About this release
December 2nd, 2024 Manage 10.5.0
We are excited to unveil a range of new features and improvements aimed at streamlining your workflow, enhancing service delivery, and significantly boosting productivity in patient management. Additionally, we have strengthened security by controlling access to specific setup features and limiting modifications to trained personnel, ensuring consistency and adherence to policies.
This release version includes several key additions:
- Suggested Products
- Hearing Aid Trials
- External Devices
1. What's new
[AU] PATIENTS/INVENTORY: Suggested Products
Inventory > Product catalog
Patients > Patient sale
This feature enhances product management and sales capabilities, allowing HCPs to associate related products with a main product in the Product Catalog. These suggested products can be recommended alongside the main product during the sales process, improving the customer experience. HCPs can add and edit related products on the Product Catalog page and see product recommendation during the sale creation in Patient Sale.
Configuring Suggested Products in the Product Catalog
HCPs can associate related products with a main product through the SUGGESTED PRODUCTS tab in the product card. To create product suggestions:
Find products by name or description, applying filters for Manufacturer and Category. You can search and select active products from any category or manufacturer without any limitations.
- Use the checkboxes to select the required products and SAVE your changes.
- The linked products are now stored in the database and will appear as suggestions when the main product is added to a sale.
Making Product Recommendations During Sales
During a patient sale, HCPs can recommend related products. To do so, they need to:
- Add the main product to the sale.
- Click + SUGGESTED PRODUCTS in the top-right corner of the sale screen.
- Select the desired items from the list of associated products.
- Save the changes, and the selected items will be added to the sale edit screen.
Only ACTIVE products are presented as suggestions, ensuring accuracy and relevance throughout the sales process.
[AU] PATIENTS/INVENTORY: Hearing Instrument Trials
Environment settings > Inventory settings > Trial settings / Trial cancellation reasons
Patients > Patient sale / Summary / Equipment
This release introduces new functionality to support comprehensive hearing aid trials. The HI trial process allows patients to test hearing instruments before purchase, assisting them and hearing care professionals in evaluating the effectiveness and suitability of the devices. By enabling informed decisions, this feature ensures customers receive the most appropriate hearing solutions, potentially increasing product sales and satisfaction.
Configuring HI Trial Settings
Within INVENTORY SETTINGS, users can customize trial settings in the system in order to tailor the trial process according to specific clinic requirements.
Users are able to:
- Enable/disable the trial period
Specify default trial duration
- Configure trial cancellation reasons
Scheduling HI Trials
HCPs can schedule trials directly from the PATIENT SALE page. To achieve this, they need to:
- Add at least one serialized product to the sale.
- Click + TRIAL on the lower-left side of the Patient Sale screen.
The icon becomes available when:
- A serialized product has been added.
- The Trial feature is enabled in the ENVIRONMENT SETTINGS.
- No invoice has been created for the sale.
- Select the product(s) for the trial.
- Configure the START and END dates.
- Click START TRIAL.
The product status updates to "On Trial," and a trial document appears in the Trials section at the bottom of the sale page. HCPs can then adjust trial durations or cancel trials as needed.
Editing HI Trials
HCPs can adjust trial durations:
- Find the Trial record in the DOCUMENTS section at the bottom of the sale page.
- Click the edit icon.
- Update the end date.
- Save changes.
Cancelling HI Trials
- Find the Trial record in the DOCUMENTS section at the bottom of the sale page.
- Click the EDIT icon.
- Select a reason for cancellation from a dropdown list (reasons are configurable in ENVIRONMENT SETTINGS > INVENTORY SETTINGS > TRIAL
CANCELLATION REASONS).
- Choose an action: N/A, Return to Stock, or Return to Supplier.
When a trial is canceled, the system updates the trial status to "Canceled Trial" and removes the "On Trial" label from the product. Depending on the action selected, the product’s serial number status is updated to:
- Return to Supplier: "Returned to Supplier."
- Return to Stock: "Available."
- N/A: "Reserved."
Deposits collected during the trial must be refunded manually.
Creating an Invoice from a Trial
Trials can be converted into sales using the icon
Once an invoice is created:
- The trial status is updated to Completed.
- Deposits collected during the trial are automatically transferred to the invoice.
- The system generates an Invoice document for record-keeping.
Printing Trial Agreements
To print a trial agreement, locate the Trial record at the bottom of the sale page and click PRINT.
The Print Trial functionality allows HCPs to generate a Trial Agreement Form. The form includes:
- Trial duration, start and end dates.
- Device model and serial number.
- Customer information.
If the trial details change, the updated information is reflected in the printout. This option is available for all trial statuses (On Trial, Cancelled, Expired, Completed).
Viewing Current HI Trials
Hearing care providers can quickly access information about current devices on trial on the patient's SUMMARY page.
Monitoring Multiple HI Trials
Hearing care providers now can oversee all active hearing instrument (HI) trials from the patient's EQUIPMENT tab. This comprehensive view of ongoing trials enables them to make well-informed decisions, ensuring that customers are offered optimal hearing solutions.
Trial Inventory Handling
Users can now easily identify the STATUS of trial products, allowing for efficient inventory management and tracking device availability. The system updates device availability in real-time, ensuring trial devices are not double-booked. It also includes functionality to return devices back to stock, with inventory adjustments made automatically based on trial activities.
PATIENTS: Managing External Devices
Patients > Equipment
Adding External Devices to Patient Equipment
The +EQUIPMENT control now enables users to list patient devices that were not sold by the company on the patient's EQUIPMENT tab. This functionality ensures that customer records are complete and accurately represent all equipment used by the patient, regardless of the source of purchase.
On the "Add equipment" dialog, you can select any device from the product catalog and designate it as "Current".
- The battery and color selections are not limited to those found in the product catalog, but also include other active options available in the system (ENVIRONMENT SETTINGS > INVENTORY SETTINGS > PRODUCT COLORS).
- The type of device cannot be modified directly because it is automatically determined by the selection made in the "Product" field.
When reviewing the list of patient devices, you can hover over the device side icons (e.g.,
for the left ear) to see the tooltip that will indicate if it is an external device.
By clicking
that appears on hover, users can access additional options:
- Edit the device details (excluding information in the product field)
- Unmark or mark the device as current
- Extend L&D warranty for the device
- Create repair order/Go to repair order
NOTE: Information about external devices is not stored in stock.
2. Improvements
SCHEDULER SETTINGS: Appointment Reasons Edit Restrictions
Environment settings > Scheduler settings > Appointment types / Appointment reasons
Editing of Appointment Reasons for local markets can now be restricted, ensuring that only trained personnel can manage Scheduler setups. Administrators can oversee appointment reasons to maintain consistency and adherence to central policies.
Access to appointment types is controlled by the following permissions:
- View Appointment Type
- Edit Appointment Type
EXAMPLE: In the dialog below, the user is unable to modify the parameters of an Appointment Reason associated with an Appointment Type that prohibits such alterations.
SCHEDULER SETTINGS: Online Bookings Campaign Info
Environment settings > Scheduler settings > Appointment reasons
Users can now receive campaign information with each online booking appointment, enabling the collection of valuable marketing statistics. Once an appointment is scheduled via an online booking platform, the campaign information is automatically populated for both the appointment in Scheduler and the newly created Lead.
As part of this feature, the "Marketing campaign required" field has been activated for appointment reasons within the Online Booking category.
[AU] HSP CONFIGURATION: Services Custom Pricing
Environment settings > HSP configuration > HSP contracts
Patients > Patient sale
Users are now able to input custom pricing for service items during the creation of sales, ensuring accurate reflection of prices that are not governed by the standard HSP contract rules.
The "Custom price allowed" setting is disabled by default. It can be activated from the SERVICES tab on the selected SERVICE screen when editing an HSP contract.
During a sale, the "Service price (excl. GST)" and "GST" fields become editable. When values in these fields are modified, the "Amount" field is automatically updated.
NOTE: It is possible to adjust the custom pricing of service items at any time before an invoice is generated. Once the invoice is created, however, the pricing becomes fixed and can no longer be modified.
[US, AU] PATIENTS/LOCATIONS: State Field Dropdown
Patients > Personal info > 3rd party payers
Environment settings > Location settings > Locations
The 'State' field dropdown with pre-defined values allows clinicians to reduce errors caused by manual entry and minimizes address validation issues. The selection of states depends on the country.
This enhancement has been applied to:
- [AU, US] LOCATION SETTINGS > LOCATIONS: GENERAL tab of a specific location setup.
- [US only] PATIENTS MODULE > PERSONAL INFO > 3rd PARTY PAYERS section: "Add (Edit) Payer" dialog.
PATIENTS/INVENTORY: Repair Order Enhancements
Patients > Equipment
Inventory > Repair orders
The repair order enhancements include:
- New In-Store Repair method
- Replacement option as part of the "Send to supplier" flow
- Ability to create repair orders for non-serialized and external items
- Updates to the Repair Order List in the Inventory module
In-Store Repairs
Users can create, modify, and finalize repair orders from the EQUIPMENT tab with the new "In-Store" repair option. It is especially helpful for managing device repairs that can be completed on-site. This allows technicians to quickly address and resolve issues without the need to send devices off-site, ensuring a faster turnaround and improved customer satisfaction.
- For both serialized and non-serialized items, the "Location" field will automatically populate with the location where the product was originally sold. For external devices, this field will be left blank.
- Users can either keep the pre-filled location or select a different location from the dropdown list of active locations assigned to them. For external devices, users may select a location from accessible active locations.
Off-Site Repairs
NOTE: The Replacement Method has been deprecated as a separate option, and its functionality has been incorporated into the "Send to Supplier" workflow.
Out of store repair orders can now be managed for serialized, non-serialized, and external product items. The repair method used in this case will be "Send to Supplier".
- If the device can be repaired, the S/N will stay the same and the user will not need to complete the S/N field.
- If the device is to be replaced, users can either choose the Location and then select a serial number (S/N) from the available serial numbers or enter the S/N manually.
Upon entering the serial number (S/N) and changing the repair order status to "Completed," the device associated with the previous S/N on the EQUIPMENT tab will be indicated as "Replaced," whereas the device linked to the new S/N will be labeled as "Delivered."
Inventory Module Updates
The repair orders list has been updated with three new fields. In the INVENTORY module, under the REPAIR ORDERS tab, the following details are now accurately displayed:
- Repair method
- Location
- Patient
INVENTORY: Filtering by Region
Inventory > Stock management
The SERIAL NUMBERS tab in STOCK MANAGEMENT has been enhanced with the addition of the "Region" filter, enabling users to further refine their stock search results according to specific geographic regions. This regional filtering capability facilitates quicker access to information pertinent to designated locations.
[AU] REPORTS: HI Trial Report
Reports > Inventory reports
The HI Trial Report has been implemented, enabling Hearing Care Providers (HCPs) to access comprehensive reports on device trials. This report, available in the reporting module, helps HCPs efficiently monitor and manage hearing instrument trials and inventory.
API: Public API Extension
[v1]: This update enhances the Appointment Public API to align with changes in the Invoice service, specifically for storing card details during payment initiation. The last four digits of the card, entered in the payment modal on the Sale page, will now be included in the payment public APIs. As a user, you can utilize these payment endpoints to create new payments.
[v2]: With this API update, data in the Additional info section for patients, beyond mandatory fields, can now be captured. The field template remains configurable via the UI and unchanged by the API, ensuring flexibility in managing patient information while maintaining data integrity.
3. Issues solved
Specialist overrides: The issue with the date picker intermittently selecting an incorrect date and showing a console warning has been resolved. Now, the date picker selects the correct date without triggering any warnings.
Stock management: The issue where a "Reservation Failed" error prevented serial number allocation in INVENTORY > STOCK MANAGEMENT has been fixed. The system now correctly updates the "Available for Sale" field when a serial number is added.
Workflows: The "Pathwayservice 500 error" when opening Bridge from the workflow has been resolved. The Bridge now opens correctly, the step is marked as completed, and no error appears on the UI.