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UIHC Epic Education

Cadence (scheduling/check in/check out).

Cadence is Epic's scheduling module used to schedule and track patient appointments. This includes functionality such as canceling and rescheduling; maintaining provider schedules; utilizing the wait list; and special scheduling workflows involving accident-related appointments and scheduling from appointment requests.

The following documents provide information on Scheduling functionality in Cadence.

UI Patient Access Center website

Scheduling Workflows

Basic Workflows

• Overview of Making Appointments (CAD052)  - (eLearning: 8.5 min) Book It is used to schedule appointments.
• Creating New Patient Medical Record Numbers (MRNs)  - (Handout) New patients need a Medical Record Number (MRN) created if they do not already exist in Epic.
• Scheduling in Book It  - (Handout) Book It enables staff to schedule using various views and various types of appointments.
• Location Sorting While Scheduling  - (Handout) Solutions can be sorted by distance from the patient's home ZIP code when scheduling.
• Scheduling an Appointment Using “Copy into Book It”  - (Handout) “Copy into Book It” is a scheduling option that may be used to schedule follow-up appointments from existing appointments that are in a “scheduled” or “completed” status. This is commonly used when follow-up orders are not available for scheduling. This activity copies appointment information from the existing appointment into the Book It activity for easier scheduling.
• Scheduling an Existing Patient (No Orders)  - (Handout) Scheduling a basic appointment for an existing patient at UIHC involves patient-level registration, scheduling the appointment, and appointment-level registration workflows. Appointments are generally scheduled from the patient’s Appointment Desk.
• Scheduling a Joint Appointment  - (Handout) A joint appointment is a single visit scheduled with multiple providers or resources using one visit type.
• Scheduling with Panels  - (Handout) A panel is a group of visit types that are typically scheduled together.
• Scheduling Recurring Appointments  - (Handout) Recurring appointments are a series of appointments, for the same patient, which take place on a regular basis.
• Scheduling Sequential Appointments  - (Handout) Sequential appointments are two or more visit types scheduled in the same entry process and can consist of any number of visit types and providers.

Open Access Workflows

• Scheduling a Presurg Evaluation Clinic (PEC) Appointment  - (Handout) Staff have open access to schedule Presurgical Evaluation Clinic (PEC) appointments more than one day into the future. Appointments should be scheduled from an order. For same day / next day scheduling, page 6796 for approval.
• Scheduling for 24 Hour Blood Pressure Monitoring  - (Handout) Schedule a patient for 24 hour Blood Pressure (BP) Monitoring using open access scheduling.
• Scheduling for Clinical DXA Scan  - (Handout) Schedule a patient for a Clinical DXA Scan (bone densitometry) using open access scheduling.
• Scheduling Into Food and Nutrition Services (FNS)  - (Handout) All staff have open-access to schedule a patient into Food and Nutrition Services.  Note:  Please refer to department scheduling guidelines for those departments with a dietician.
• Scheduling for IDx Exam  - (Handout) All staff have open access to schedule clinical IDx Exams. IDx is a system that detects diabetic retinopathy, and the exam is done at IRL only.
• Scheduling MyChart Video Visits  - (Handout) For patients in Iowa with a concern about an infectious respiratory illness (such as the Novel Coronavirus - COVID-19), a video visit can be scheduled after determining appropriateness. The patient must have a MyChart account to complete the video visit.
• Scheduling Preventative Care (Annual Physical) Visits - (Handout) When a patient with a Primary Care Provider (PCP) in our organization is overdue for their annual physical, a pop-up message displays on their Appointment Desk when opened. Anyone can and should schedule these visits following the instructions in the pop-up message.
• Scheduling for Pulmonary Function Test (PFT)  - (Handout) Schedule a patient for Pulmonary Function Testing using open access scheduling.
• Scheduling a Screening Mammogram  - (Handout) Screening mammograms can be scheduled for patients who need an annual mammogram. The following guidelines must be followed: • Patient must be symptom free; transfer to Radiology Scheduling if patient has any breast symptoms: 319- 356-3444. • Do not schedule screening mammograms when in conjunction with other breast imaging scans (e.g. breast ultrasound). • Must be scheduled 12 months or later following the last screening mammogram for patients with Medicare A&B.

Appointment Requests

NOTE:  Information regarding Appointment Request Workqueues is found under the "Workqueues" header at the bottom of this page.

• Creating Appointment Request Reminders - (Handout) Automated reminders can be added to appointment requests.
• Scheduling from an Appointment Request  - (Handout) Orders placed in EpicCare can be scheduled in Cadence. When scheduling from an appointment request, the system automatically selects the appropriate visit type if one is linked. Requests can be scheduled from either the patient’s Appointment Desk or from the Appointment Request Workqueue. Requests can also be linked or unlinked to existing appointments.
• Linking/Unlinking Requests to Existing Appointments  - (Handout) Appointment Requests can be linked or unlinked to existing appointments from the Appointment Desk. This can be done for future or past appointments, including after end of day processing has run on an appointment.
• Making a Canceled Request Schedulable  - (Handout) Unexpired appointment requests that are manually removed from the Appointment Request workqueue can be made reschedulable.
• Order Up Scheduling for Clerical Staff  - (Handout) Order Up, available from a patient's Appointment Desk, allows staff to schedule quickly and easily from an Appointment Request. Only available for some Appointment Requests.

Accident Related

• Accident-Related Encounters (Claim Information Record)  - (Handout) When scheduling or checking in an accident-related appointment, additional information needs to be collected regarding the accident. Claim Information Records keep track of information related to an encounter that is accident-related. A Claim Information Record must be created for the accident and attached to each encounter related to that accident.

Appointment Desk

• Accessing an Existing Patient's Appointment Desk  - (Handout) Accessing the Appointment Desk for an existing patient will require a search by their name/MRN.
• Appointment Desk Components  - (Handout) Most scheduling starts from the patient’s Appointment Desk. The Appointment Desk displays information regarding the patient’s demographics, guarantor, insurance coverage, appointment history, future appointments, schedulable orders, and more.
• Appointment Desk Overview (CAD050)  - (eLearning: 3 min) Video provides an Overview of the Appointment Desk.
• Appointment Desk Patient Messages - (Handout) Patient Messages can be used to communicate scheduling details about a patient. These messages display on the patient’s Appointment Desk sidebar and in Access Storyboards.
• Filtering the Appointment Desk  - (Handout) The Appointment Desk tabs can be filtered to display only relevant information.

Appointment Alerts

• Confirming an Appointment Accidentally Canceled by a Patient Using Interactive Appointment Reminders  - (Handout) If a patient erroneously cancels their appointment via text or e-mail when they meant to confirm the appointment and the cancelation has not yet processed in Epic, UIHC staff can intervene and correct this pending cancelation by confirming the appointment for the patient in Epic.
• Documenting a Patient’s Appointment Notification Preferences  - (Handout) Patients can choose to be notified via email and/or MyChart (or opt out of notifications) when any of the following occur: an appointment is scheduled, canceled, changed, or missed (“Appointment Notifications”); an AVS is available; a wait list offer has been sent. These preferences are stored in the patient’s Communication Preferences activity and can be turned on or off by staff per the patient’s preference.
• Documenting Appointment Reminders  - (Handout) Appointment Reminder Preferences indicate how a patient prefers to be contacted to remind them of an upcoming appointment. Up to two reminder types can be selected.
• Patient Updates from the DAR  - (Handout) In case of a clinic delay or similar clinic disruption in which a patient notification is necessary or of benefit, supervisors can send a message for affected appointments from the Department Appointments Report (DAR).

Cancel/Reschedule/Moving Appointments

• Canceling and/or Rescheduling an Appointment  - (Handout) An appointment can be canceled and/or rescheduled from the patient’s Appointment Desk or the DAR.
• Converting Office Visits to Telemedicine Visits for Front Line Staff  - (Handout) There are may be times when it might be necessary to convert current in person appointment to telemedicine appointments, either due to patient condition or provider/ clinic availability.
• Moving Appointments between Providers  - (Handout) Appointments can be moved from one schedule to another in the View Schedules activity.
• Reschedule Report  - (Handout) The Reschedule report can be used to find and contact patients when they need to be rescheduled due to a provider change (eg, template change).
• Using the Follow-up Report  - (Handout) The Follow-up report allows users to track and process incomplete appointments.

Care Everywhere

• Identifying a Care Everywhere Referral  - (Handout) Care Everywhere referral information will display in various activities in Epic and the Care Everywhere activity can also be opened from these activities.

Chart Review

• Opening Chart Review for Front Desk Users  - (Handout) Front Desk users can most easily open Chart Review from Patient Station.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

• CRM for Schedule Variance Tracking  - (Handout) When a scheduling variance is identified or perceived to be outside of “ideal” scheduling or check-in times, a CRM is created to document the variance and outcome.

Facilitated Access

• Scheduling a New Patient Visit for a Facilitated Access Patient  - (Handout) “Facilitated Access” patients are patients who have been determined to be offered improved access for new patient visits. These patients will have one of the UI insurance plans. To improve access for facilitated access patients to new patient visits / appointments, these patients should be scheduled within 10 calendar days. If the 10-day window is not accommodated during scheduling, a warning will display alerting the scheduler to schedule within 10 days after selecting the slot. If the scheduler continues forward through the warning and schedules the visit beyond the 10-day window, they are prompted to select a reason.
• Automatic Ticket Scheduling  - (Handout) For some orders, patients can receive a “Ticket” for scheduling. This means the patient can schedule the follow up visit for themself in MyChart or from an email link if they don’t have MyChart. The orders will display in the relevant workqueue as well.
• Bundle Scheduling Tickets (CAD906)  - (Elearning: 4.5 min) If a patient has multiple orders that are appropriate to send as tickets to MyChart, the tickets can be bundled and the scheduling order can be specified when appropriate.
• Bundle Scheduling Tickets  - (Handout) If a patient has multiple orders that are appropriate to send as tickets to MyChart, the tickets can be bundled and the scheduling order can be specified when appropriate.
• Manual Ticket Scheduling (CAD903)  - (Elearning: 8 min) Learn how to send patients with MyChart an appointment request for self-scheduling.
• Manual Ticket Scheduling  - (Handout) Learn how to send patients with MyChart an appointment request for self-scheduling.
• Sending a MyChart Activation Message  - (Handout) The MyChart Signup activity can be used to generate an activation code and email or text it to the patient. This is only available for patients age 12 and older.
• Send MyChart Message from the Appointment Desk  - (Handout) For patients with Active MyChart accounts, MyChart Messages can be sent from their Appointment Desk.
• Documenting a New Call Patient Communication  - (Handout) The New Call feature allows users to record communication with a patient, such as attempts to reach the patient to schedule an appointment.

Patient Care Teams and Sensitive Visit

Patient Care Teams

• Adding a Provider on the Fly  - (Handout) The Provider on the Fly activity allows users to create a provider record when it does not currently exist in the system.
• Marking a Visit as Sensitive  - (Handout) Marking a visit as “Sensitive” will prevent the visit-level documentation from being shared with outside entities. The documentation will not be available through the Iowa Health Information Network (IHIN), Care Everywhere, UI CareLink, or Comm Management, but will be viewable to the patient in MyChart. This functionality is only available for outpatient visits.
• Patient Care Team/EMR Information Sharing Matrix  - (Handout) This matrix provides details on the Epic activities used to share patient information from the Epic system.
• Updating the Patient Care Team During Scheduling, Check In, and Registration  - (Handout) The Patient Care Team activity provides a single access point for managing the relationships a patient may have with a variety of providers involved in their healthcare. The Patient Care Team is reviewed and updated during Scheduling, Check In and Registration. (Other roles have access to edit the Care Team, as well.) In addition, the PCP is verified on the Checklist during Scheduling and Check In workflows when it displays as unverified.

Patient Lookup

• Potential Duplicate Records Window  - (Handout) When creating a new patient MRN (Medical Record Number), the Potential Duplicate Records Window will pop up showing any patients with similar information. Closely review this information to determine if a potential duplicate patient may already exist. If there’s an existing match, then use the existing patient MRN rather than creating a duplicate.

Patient Not Present

• Patient Not Present Appointments  - (Handout) The “Patient Not Present” (PNP) scheduling workflow is used when a Hospital Account Record (HAR) needs to be created for a patient that is not present but for whom billable services are being provided. Examples of when a Patient Not Present encounter would be used include: • Various lab specimens received • Outside tests are performed and sent to the UIHC to be read by our providers, including radiology exams • Optical Shop & contact lens • Pathology specimens for diagnosis/consultation • Other reasons Staff may schedule same-day appointments using the standard scheduling workflow or they may use One Click. One Click must be set up for a department. To schedule appointments for past dates, the standard scheduling workflow must be used.

Provider Schedule

• Interpreting Provider Schedules (CAD060)  - (Elearning: 5 min) The Schedules view in Book It and the View Schedules activities show the schedule for a provider.
• Interpreting Provider Schedules and Making Minor Changes  - (Handout) Schedulers can access the provider schedule during the scheduling workflow using Book It. The provider schedule can also be accessed without being in the middle of the scheduling workflow using the View Schedules activity. Both activities allow users to schedule and make short-term edits or exceptions to a provider’s schedule.
• Making Minor Changes to Provider Schedules (CAD016)  - (Elearning: 11.5 min) Make minor changes to a provider's schedule, including setting time and individual days on hold and unavailable, and editing slots.
• Running the Template Audit Trail Report  - (Handout) The Template Audit Trail Report displays changes made to a provider’s template, including the type of change made, date and time of the change, and user who made the change. The report can be run from within the Edit Template or Edit Template for Single Day activities, or through the Epic button.
• Updating the Encounter Provider  - (Handout) The Schedule Provider Change button allows the user to update the Encounter Provider from the Schedule.

Quick Care and Urgent Care

• Marking an "Open Scheduling" Time Slot "Unavailable" for Quick Care and Urgent Care  - (Handout) Under certain circumstances, Quick Care and Urgent Care front desk staff may need to mark “Open Scheduling” time slots “Unavailable” so that patients cannot self-schedule into them.
• One Click Scheduling for Quick Care and Urgent Care  - (Handout) Front desk staff at Quick Care and Urgent Care locations schedule patients upon their arrival to the clinic using “One Click” Scheduling.

Scheduling with Referrals

Referrals website

Surgical and Procedural Pre-Authorizations

DDC, Dermatology, HVC, Neurosurgery, OBGYN,Orthopedics, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology, Surgery, Urology, and Vascular Surgery

• Scheduling Procedural Appointments from the Schedule Referrals Workqueue  - (Handout) A referral record is automatically created from a case or procedure order. Procedure orders that require appointment scheduling will appear on the Schedule Referrals workqueue.

Incoming and Internal Referrals

Note: Incoming and Internal Referrals content has been moved to the web page below.

Incoming and Internal Referrals website

Registration

• Adding Guarantor Account Notes During Scheduling  - (Handout) When there are changes to a patient’s insurance information, if the patient already has a guarantor record, schedulers may add a Guarantor Account Note to collect the insurance information. This information will fall to a PFS Registration Workqueue so the insurance can be updated later.
• Cadence Registration (Appointment-Level & Patient-Level)  - (Webpage) Registration is reviewed and updated during scheduling, check in, and check out. Appointment-Level information is specific to the appointment or visit, such as bill area and referring provider. Patient-Level information pertains to the patient regardless of the appointment (ex: patient demographics).
• Overview of the Snapboard  - (Handout) The Snapboard is most commonly used to view, edit, and schedule appointments.
• Changing an Appointment from the Snapboard  - (Handout) Date and Time of appointments, Appointment Notes, Providers/Resources (for example, if the CRC Check-In Desk was forgotten), and Appointment Lengths can all be changed from the Snapboard by using the right click menu.
• Using the Wait List  - (Handout) The Wait List is used to track patients who either have an appointment in the future but want to be seen sooner, or do not have an appointment in the future but want to be contacted if there is an opening.

Workqueues website

• Canceling a Request from the Appointment Request Workqueue  - (Handout) Requests on the “Active” tab of the Appointment Request workqueue can be manually canceled.
• Deferring within Workqueues  - (Handout) Users may defer a list item within a workqueue for a given length of time. This moves it to the Defer tab of the workqueue. At the end of the given length of time, the list item (e.g. account or transaction) will return to the Active tab of the workqueue.
• Filtering Workqueues  - (Handout) Workqueues can be filtered and saved as favorites to provide quick and easy access to the most commonly used workqueues.
• Reviewing Workqueue List Basics  - (Handout) To find patients that have referrals and need to be scheduled, the Referrals Workqueue List is used to quickly find these patients.
• Transferring Requests in the Appointment Request Workqueue  - (Handout) Requests in the Appointment Request workqueue can be manually transferred from one departmental workqueue to another. A reason for can also be entered to clarify why the order is being transferred.
• Working Front Line Patient Workqueues  - (Handout) Front line Patient workqueues are worked by staff on a daily basis to correct errors on appointments that must be fixed.

Return to  Cadence (Scheduling/Check In/Check Out)

Return to Epic Resources

Improving Patient Scheduling Outcomes with Epic

Co-authored by Brennan Turner, President and Co-Founder of The Joiner Firm .

Scheduling patients can be a deceptively complex process. While the idea of a patient selecting a time slot seems simple enough, there are several questions to consider:

• Does the patient have general questions or specific symptoms that may require an appointment with a specialist?
• Does the patient have an existing relationship with a provider?
• Is the patient new to the healthcare system?

As you can see, a clinic’s scheduling process is important in ensuring that appointments are scheduled accurately.

Appointments scheduled incorrectly are not always identified right away. In many instances the patient has already arrived, or the appointment is canceled at the last minute. This makes it difficult to ensure schedules are full and the provider’s time is maximized. When appointments are scheduled correctly the first time, there will be fewer last-minute cancellations and visit volume will increase.

Improving patient scheduling is key. The implementation of decision tree functionality can ensure that the patient is seen by the right provider at the right time. An effective decision tree can remove barriers to patient access, increase patient satisfaction, decrease revenue loss, and ensure effective time management. Decision trees are an Epic functionality that utilize rules and logic to aid a scheduler in navigating complex scheduling scenarios. Much of the decision tree logic runs in the background, unbeknownst to the scheduler, and references specific patient data within Epic to guide the scheduler through the scheduling process.

Epic is a leading Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software that stores all patient data, ranging from patient demographics to medical history. Since it is an electronic database, healthcare organizations can leverage this patient data against their specific clinic workflows through the implementation of decision trees.

An effective decision tree can remove barriers to patient access, increase patient satisfaction, decrease revenue loss, and ensure effective time management.

Sendero sat down with Brennan Turner , a senior Epic Cadence consultant with The Joiner Firm , who we recently partnered with at a large healthcare provider to improve their clinic-specific scheduling workflows. We discussed the functionalities and benefits of scheduling with Epic decision trees:

What are Epic decision trees, and how can they help improve the patient scheduling process?

Brennan Turner : Decision trees are scheduling tools in Epic that utilize a set of predetermined questions and logic to guide a scheduler to correctly make an appointment with a clinic, without having to know the specific scheduling rules of each department. This tool can improve scheduling accuracy by making sure the right visit type, provider, and location are selected the first time, with an overall benefit of lowering no-show and cancellation rates.

How does this improve patient satisfaction?

What impact does this have on training of new staff?

Brennan Turner : Scheduling rules are often either stored in a repository, written on a sticky note, or live within the knowledge of seasoned schedulers. This can make it difficult for new staff to schedule appointments accurately, causing frustration for the patient, the clinics, and the providers. With the decision-making process being built within Epic and automated through decision trees, there is less clinic-specific information a scheduler needs to learn.

Decision tree design considerations for healthcare organizations

An effective decision tree is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Each organization needs to consider their unique requirements and operational needs:

Considerations for Clinics

Decision trees can provide a high degree of automated control to ensure that patients are being scheduled for the right visit at the right time with the right provider:

• Clinic level payor restrictions can be built to filter out certain insurance types. The decision tree uses logic in the background to determine if a patient’s primary insurance is accepted at a clinic.
• Age restrictions can also be built at the clinic level if there is a certain age group that the clinic does not see. As noted above, a pediatric clinic can set an age restriction to only accept new patients over 2 years of age.
• Clinics with subspecialists or unique programs can also utilize decision trees to aid in scheduling accuracy. For example, a clinic with a weight-management program can ensure qualifying patients are scheduled in the right time slots with the right subset of providers.

Considerations for Physicians

Every physician, regardless of their practice, serves a unique panel of patients. Decision trees can help maintain unique workflows through monitoring patients’ reasons for office visits.

To ensure that patients’ concerns are not only identified prior to the visit, but also scheduled properly, a decision tree can be built to “flip” an appointment type to the proper visit type. A series of questions can be asked by the scheduler to determine if the original visit type is correct. For example, a patient with multiple concerns may need a little extra time, so the decision tree can suggest offering an extended office visit vs. a standard office visit. Additionally, a patient could call in with a specific concern that warrants its own specific type of visit, such as ADD/ADHD care.

Considerations for Implementation

Implementing decision tree functionality is no light undertaking; it involves detailed conversations across the clinic to verify that no details are overlooked in the process. To ensure that decision trees are inclusive of the entire clinics’ workflows, meetings need to be held with clinic management, subject matter experts, front desk personnel, and anyone else that may be involved in the scheduling process. It is very important at this step to get everyone past a theoretical understanding of what Epic can do and get them to critically think about how this application will affect their scheduling if they were to solely rely on it to accurately reflect their clinic processes.

Epic decision tree design is a complex process involving detailed scrutiny prior to the build and implementation phase. Sendero’s partnership with Epic allows for technical analysts to obtain the necessary clinical considerations and focus on building an effective program. We can liaise with a clinic and focus on communication, process alignment, and project execution.

Interested in learning more about Sendero’s expertise in this area? Use the form below to reach out to one of our consultants.

By Christina Speros and Harris Neuens

Decision trees can improve scheduling accuracy by making sure the right visit type, provider, and location are selected the first time, with an overall benefit of lowering no-show and cancellation rates. Brennan Turner, President and Co-Founder of The Joiner Firm

More Case Studies

A large non-profit healthcare provider experienced significant growth through mergers and acquisitions, now providing services to more than five million patients. As a result, the organization faced a multitude of overlapping strategic and departmental initiatives.

After the merger of two large Texas-based healthcare systems, a need existed to change to one electronic medical record (EMR) system across the enterprise.

After a healthcare system went through a merger, they launched a project to consolidate Find a Doctor websites to improve the patient experience.

A large healthcare system was notified that it is now required to report compliance as one entity, rather than separate small business units. Through existing relationships, the client learned of Sendero's experience with PCI Compliance and requested assistance.

About the Author

Harris is a Consultant in our Dallas office with industry experience in healthcare and financial services.

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INFORMATION FOR

• Residents & Fellows
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Writing your note in Epic a day or more after seeing the patient?

Yale Medical Group (YMG) is seeing denials for services billed because the provider entered an incorrect date of service. Please keep in mind that you must reference the actual date the service was provided in your documentation to ensure the correct date will be used in billing. This has been especially problematic in the inpatient setting, where we are seeing most of the denials.

For inpatient, outpatient, or office encounters, go into the “Charge Capture” section and click on “Default Charge Information”. Change the date in the “Service Date” field to the actual date of service.

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Epic Simple Visit Coding: 7 Optimization Tips

Meet Leigh Ann Braswell. She’s been in HIM for more than 25 years. She’s led high-functioning coding teams within enterprise-level health networks. She’s spearheaded a conversion to Epic’s EHR across 30 hospital sites—some at the same time! And she’s an absolute wizard at Simple Visit Coding, a feature already built into Epic that automates high-volume, low-risk accounts.

Leigh Ann also loves to help others. That’s why she recently shared her wisdom in a lively webinar, “Making the Most of Epic Simple Visit Coding.” It attracted quite a large crowd—and attendees had lots of compelling questions.

Lehigh Ann unpacked these 7 tips that HIM directors can use right away to maximize Epic Simple Visit Coding, overcome the nationwide shortage of medical coders, and kick their revenue cycle into high gear.

• Know the Epic Simple Visit Coding Criteria

Epic uses these four high-level Code Capture Rules you can implement for Simple Visit Coding:

• Diagnosis coding
• Pulling diagnosis from upstream sources. This can include provider orders, referrals, registration, charges, visit diagnoses, or previously coded accounts (recurring series) based on your compliance policies.
• CPT/HCPCS pulled from charges/CDM upstream.
• Accounts that fail coding validation errors will route to a work queue.

When building rules to process coding validation errors, Leigh Ann uses the provider order as a single source of truth. “If the order wasn’t directly entered into Epic itself, it’s definitely a training opportunity for frontline staff,” she says.

Another helpful tip: Make sure your most skilled human coders operate the error work queue. Doing so will boost coding accuracy. “Out of 30 hospitals, on a good day maybe we had 10 – 15 errors for all  Simple Visit Coding accounts,” she says. “That’s because the rules were built correctly.

• Use Simple Visit Coding on Day 1 of your Epic Go-Live

You can start Simple Visit Coding right away. However, many organizations want to see how it works before making a full commitment. No matter when you start, it’s wise to begin with specific accounts. The best early candidates are lab, outpatient therapies (physical, occupational, or speech therapy), lactation, massage therapy, and other accounts that don’t require an interpretive report.

• Identify the best candidates that can help you expand Simple Visit Coding.

Your list of accounts will depend on your health system, the type of services you offer, and your payer and state requirements. Common outpatient service lines to implement in addition to the early adapters listed above include

• Cardiac rehab
• Cash-flat services (massage therapy, calcium scoring, etc.)
• Dietary or nutritional counseling
• ED left-without-being-seen
• Esophageal motility studies
• Outpatient dialysis
• Pulmonary function tests
• Radiation oncology
• Vaccine-only visits

For certain services, you may need to build rules. For example, screening mammography accounts include an interpretive report, but they don’t require an order. So, you can build rules in Epic that trigger a specific diagnosis for breast cancer screening account when a certain charge is present.

• Work closely with your IT team.

As you expand your Simple Visit Coding capabilities, your IT team will play a vital role. The ideal state: Ask them to build Simple Visit Coding in a support environment first so you can identify any errors. Also, conduct regular audits to make sure your system captures and codes everything correctly.

• Calculate your ROI.

Leigh Ann shares an example of a health system that moves 75,000 outpatient visits to Simple Visit Coding. That will create an estimated labor savings of more than $147,000, equivalent to 2.4 FTEs. “Imagine if you could train those coders on day surgery, inpatient coding, or move them to ProFee coding,” Leigh Ann says. “It’s a great opportunity to train your current staff, and most coders would love the chance to move up.”

• Seek a solution with robust analytics.

Healthcare organizations who choose to partner with DeliverHealth for Simple Visit Coding benefit from Power BI dashboards with in-depth analytics that go beyond what Epic provides. The DeliverHealth platform pulls in Epic data for outpatient claims, so you can track metrics like percentage of Simple Visit Coded cases, Simple Visit Coded denial rate vs. your overall denial rate, and how close you are to achieving an Epic Gold Star, an accomplishment that gives organizations a major marketing boost.

• Expand your horizons.

Once you optimize Simple Visit Coding, you’ve set the foundation for implementing additional efficiencies, including autonomous coding for radiology, which can deliver up to 95% accuracy.

Leigh Ann provided more informative tips, including how to handle combination code rules. You can catch all of her insights in the full webinar. Listen Now .  And if you want to get started with Simple Visit Coding using DeliverHealth’s innovative platform, contact us today .

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Dubai clears up after epic rains swamp glitzy desert city

Dubai, a city in the desert proud of its futuristic gloss, was on Thursday busy clearing its waterlogged roads and drying out flooded homes two days after a record storm saw a year’s rain fall in a day .

Dubai International Airport, a major travel hub, struggled to clear a backlog of flights and many roads were still flooded in the aftermath of Tuesday’s deluge.

The rains were the  heaviest experienced by the United Arab Emirates in the 75 years that records have been kept. They brought much of the country to a standstill and caused significant damage.

Flooding trapped residents in traffic, offices and homes. Many reported leaks at their homes, while footage circulated on social media showed malls overrun with water pouring from roofs.

Traffic remained heavily disrupted. A highway through Dubai was reduced to a single lane in one direction, while the main road that connects Dubai with the capital Abu Dhabi was closed in the Abu Dhabi direction.

“This was like nothing else. It was like an alien invasion,” Jonathan Richards, a Dubai resident from Britain told Reuters.

“I woke up the other morning to people in kayaks with pet dogs, pet cats, suitcases all outside my house.”

Another resident, Rinku Makhecha, said the rain swamped her freshly renovated house she moved into two weeks ago.

“My entire living room is just like ... all my furniture is floating right now,” she said.

In Dubai’s streets, some vehicles, including buses, could be seen almost entirely submerged in water. Long queues formed at petrol stations.

Dubai airport had yet to resume normal operation after the storm flooded taxiways, forcing flight diversions, delays and cancellations.

Dubai Airports Chief Operating Officer Majed Al Joker told Al Arabiya TV he expected Dubai International Airport to reach 60-70% capacity by the end of Thursday and full operational capacity within 24 hours.

The airport struggled to get food to stranded passengers with nearby roads flooded and overcrowding limited access to those who had confirmed bookings.

The storm, which hit neighbouring Oman on Sunday, pounded the UAE on Tuesday, with 20 reported dead in Oman and one in the UAE.

While some roadways into hard-hit communities remain flooded, delivery services across Dubai, whose residents are used to ordering everything at the click of a mouse, slowly began returning to the streets.

Rains are rare in the UAE and elsewhere on the Arabian Peninsula, which is typically known for its dry desert climate. Summer air temperatures can soar above 50 degrees Celsius.

Following Tuesday’s events, questions were raised whether cloud seeding, a process that the UAE frequently conducts, could have caused the heavy rains.

But climate experts blame global warming for such extreme weather events.

Researchers anticipate that climate change will lead to heightened temperatures, increased humidity and a greater risk of flooding in parts of the Gulf region. Countries like the UAE where there is a lack of drainage infrastructure to cope with heavy rains can suffer the most.

A UAE government agency that oversees cloud seeding — a process of manipulating clouds to increase rainfall — denied conducting any such operations before the storm.

President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a statement he had ordered authorities to assess the damage and provide support to families impacted by the storm.

Dubai’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum said on X that the safety of citizens, residents and visitors was the utmost priority.

“At a meeting with government officials in Dubai, we set directives to prepare comprehensive plans in response to natural crises’ such as the unexpected current weather conditions,” he said.