Checks and Balances using syngo^® Workflow
By Nick Briseno

Ever wonder what happens with supplies that are tracked and charged? Are supply charges always sent over the interface and do you have a method for validating? You can actually track supplies and validate they have been through the interface for charging by doing a couple of things. However, this is not a normal setup. Instead it requires the assistance of a couple of people: someone who knows how to manipulate SQL as well as a syngo^® Workflow interface programmer.

All you will need is the following: One model UDR from the model UDR bucket that lists procedures and supplies charged for each procedure. You will also need the interface programmer to provide capturing SUP items on the interface and post them into the activity_usr_flds table. However, note that the ativity_usr_flds table does not repeat accessions and can only take a unique accession for each supply. Hmmm, starting to wonder how supplies will be captured in that table? That is, the supply table actually holds the same accession multiple times during supply tracking. Since end-users track several supplies to a single accession, the accession must be allowed to repeat in the supply table. Hmmm#2, so what makes the supply table records unique? The supply table generates a supply itn for each supply that is adjusted during Adjust Supplies. Further, in order to capture or create a placement holder for supplies that are charged and tracked on the outbound the activity_usr_flds table must be tricked in thinking it has captured a unique identifier in the acc_itn column. Through the use of interface trickery, interface programmers may use the supply_itn instead as the unique identifier in the acc_itn column. Since the format and integer are unique, the system allows posting each and every supply that is captured on the outbound.

What do you do with the UDR at this point? Simply tweak it by providing an outer join between supply and activity_usr_flds tables. This way, you may use “if logic” to determine whether a supply that exists in the supply table also exists in the activity_usr_flds table. Hmmm#3, well how would you compare the two? Simple, by the supply_itn. Remember how it was noted above that the supply_itn would take the place of the acc_itn, in order to provide the table with a unique record. Further, on the document output, use if-logic to determine if one supply itn exists in both tables. If it does not, provide a caption on the records that says something like “This supply did not charge,” “NOT BILLED,” etc.

This document is now in place at one customer site, and to date they’ve been able to rescue $150K+ in supply charges that were noted as NOT BILLED – BILLABLE supply. This study was done in the lapse of three weeks, and the UDR is being used daily and in some cases, twice per day. It’s provided a mechanism to double check, as well as checks and balances to make the most of Medical Imaging operations and charge capture.

Need help, don’t have an SQL expert or syngo Workflow interface program? Contact VCS at 610.444.1233 or vcs@getvitalized.com.