and Charge value. The charge can be a daily charge or an episodic charge. Episodic charges are applicable if Bundled charges have been negotiated with the particular fund. To identify the type of charge fill the Charge type field. If this field is not visible in the grid, use the scroll bar beneath the grid to expose the field. Hints for entering Diagnosis and Procedure codes. (Clinical section) Typing in a diagnosis or procedure code field causes a code search window to appear and the highlight to jump to the first code beginning with the character just typed. Further typing causes the highlight to jump as it tries to locate the particular code in the list as you type it. Diagnosis and Procedure code lists are lengthy. You can create your own (shorter) list of frequently used codes by selecting 'Admin/Code subsets…' from the menu. See below for hints on using the code subset option.
Hints for fast filling of some fields. Some sections have a number of fields that may be filled in the same way for all or at least a majority of patients. Where the buttons Save as defaults and Retrieve defaults exist it is possible to have preset values assigned to some or all of the fields. To establish a set of defaults (preset values) fill in the fields appropriately and click the Save as defaults button. The next claim form that you are completing that requires the same set of preset values to be applied, simply click the Retrieve defaults button to have those values applied automatically. Hints for using the completion Guide. The completion guide identifies fields that you have not completed. Compulsory fields that have no value result in an error condition. The claim must have no errors in order to mark it as 'Completed'. Setting the status to 'Completed' is important for two reasons. It removes the claim from the list of current claims in the claim search screen to make it easier to recall claims that are still being processed. (Completed claims can still be found by using the 'Show all' button). Secondly, only 'Completed' claims will be included in any end-of-month HCP data extractions. Double click on the completion guide error to automatically jump to the field the error is referring to. Note: In the case of a single episode of care spanning several claims, all but the last claim in the link can be marked ‘Linked’. Setting a ‘Linked’ status removes the claim from the list of current claims in the claim search screen making it easier to recall only claims that are still being processed. The final claim in the link should be marked ‘Completed’. End-of-month data extractions will combine data from linked claims and generate a single episode of care record. Hints for using the Admin functions.
HCP extractions. Use this function at months end to generate a formatted data file for each fund containing the required HCP data for that fund and combined data for the Private Hospital Data Bureau. This function first generates a report showing all claims with a separation date in selected month. It gives you a chance to discontinue the extraction if not all appropriate claims have been marked 'Completed'. (Only data from 'Completed' claims will be extracted). The function then allows for extraction of data for a specific fund, several funds or all funds.
HCP file view. Use this function to view the header record associated with each fund's extracted data. Amongst other things it shows the number of records extracted for that fund and enables you to transfer the data file to a diskette for posting. You can of course always send the generated data file to the fund as an email attachment. Code subsets. Use this function to generate lists of commonly used diagnosis, procedure and MBS item codes which are used in the 'Clinical' section. After highlighting items in the full list on the left use the arrows to transfer the items to the list on the right. This list on the right will create a subset of codes. During data entry this abbreviated list will be used in place of the full list as long as the program option 'Use selected codes' is active. Turning this option off (Options/'Use selected codes' – main menu) will make the full list available instead. Turning it back on will switch back to using your reduced list. Code check. Use this function to check whether the diagnosis and procedure codes entered in recent claims match the current list of valid codes. From time to time the claim form program will be reissued with new lists of valid diagnosis and procedure codes. Codes entered with previous versions of the program may no longer be valid. Running this function will result in a report showing a list of claims which have diagnosis and procedure codes that are no longer valid. Hints for using the program Options.
Use selected codes. If code subsets have been established (see 'Admin/Code subsets' above) then when this option is selected (ticked), data entry fields that require a Diagnosis, Procedure, or MBS item code will allow code selection from an abbreviated list of codes established in the 'Code subsets' function. Deselecting this option (no tick) will allow the full list of all codes to be used during data entry. This option can be toggled on and off. Prefill. During the generation of a new claim ('File/New') clicking the prefill button allows you to prefill relevant patient and fund details from an existing claim (see 'Hints for new claims' above). This option provides for the prefill feature to be extended to fields on other screens. This option is primarily designed for those facilities dealing with repeat patients on a regular basis for the same condition.
Contact:
Daniel Sjoberg on 02 6289 8568 Email: hcp@health.gov.au