Summary
There is a mechanism within Cloud 9 that can be used to clean up certain data points that may have been entered in error. An example of this would be locating a person record that has been duplicated in your Cloud 9 database, such as from office staff entering a Referring Dentist multiple times for additional patients. This utility can be used for any person record, whether they are a professional or not. It could also be used for a parent or a sibling that is not a patient.
**Please Note: This is not a mechanism to merge duplicated Patient Records. People records and Patients are different types of records, and this utility can only be used for People.
Getting Started
In order to run utilities, the permission has to be applied by an admin at your practice. The permission is called 'Run Utility.' If you do not have the permission, you will not be able to access Utilities. Permissions cannot be enabled by Cloud 9 Software staff. For more information please see: This Article.
To Locate the Utility itself, navigate to Edit > Run Utility > Update Relationships Utility, as shown below.
Utility Setup
After accessing the utility, you should be at a screen with a header bar similar to the one shown below.
On the far left is a field where you can filter for information.
To the right of that is the Profession field, that provides a dropdown list of all professions in your database, and one selection for [No Profession}. Your list may look different, as it should duplicate what you have previously created under Edit > Setup > Professions in your site - plus the option for [No Profession].
The next button to the right is the Show Deleted button. Select this button if you want previously deleted relationships to also show in this utility.
Once you have made your selections of the three filters we have already reviewed, select the Apply Filters button. The results of your filters will be returned on the bottom portion of the screen.
Running the Utility
For the example in this article, I have set up the following two people to be updated. Notice that they are the same person, but we only need to keep one of the records. In the upper right corner please note that we are viewing two entries.
Once we check both boxes, signifying these are the two person entries we choose to work with, the Selected Summary field at the far right shows that we have two selected. This button is very critical if we have multiple entries that are too numerous to show on one page. You may have checked another instance on a different page that you no longer want checked.
Once your merge candidates are selected, follow the instructions on the bottom left of the screen. Below I have compressed the screen so you can see where the instructions are located.
Selecting the Continue button to proceed will take you to the next screen. The information stays the same, but there is now a new instruction to follow, "Select a person where other instances will merge into."
Once a choice is selected, note that the Summary button on the bottom right of the screen is now available for your use, where previously it was not. You will want to choose the record that has the most correct information; address, contact information, name, or number of referrals (show in the # Ref column). The second record here did not have correct information. Always ensure you are merging INTO the person with the correct information.
Once the Summary button has been selected, you will see the Update Summary screen. This is the absolute last chance to review your information, confirm that it is how you wish it to be, and then choose to either Close (the screen) if the information does NOT appear the way you intended it to, or Save if it has been verified as correct and you wish to continue.
As the warning indicates, this is a non-reversible action. You MUST be certain this information is correct prior to proceeding.
Conclusion
The Update Relationship Utility is NOT a tool to merge Patient information. It is a tool to merge People information. It is a non-reversible project that should be handled with extreme care and attention to detail.
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 1.800.394.6050 option 2.