Cloud 9: Automated To-Do's

Keywords: automated to-do, To Do, appointment types, patient status, questionnaires
Summary
This article covers how to set up Automated To-Do's, also known as Spotlight To-Do's, in Cloud 9. It reviews the three Edit > Setup areas where they can be configured: Appointment Types, Patient Statuses, and Questionnaires.

Automated To-Do's, also referred to as Spotlight To-Do's, allow Cloud 9 to automatically generate task reminders for employees based on specific triggers in the software. There are three areas where these can be configured, and this article will walk through each one. Before getting started, we recommend familiarizing yourself with To-Do's by reading article: Cloud 9 To Do's for Employee Reminders.


Appointment Types
To set up an Automated To-Do on an Appointment Type, navigate to Edit > Setup > Appointment Types. Search for the appointment type you want to add the To-Do to, check the box next to it, and click Edit. On the right side of the appointment details, you will see a section titled 'To Do.' This is where you will set the trigger for the Automated To Do.

Setting up the Automated To Do
To add an automated To Do, click the blue plus icon under To Do's and fill out the following fields:

1. Select the To Do Type. These categories are setup in Edit > Setup > To Do Types.
2. The second field, 'Employee' is optional. You can pick a specific employee or leave it blank and instead, choose the 'Employee Type.' 'Employee Type' is required, so that must be selected, but you can leave the specific employee blank for it to just assign to a type of Employee.
3. Appointment Status: This is the most important field and is required. It determines when the To-Do is created. For example, selecting Dismissed means the To-Do will generate when the appointment is dismissed.
4. The Text field is optional, but normally a user will fill it out with a task description of the To Do or Employee Reminder. 
5. Days until Due Date determines how many days after the To Do is created until the Due Date, and is also an important field.
6. The next two fields Show this To Do Item with Days before due date and Days after Due Date, determines how long the To Do will show in the list of To Do Items before and after the Due Date.
7. Select 'Document' if a letter is required, in the example below I have chosen the contract letter. 
8. 'Recipient' is also required, to know who is the recipient of the To Do. Is it someone receiving a letter or a care call? This determines who the recipient is and must be filled in. In the example below I have selected the Financially responsible party.
9. The next field is Patient Status when Completed. This determines what the patient status should be when the To Do is completed.
10. The last is a button at the bottom that can be checked to turn on or left off. It says 'Select Recipient on Creation.' This allows you to select the recipient of the To Do when it is triggered by the status of the appointment type. My sample Automated To do is shown in the screenshot below. This is how it appears just before I hit save.
    
     

Once an appointment is scheduled and dismissed, a prompt will appear to assign the To-Do. If the selected employee is unavailable or only an employee type was specified, you can save the To-Do for later. It will then appear in the assigned employee's list under View > To-Do's and in the patient menu under To-Do's.

Important: Automated To-Do's set up on Appointment Types are designed to be completed before any change in a patient's status. If a patient's status is changed before the Automated To-Do is marked complete, the To-Do will no longer be visible for that patient. This is expected behavior. We recommend not changing a patient's status until all related Automated To-Do's have been completed.
 

Patient Statuses
To set up an Automated To-Do on a Patient Status, navigate to Edit > Setup > Patient Statuses. Select the status you want to associate with the To-Do, click Edit, and use the blue plus icon to add a new To-Do.

Fill out the following fields:

1. To-Do Type: Select the type of To-Do.
2. Employee or Employee Assignment Type: Choose a specific employee or an employee type for the To Do.
3. Text: Enter a task description or employee reminder.
4. Days Until Due Date: Set the number of days until the To-Do is due.
5. Days Before/After (Optional): Specify how many days before or after the due date the To-Do should appear.
6. Document (Optional): Select a letter if one needs to go out.
7. Recipient: Specify the recipient type if a document is selected.
8. Select Recipient Upon Creation (Optional): Prompts you to choose the specific employee recipient at the time of creation of the To do when it is checked.
9. Patient Status Upon Completion: Select the status the patient should automatically move to once this To-Do is marked complete.

Important: Just like with Appointment Types, these To-Do's are designed to be completed before any manual status change. If an employee changes the patient's status before the Automated To-Do is marked complete, the To-Do will no longer appear for that patient. When the To-Do is marked complete, the patient's status will automatically update to the status selected in the Patient Status Upon Completion field.

Questionnaires
The third place to set up an Automated To-Do is under Edit > Setup > Questionnaires. This option is specifically for practices that do not have a comprehensive forms package through Cloud 9 Signature powered by Ortholync or an integrated vendor like Weave. If your practice does have one of those, this section may not be needed.


For practices without a forms package, this serves as a workaround that allows you to create a questionnaire with questions and answers that can be displayed on the patient portal for established patients or responsible parties.

To set this up, follow these steps:

1. Go to Edit > Setup > Questionnaires and create the questionnaire, making sure to check the box that says 'Show on Patient Portal'.

Note: Any questionnaire marked as Show on Patient Portal will be visible to all patients when they log into their portal account.

2. Once the questionnaire is created, go to the Patient Portal To-Do's section within Edit > Setup > Questionnaires.
3. Complete the form to set up the Automated To-Do, including the To-Do category, assigned employee, and the action or reminder that should be triggered when a patient completes the questionnaire in the portal.
   
   Once a patient or responsible party completes the questionnaire in the patient portal, a To-Do will automatically be created and assigned to the designated employee. This gives established patients with portal access the ability to fill out a questionnaire that then generates an automated To-Do for the appropriate employee without any manual steps that will show up in their To Do List.

Conclusion
As indicated in this article, there are various sections in Cloud 9 where you can establish and utilize Automated or Spotlight To-Dos;but there are a few things to keep in mind regarding Automated To Do's. 

• Please remember that these To-Dos must be completed prior to any changes in a patient's status to ensure that the patient's To Do remains on the employee list. 
• For Automated To-Dos associated with patient statuses, the patient's status will change once the To-Do is marked as complete. 
• Lastly, while our clients with a comprehensive forms package may not find the patient portal To-Do linked to questionnaires essential, it can be beneficial for certain practices.
  
   

As always, if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to reach out to Cloud 9 Support by emailing us at cloud9support@planetdds.com, or chatting us online using the chat bubble on the lower right at https://cloud9support.planetdds.com/hc/en-us, or giving us a call during our business hours of 8:00 AM EST to 8:00 PM EST at the 1.800.394.6050 option 2.