June 2009 Satisfaction Survey Questions and Comments

Q: What’s the easiest way to change to a different client from the Client Chart?
A: Either: 1) If you know the Encompass ID#, enter it in the Switch Consumer box at the bottom. 2) If you used the View Consumer Chart link, click Back to select a different consumer. In Encompass 2.0 (scheduled to come out next spring), your case load will be listed on the left side of the consumer chart, so to switch consumers all you’ll need to do is click on that client’s name.

Q: I can’t find a doctor or clinic in the Primary Care Physician or Clinic look-up list.
A: Monroe staff should contact Beth Didario; in Livingston contact Rebecca Curtis; in Lenawee contact Stephanie Albright; Washtenaw staff can contact Jan Buzard, Angie Zander, or a nurse.

Q: No paper Release of Information is frustrating since I work in the field!
A: You can use the Print Blank Release link at the top right of the Release of Information list to print a blank copy. 

Q: Need a way to get rid of outcomes from PCP easily when over a year or two or three ago.
A: Either: 1) Mark them as complete/discontinued when entering a PCP Annual Review, OR  2) In the Progress Note, check both boxes on either side of the Outcome. Check to include outcome, and check if outcome has been completed. In either case, note (in either the review or the Progress Note) that the old Outcomes being discontinued are replaced by the current PCP Outcomes.

Q: I would like a reminder when I have started an assessment and forgot to get back to it.
A: Either: 1) You could either periodically (for instance every Monday morning) check the View My Pending Intakes/Assessments list in the Assessments menu, or 2) You could enter a “To Do” item to remind yourself. From the Staff To-Do List menu, click View Staff To-Do List, then Add To-Do Item.

Q: Wish there was more continuity in tracking clients, like if they change programs, clinician, get out of jail or go, there often is no way to track that.
A: Either: 1) Look at the Admissions and Discharges links in the Admissions section of the consumer chart. 2) For Jail information, from the home menu select Jail Diversion, then click on View Jail Diversion Data Sheets.

Q: Right now I need to access information to help a consumer fill out some applications and I don't know how what screens to use to get what I need.
A: Three ways: 1) For financial information, click the View Current Eligibility/Insurance Information link on the bottom of the header on most pages. 2) For contact information, click on the View Demographics link on the upper left of the Consumer Chart. 3) Contact the Encompass Helpdesk, wchohelp@ewashtenaw.org, and we’ll be happy to help.

Q: Coming in to this organization, not having a case load of my own, flipping through charts is the way to get to know a client.  Encompass is nothing like looking at a chart and is difficult to navigate through just to find a clients history of mental illness.  For my position I don’t have the ease of meeting my client face to face, Encompass is all that I have to understand a client and it is often difficult to do so.
A: Try the Chronological Services list and Diagnosis History (both on the Consumer Chart).

Q: Bring back the 'My Page' as home page, I hate having to click on the link to bring up My Page.
A: From the bottom of the main menu click on My Preferences. On the upper left under "My Preferences", "My Home Menu", select “My Page”, then click Save.

Q: Need a single signature page for everything I'd need to sign as a supervisor. 
A: This is a planned enhancement for Encompass 2.0, which is scheduled to come out next spring.

Q: It would be nice to be able to have two screens open at once so that I don't have to close a screen to go to another, every time I ask, someone tells me there's a way to do it, but no one will show us how.
A: Either: 1) You can use tabs in Internet Explorer to open multiple Encompass windows. To do this when you have Encompass open in one tab, click the tab with the blank white page, go to the Encompass Login Page and log in. 2) You can also open two or more separate Internet Explorer windows and log in to Encompass in each window.  Using File -> New Window will not work, as the new browser window that opens will try to use the same instance.

Q: Six years ago we gave a list of what type of reports we need to be able to identify or narrow down which clients we need to contact regarding assistance and none of that type of reports are available. 
A: Either: 1) Is the report called “Vulnerable Clients by Zip code” one of those you’re looking for? 2) If not, contact the Encompass Helpdesk, wchohelp@ewashtenaw.org, and we can help you get the reports that you need.

Q: When doing group notes, and I mistakenly hit the wrong button, it kicks me out of my note and I lose all of that information.
A: If you--accidentally or on purpose—stop writing a note in the middle of it you can go back in and complete it at any time. The View Help instructions you see at the top of the Group List in Encompass (the screen you see after you click on Add Group Progress Note) are a must-read for anyone documenting groups. They include instructions on how to continue a note.

Q: I have asked in the past why we are unable to get beyond demographics in other counties. 
A: Encompass 2.0 (scheduled to come out next spring) will include a redesigned process for allowing access to consumer records. Instead of accessing all consumers being served by your county, you will have access to any client assigned to your team. If a consumer moves, for example from Lenawee to Monroe, the consumer’s entire chart will follow him or her, in this case, to Monroe. Some departments, like ACCESS or Emergency Services, will have access to all records.

Q: Authorizations could be compartmentalized so that clinicians could terminate one service only without terminating the entire auth.
A: This is a planned enhancement to be included in Encompass 2.0.

Q: There are still many cases where the list of medications on the "assessment" page of med reviews has medications that were discontinued.
A: Contact the Encompass Helpdesk, wchohelp@ewashtenaw.org, include the name of the med and the client ID and we’ll discontinue them.

Q: Also, when using the "print" function, what prints out is not the same as what I see on my screen, and other staff (case managers, therapists) don't have access to the full version of the note.
A: Either: 1) Case managers and supervisors now have access to view the MIMA pages of nurse notes, psychiatric evaluations, and medication review notes. 2) Please contact the Encompass Helpdesk, wchohelp@ewashtenaw.org, to let us know which form does not print out the way you expect it to.

Q: A "to do" list of paperwork overdue, due, or about to be do would be great.
A: Either: 1) Part of the plan for Encompass 2.0 is to move some of the reminders you currently get through emails to the “To Do” list in Encompass. From the main menu, click the Staff To-Do List button. 2) You could enter a “To Do” item to remind yourself. From the Staff To-Do List menu, click View Staff To-Do List, then Add To-Do Item.

Encompass Time Savers

Q: Is there anyway to bypass navigating back to Home for the same client in order to look up different information?
A: Use the Consumer Chart to look up different pieces of information for the same client all in one page.

Q. It's time consuming and a hassle to open and close pages to get to additional information I need to fill out a form. Is there an easier way to get information without going back and forth to my original form?
A: Yes, this can be done by having multiple Internet Explorer windows open simultaneously, as mentioned above. Click on the Internet Explorer icon twice to get two windows. Log into Encompass in both windows and use one window for data entry and the other window only to view other forms to get information.

Q: Do I have to enter the entire date in long form in Date fields like 01/07/2007?
A: No, you can enter 010706 and hit tab.

Encompass Problems

Q: Why does Encompass log me off after one hour?
A: To ensure that privacy of client data is maintained, Encompass will automatically end a session after 60 minutes of inactivity. As long as you are actively using the system (clicking links or buttons) you will not be "timed out" and will remain logged in.

Q: Why doesn't the enter key work to sign a form?
A: At this time we're unable to program a form in a way that pressing the "Enter" key on your keyboard would always result in the same action--as if you clicked the "Sign" button.  Another option beside clicking on the "Sign" button is to use the Tab key to select the button or link, then press Enter.

Q: Do you sit in with a colleague on client sessions in which both you and your colleague document the contact in Encompass? 
A: If so, either you or your colleague should mark the contact as “Face to Face—but I was not the primary staff person providing the service.” This option is available in the "Contact Type" field on the Progress Note. Some situations where it applies: a case manager sits in on a physician’s assessment or med review session, a secondary group facilitator is entering a group note in addition to the primary facilitator, or there is a transfer from one CSM to another when both meet with the client.

Q: How can I prevent outdated Outcomes from showing on Progress Notes?
A: Two ways: 1) Mark them as complete/discontinued when entering an Annual Review, and 2) In the Progress Note, check both boxes on either side of the Outcome. Check to include outcome, and check if outcome has been completed. In either case, note (in either the review or the Progress Note) that the old Outcomes being discontinued are replaced by the current PCP Outcomes.

Q: Why do I have to enter PCP Progress Reviews, why not just a Progress Note?
A: Accrediting and auditing agencies require us to show in the PCP section what progress the consumer is making toward their outcomes. A PCP Periodic Review should be entered anytime there is a significant event in the consumer's life or when services increase or decrease. Some agencies have a policy stating that at minimum, the PCP Periodic Review must be done during the first six months of treatment is there are no changes to the treatment plan. For the single service plan, there's no requirement to do a PCP Periodic Review. See your agency's policy regarding PCP Periodic Reviews if you don't already know what it requires.

Q. Why do I have to enter PCP Annual Review AND Annual Assessment?
A: The Department of Community Healthy (DCH) and the Joint Commission on Accreditation Health Care Organization (JACHO) require a consumer's needs be assessed annually to prepare for the next PCP. Annual Assessments review all areas of a consumer's life to identify changes and determine if any of the changes might impact treatment interventions. PCP Annual Reviews go over what worked and didn't work in a consumer's current intervention. PCP Annual Reviews provides the opportunity to discard outcomes no longer being worked on and to the put outcomes you want to keep or change in a new plan.

Q. I entered a PCP Annual Assessment, then used the Start Planning link to begin the next PCP. Later I found two new PCP pages. Why did Encompass create an extra new PCP?
A: The Start Planning link should only be used for a new consumer who has no previous PCP's in Encompass. A new PCP is automatically created when your supervisor signs the PCP Annual Review.

Q. Why do supervisors have to sign PCP Periodic and PCP Annual Reviews?
A: As per policy, all PCPs and clinical documents related to the plan are required to be reviewed and signed by supervisors to assure the plan meets the consumer's needs, all services are medically necessary, and all services are within the scope of services required by the Community Mental Health (CMH).

Q. How do I mark PCP outcomes as no longer applicable?
A: In the PCP List, click on the Change link that corresponds to the PCP outcome that is no longer applicable. Then click on the box labeled "Check here if this outcome is no longer applicable" and save the change. Outcomes can also be marked as no longer applicable in a Progress Note. In the Progress Notes screen click on the Change link that corresponds to the PCP outcome that is no longer applicable. Then click the box to the right of each outcome that no longer applies and save the change.

Q. Why can't I make simple changes to signed documents without going through all the steps of the amendment process?
A: If a signed document needs to be changed it needs to be clear who made the changes, when the changes were made, and why they were made. Knowing this information is important to make sure the data in the system is reliable and the changes were made for a sound reason. Also, any changes made to Service Activities Logs need to be approved by WCHO staff to ensure that accurate encounter data is sent to the state.

Q: I have problems with the spell check in Encompass. If I go into the document and correct a mistake then the spell check closes and I can’t get it to work on the remaining part of the document. What is the problem?
A: When using Spell Check, be sure to correct words by selecting a word in the “Suggestions” box OR typing the word in the “Replace With” box and clicking “Replace Word”. If you click into a field in Encompass (e.g., the narrative field on the Progress Note) and try to correct a word without first closing the spell check window, you might get kicked out of Encompass.

Q: Where do I find who the current CSM is when looking for CSM on Encompass? 
A: From the Consumer Chart, click CMHSP Admissions and Discharges to view the most recent Admission or Transfer record. Look for the Case Manager field toward the bottom (as well as assigned Physician, Nurse, Team and Psychologist).