What’s New January 2007
	Once again, please do the update, even if you have done one very recently, or if you haven't done one recently, and especially if you want to print the new 1500s. There are some significant added features this month. To provide more control over when and who runs the update first, you will have to do an "admin" login to to run the update for the first time, but only if the update needs to modify the database. In a networked environment, we highly recommend doing this on your server. After this first login, regular logins are fine.
	There is no time to waste. The new CMS-1500 forms including npi's must be in use by April1. More info below.
	If you use the database engine for networking or for internet access and have not downloaded the 8.1 version you must to do this via the File | Database | Update Server item on the system menu before you can run the current update. This can be done at any time that no-one is logged in to TheraManager. A service pack to 8.1 has just been issued and we recommend that when convenient you do a repeat install of the 8.1 from the File | Database menu
	Major new features have been added to the program this month and are described below. They include a capability to use the new CMS-1500 forms, create EDI files, and a zoom feature added to the Appointments Calendar. We would remind you that you only have two months to get your NPIs and to start using the new forms, on which some insurance companies are already insisting.
	The new bulletin board on our website is now protected against spammers and is available for use.
Appointments Screen
	The Appointments Calendar now has a zoom feature. The default is for the screen to be zoomed to display only those areas for which there are appointments or work zones. If there are no work zones you should create them at the Customization | Provider Information Screen, otherwise the default is 8-6pm. If you need to make an appointment outside the zoomed area just click the Zoom Button, which is the button with the upward facing arrow at the top of the Appointments Calendar. Since there is more space available and the font is no longer sized, more text is now displayed on the calendar.
	You will need to reset the Grid Setting in Tools | User Settings from the system menu, to make the grid bars show properly following this change.
	For those offices that use paper encounter forms, the capability has been added to the Encounter item on the popup menu to preprint these for a selected appointment or for all the appointments on the selected day or a week that is visible. The header of the form will be printed with the appointment and patient information taken from the database along with the lower 8.5" of the form that you create with your own cpt codes, diagnostic codes, payment information etc and save as a .rtf file in the 'c:\Program Files\TheraManager\Forms and Files' folder. The name of the file without the path must be entered at the Customization | Provider Information Screen in the Encounter Form File Box
Pop-up Notelets
	The popup notelet form has always been sizable and movable but now its position and size are remembered when it is closed
	As a reminder, there are two types of popup notes that appear at the appropriate screens. These are business reminders and clinical reminders
Insurance Billing - The New "1500" Form
	The program now completes the new "CMS-1500" form, which looks deceptively similar to the earlier form, but has significant differences that will require effort on your part to organize your new NPIs and your secondary indentifiers. There are two new Help Screens (under Help | How do I..Setup Claims on the system menu) that tell you how to go about this within the program so we will not elaborate here. The many new formatting rules have been incorporated into the software.
	According to the latest edict from NUCC dated January 1, 2007, any supervisee must be entered as a rendering clinician and the supervisor is listed as the referring clinician. All supervisors must therefore be added to the Contacts Screen
	The information to print the old 1500s will continue to be maintained in the program until the forms are no longer accepted after April 1. in particular notice the EDI & New 1500 Checkbox on the Orgns/Plans | Organization Screen, which is highlkighted in red and toggles between the two.
	The new 1500 forms may be printed on paper or in print-image/print-emulation format for electronic submission if you check Electronic Print Image at the Orgns/Plans | Organizations Screen.
	The first print-image submission will have to be remapped by your clearing house.
	We regret that we CANNOT answer questions about the specific numbers to be entered in the new boxes. It's not in our job spec. so please consult your friendly insurance organizations.
	You will find details of the procedure about how to set up for the new forms that are answered in Help | How do I..Setup Claims.
Posting Appointments
	Additions have been made to the Post Appointments Form to accomodate the new 1500 forms.
	TOS is disappearing and will be removed April 1. It is replaced with EMG. If you need to specify an emergency for the new form before then, add a "Y" for yes to your TOS Table at the Customization Codes etc Screen
	An EPSDT (Early & Periodic Screening, Diagnosis & Treatment Services) drop down box with the approved codes has been added.
	A dropdown box for FP (Family Planning Service) has been added with "Y" and "N" as yes and no options.
	A Supplementary Box has been added to print supplemetary information on the new form. We have arbitrarily made it 50 chars long. There is a drop down box to add a first prefix codes or multiple codes with a 3 character spacing as called for in the specs.
CPT Codes
	The 1500 form will accomodate 5 char CPT and 6 char HCPCS Codes, but you can invent your own 8 character codes in TheraManager and book with them. In order to distinguish 5 char codes (types of vaccination for example) you can add your own suffix preceded by a space eg "90720 A" NOT 90720A TheraManager will recognize this for billing purposes but strip it out the suffix for filing the claim. Please modify any 5 char codes to which you have added a suffix without the space. A six char HCPCS code would not require the space.
Insurance Billing - EDI
	EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) uses the 837 ANSI standard for serial data transfer of insurance claims. Unfortunately not all clearing houses and payers have the exactly the same headers and obey the specs. We have listed 4 clearing houses that can be selected in the program, but you can select any name and send your claim to one that is not listed. We expect to add additional names as you become approved by them. You will need a Submitter EDI number entered at the Administrative | Electronic Screen
	Before trying to submit EDI claims, our strong suggestion is to set up, view and even print and submit claims for the new 1500 forms and check them for integrity. This will save all of us a lot of frustration.
	To print an EDI claim, select a Clearing House in the EDI Target Box at the Orgns/Plans | Organizations Screen for any organization that you wish to include in your EDI file, and uncheck the Print Image Box
Accounts- YTD Totals
	The annual ritual of resetting the YTD totals has been eliminated. All YTD totals are calculated on-the-fly directly from the billed records for the appropriate billing year each time they are needed or viewed.
Batch Printing Claims
	At the Orgns/Plans | Organizations Screen If you want claims for the selected organization to go as a print image file check the Electronic Image Box, if you want them to go in EDI format select a name in the EDI Target Box, if you want them to be printed on paper leave both boxes blank.
	At the Batch Screen there are now 3 self-explanatory check boxes that determine which type of claim is generated.
Transactions Log
	User Access has been available for a long time, to record who logs into TheraManager and when. A new Log Screen has been added that intended primarily to display who has booked and changed appointments. This can be of benefit to the office staff to see who is changing appointments without perhaps informing them (!).
Prescriptions
	The Prescription writer has the option of using everybody's list of prescriptions or of exclusively using your ownlist. Any med or regimen is added to your list when you print a script, although these can be saved without printing a script, Any user may use these by checking the Share Button Checkbox. A change is that any user may only delete the meds and regimen that he or she added to the list and cannot delete meds or regimen created by others.
	Any of the installed Windows printers can now be chosen in a drop down menu at the Printer Box.
	Thanks again for your continuing support, suggestions and patience as we try to make this program be all things to all people, for your continuing referrals and for forwarding this email to your colleagues.
	If you have suggestions or need support please contact support@theramanager.com or call 908-508-8900.
	If you have never downloaded TheraManager, go to our website, download the FREE Trial, and call 800-913-4294 to request an on-line demo. If an earlier trial has expired, or you had problems running it, please call and we can set you going again. Our customers have converted from many other programs and we make the switch easy with an import of your existing patient demographic data.