On July 30, 2023, PCC will release version 9.7 of our electronic charting and practice management software to all PCC practices.

Watch a Video Overview and Demos: Want to see PCC 9.7’s highlights in action? Watch the PCC 9.7 Overview and Video Series.

Implementation: PCC 9.7 includes features that require configuration and user-specific software training. Read about the features below and then review the PCC 9.7 Migration Considerations article.

Read below to learn more about the improvements, and contact PCC Support for help with any PCC product or service.

Forms

For a complete guide about how to use the Forms Configuration tool in PCC EHR, read Create and Manage Forms in PCC EHR. Read on to learn about new features and improvements in PCC 9.7.

Generate Standard Forms with Encounter Variables

You can create forms in the Forms Configuration tool in PCC EHR that auto-fill with patient vitals and other encounter-specific details. When generating forms that have encounter variables, users can select which encounter to reference.

To add an encounter variable to a form, open the form in the Forms Configuration tool, then search for the variable you want to add.

Insert the variable onto the form, then save and exit.

How Can I Tell What's an Encounter Variable?: Descriptions in the Variables pane say when a variable pulls from a selected encounter.

To generate the form for a patient, select it from the Forms component in PCC EHR.

In the window that prompts you to fill out the form, select the encounter that the form should reference.

The form defaults to referencing the encounter where it was generated. If the form was generated from the Medical Summary or outside of an encounter, the encounter defaults to the patient’s most recent. In both cases, you can choose a different encounter date.

Configure Provider Signatures for Forms

You can upload provider signatures, set permissions for who is allowed to generate them, and include them on patient forms in the Forms Configuration tool in PCC EHR.

Your practice will need to be live with the Forms Configuration tool to take advantage of this functionality. Learn how to enable the Forms Configuration tool in Switch to the New Forms Solution in PCC EHR.

Existing Signatures: If your practice already has signatures on forms configured by PCC Support, those signatures will link to the correct provider in the new tool following the update. You’ll just need to open the Signature Image Configuration tool once so it links the signatures.

Access Signature Configuration

You can access the Signature Image Configuration in the Forms Configuration tool.

Open the Forms Configuration tool from the Configuration menu in PCC EHR. Then, click on the Signatures tab.

You must have the Signature Image permission in order to view and access the Signatures tab within Forms Configuration. To learn how to configure the Signature Image permission read PCC 9.7 Migration Considerations.

Add a New Signature Image

Select a provider from the list to configure their signature.

Click the “Upload” button in the Signature Image pane.

How to Get a High-Quality Scan: Signatures should be written using a black pen on white unlined paper and scanned at a high resolution.

Select the scan file from your computer and click “Open”.

The signature appears in the Signature Image pane as it will display on patient forms.

Once you upload a signature image for a given provider, a green check mark appears beside their name on the Signatures tab.

You can replace the image or delete it if you need to make changes.

Set Signature Generation Permissions

You can control which users are allowed to generate a given signature on patient forms. By default, all provider signatures are set to “Unrestricted”, meaning any user at your practice can generate them on forms.

Select a provider from the list, then click the “Edit” button in the Generation Permissions pane.

Use the drop-down menu to adjust the Permission Type.

There are three permission types:

• Unrestricted: Any user can generate the signature on patient forms.

• Allow list: Only selected users can generate the signature.

• Block list: Selected users cannot generate the signature.

The type you select determines who can generate the provider’s signature on forms.

To create a list of authorized users, choose “Allow List” from the Permission Type drop-down, then select the users who may generate the provider’s signature on patient forms.

If you want to create a list of unauthorized users, choose “Block List” from the Permission Type drop-down, then select the users who are not permitted to generate the provider’s signature on patient forms.

Once you have finished updating the permissions, click the “Save” button to return to the Signature Image Configuration overview.

Switching Permission Types: Switching between permission types clears out all user selections.

Generate Signatures on Standard Forms

When you generate a form in PCC EHR that is configured to include a signature, you can select the correct provider on demand. Learn about creating forms in Create and Manage Forms in PCC EHR.

In a patient’s chart, navigate to the Forms component and select your form from the drop-down.

PCC EHR will open a prompt for the form with any variables that require user input. Find the Signature drop-down and select the provider whose signature should appear on the form.

If the provider has a signature image configured, the image will appear on the form.

If the provider has no signature image configured, the space on the form stays blank to accommodate a wet signature.

Blocked Users: Users who do not have permission to generate the selected provider’s signature will be presented with this warning: “This provider’s signature image will not appear on the form (permission not granted).”

Use Special Characters on Standard Forms and in Form Responses

Once your practice has enabled the new Forms Configuration tool, you can include special characters on forms and in form responses.

Use special characters to accurately represent names and non-English words on your patient forms.

Which Special Characters Can I Use?: You can use the following special characters, among others, on standard forms and in form responses:
Á á É é Í í Ó ó Ú ú Ü ü Ñ ñ ¿ ¡ « »

Use Snap Text in Form Responses

You can use Snap Text to quickly and consistently fill out forms in PCC EHR.

To use Snap Text to fill out a form, generate the form in PCC EHR and type your short text into the relevant response fields.

The expanded phrases appear on the generated form.

To learn how to create new Snap Text, read Expand Short Text into Common Phrases in PCC EHR.

Clinical Workflow

From e-labs to growth charts, PCC 9.7 includes updates to important charting functions.

Unlink E-lab Results from a Patient or Encounter

You can unlink electronic laboratory results that were attached to the wrong patient or encounter and send them back to the E-lab Results queue.

Watch the Video: Watch how to unlink an e-lab result and return it to the E-lab Results queue in Unlink an E-lab Result from a Patient’s Record.

Open the Unlink E-lab Results Tool

Open the Unlink E-lab Results tool from the Tools menu in PCC EHR.

By Permission Only: Users must have a role that has the “E-lab Result Unlinking” permissions in order to access the Unlink E-lab Results tool. You can configure user roles and permissions in the User Administration tool in PCC EHR.

Find the Result to Unlink

In the Unlink E-lab Results tool, find the result that needs to be unlinked. Use the Imported Date Range and Search Filter fields to focus your search.

You can use the Search Filter to search by the patient name reported in the e-lab result, the user who linked the result to a patient in PCC EHR, the test orders included in the e-lab result, the name of the laboratory that ran the tests, the name of the patient who was linked to the result, the date of the encounter that the result was attached to, or the name of the protocol that the result was attached to.

Unknown User: If the user who linked a lab result displays as “Unknown”, it indicates that the result was imported prior to your practice receiving PCC 9.7. All e-lab results received and linked to patients after PCC 9.7 will be attributed to the user who did the linking.

Select and Unlink the Result

Once you find the result that needs to be unlinked, select it from the list then click the “Unlink” button.

Confirm your selection, then close the Unlink E-lab Results tool.

Relink the E-lab Result to the Correct Patient and Encounter

Unlinked e-lab results return to the E-lab Results queue in PCC EHR, where they can be relinked to the correct patient and encounter.

Learn how to link e-lab results to patients and encounters in Manage Incoming E-lab Test Results.

New CDC 2 to 20 Years Extended BMI-For-Age Growth Charts

PCC EHR 9.7 includes a newly developed CDC BMI Growth Chart for patients with a BMI above the 95th percentile range. This new chart is available alongside the CDC – 2 to 20 Years BMI-For-Age for any patients with a charted BMI above the 95th percentile.

The Growth Chart Configuration tool indicates this newly available option with the note “extended chart displays when BMI >95 percentile and is not available in patient portal.”

When, in a visit, a patient’s weight is charted it will appear as a data point on the BMI-For-Age growth chart as usual.

If a charted BMI is above the 95th percentile, the 2 to 20 Years:  BMI-For-Age Extended (CDC) chart is available in the drop-down menu above. Selecting it displays the patient’s data on the extended chart.

The extended chart shows a wider range of BMIs, and is color coded by sex. The dash line shows where 120% of the 95th percentile appears on the chart.

View Patient Records Sent as Zipped Attachments to Direct Secure Messages

You can view and save patient records sent to your practice as zipped attachments to Direct Secure Messages.

Zipped attachments are compressed folders. When attached to Direct Secure Messages, they typically include continuity of care (C-CDA) documents or PDFs with patient information. PCC EHR extracts C-CDAs and PDFs from zipped attachments so that you can easily view and reconcile them.

When you open a Direct Secure Message that has a zipped attachment, you can see the total number of files contained in the attachment and how many are C-CDA documents or PDFs that were able to be extracted.

You can view the extracted C-CDA documents and PDFs or save them to your workstation. When you connect the Direct Secure Message to a patient, you can reconcile any C-CDA documents it contains.

If you want to view the rest of the files in the zipped attachment, you can save the whole folder to your workstation and open it in your file browser.

To learn more about how to work with Direct Secure Messages, read Send and Receive Direct Secure Messages.

View Multiple C-CDAs Attached to the Same Direct Secure Message

When you open an inbound Direct Secure Message that has multiple C-CDA attachments, you can preview all of those C-CDAs before attaching the message to a patient.

Distinguish Between Past and Future Encounters in Visit History

When reviewing a patient’s Visit History, or importing a document, a line now appears between dates in the past and dates in the future, so you can more easily find the correct appointment.

Retrieve Immunizations from Missouri and Oklahoma Registries

Practices in Missouri and Oklahoma can retrieve patient records from their state immunization registry at the click of a button in PCC EHR.

Practices in these states are also configured for automatic submission to their registry.

These states join a growing list of regions enabled for bidirectional immunization registry exchange with PCC (shown in green below).

For a complete list of bidirectional immunization registry connections and to learn more about how to look up and import patient records from your registry, read the full guide.

Point-in-Time Snapshot: The above map represents the status of PCC’s available immunization registry connections as of the PCC 9.7 release date and does not guarantee completion of in-progress connections. For the most up-to-date information about the status of a particular immunization registry connection, contact PCC Support.

Automatic CDC Vaccine Code and VIS Updates

As of PCC 9.7, your practice’s PCC server will automatically update important vaccine information from the CDC.

When the CDC makes changes to the official MVX or CVX codes, or to the VIS or NDC lists for vaccines, your system will automatically retrieve the latest versions and make them available to your PCC tools.

• MVX: The Manufacturers of Vaccines list published by the CDC.

• CVX: The Vaccine Administered list published by the CDC.

• VIS: The Vaccine Information Statements list published by the CDC, which also includes EUA or Emergency Use Authorization information statements.

• NDC Crosswalk Tables: The National Drug Code crosswalk tables published by the CDC.

These codes ensure your ability to accurately track vaccines that you order, administer, bill, and submit to immunization registries and other third parties. For example, when a new Vaccine Information Statement is released, you’ll immediately be able to indicate that you are using it inside an immunization order. When a new immunization is announced, you will be able to get started with the configuration right away.

New Dose Option for Rotarix

PCC 9.7 adds a 1.5ml dose option for Rotarix oral vaccine so that you can accurately record when you administer it to a patient.

Patient Engagement

PCC 9.7 includes new features that help you connect and communicate with patients and families.

Connect Patient Portal Accounts to PCC EHR Accounts

PCC EHR 9.7 introduces a new section to the Account Demographics component. With it, you can link patient portal accounts to your patients’ Home and Billing Accounts. With EHR accounts linked to portal accounts, you can be sure you’re getting information from the correct source.

To add and manage portal users for Home and Billing Accounts, visit the Account Demographics and click “Edit.”

Connect an Existing Portal User

If there are one or more patient portal accounts already connected to this patient, the Add button will open a window where you can either select from the existing users connected to this patient, or create a new user for this PCC EHR account.

EHR Account Names Including Two People

Take care when matching EHR accounts to Patient Portal accounts. When linking a home and/or billing account to an existing Patient Portal account, if a Patient Portal account’s name differs from the EHR home and/or billing account, the Patient Portal account will be changed to match the EHR account.

Multiple Names in EHR Accounts: PCC recommends your practice avoid using two names in an account, such as “Jack & Jill Smith” and instead select a single person as a home and/or billing account. Additional parents or guardians should be added as Personal Contacts and given their own Patient Portal account linked to the patient.

Create and Connect a New Portal Users

If no portal users are linked to an account, an “Add” button is available. Click “Add” to select a portal user to link to this account.

The Add button creates a new patient portal user for the selected account. The portal user’s name is filled in automatically. Select a phone or email address to use as the Portal Sign-In. The phone or email you select here will be used to sign in to the patient portal.

Click “Continue” to create the user.

The portal account you selected appears in Account Portal User section. If needed, use the Unlink button to remove the portal user from this account.

Managing Portal Users

If a patient has separate Home and Billing accounts, each has its own Patient Portal User option, and each needs to be managed independently.

To make changes to the portal user, such as changing a relationship, sign-in, or password, click the “Manage” button in the Account Portal User field. The manage button opens the  Patient Portal Administration tool where you can manage users and connect patients as usual.

Linking Accounts for Patients with Siblings

In some cases siblings will share a Home or Billing Account, but not be connected to the same patient portal user.

The Account Portal User section will indicate this situation with the text “Patient… is not connected to this account’s portal user. Manage portal user to add this patient”.

Clicking Manage will open the Patient Portal Administration and automatically connect this patient to the portal user.

Move CHADIS Results to a Different Encounter

When a patient misses or cancels an appointment after completing CHADIS questionnaires, you can move those CHADIS results and orders to another encounter, so that no results are lost, and no users need to repeat any questionnaires.

PCC EHR 9.7 includes a “Move CHADIS Results” option in the Edit menu, available when viewing a visit that includes CHADIS orders and results.

Selecting “Move CHADIS Results” opens window with a drop-down menu including the patient’s visits and the option to create a new Unsolicited Chadis Results encounter.

After making your selection and clicking move, you’ll have the opportunity to confirm your choice, or click “Back” to return to the previous visit selection window.

Once you confirm your selection by clicking “Move” the orders and results will appear in the visit you selected.

Delete Charted Visits Containing CHADIS Results

When an appointment including a CHADIS questionnaire order is missed or canceled, it can now be deleted using the Delete Charted Visit tool.

Insurance Billing

PCC 9.7 includes new features for working on claims that can’t be submitted and an all-new tool for posting insurance responses in PCC EHR.

Work on Claims that Cannot Be Submitted

After you process and submit claims, you can use the Needs Correction tab in the PCC EHR Claims tool to work on claims that are not yet ready to be submitted.

When PCC processes your claims, it may discover that a certificate number is missing, the policy is not active for the date of service, or another error prevents a claim from going out. These claims will appear on the Needs Correction tab.

For each claim, you can review the patient, the date of service, the insurance plan, and the reason the claim could not be submitted. You can use the Search Filter field to find specific claims or issues affecting multiple claims.

Use tools in PCC EHR and Practice Management to correct these claim problems.

Reprocess and Submit

After you fix a claim problem, you can reprocess and submit claims on the Submission tab. Clean claims will be processed and sent, and the Needs Correction tab will refresh with any new issues that need your attention.

Delete a Claim

If you fix an issue and need to generate a new claim for an encounter, you may need to delete the old claim. For example, if you need to generate a claim for a different insurance policy, you can select the old claim from the Needs Correction tab and click “Delete Claim”.

Deleting a claim on the Needs Correction tab will only remove the claim. The charges will remain on the account. Use the Correct Mistakes (oops) tool to create new claims for charges.

Use Improved Claim Error Descriptions

When you review claims that cannot be submitted, PCC 9.7’s improved claim error reasons will help you understand and resolve problems faster.

PCC 9.7 improves the wording of Needs Correction reasons to eliminate ambiguity and better explain why a claim can’t be submitted. This update also improves claim validation in order to better align with requirements, such as ID number length.

The updated reasons appear in both the Needs Correction tab and the Logs tab in the Claims tool in PCC EHR.

Understand and Fix Claim Problems: For a list of all possible claim problems that prevent claims from being submitted, and how to fix them, see the Claim Error Reference article.

Post Insurance Payments and Adjustments in PCC EHR

Use the Insurance Payments tool in PCC EHR to manually post payments, adjustments, and CARC information. Many ERAs can be posted automatically, but when a payor sends a paper EOB or an ERA with an unusual denial or adjustment, you can enter details manually while also reviewing and updating patient information.

Open Insurance Payments

Open the Insurance Payments tool from the Tools menu in PCC EHR.

Enter the Claim ID

Enter a claim ID. When you press Enter or click “Find”, PCC EHR will find all charges from that claim that have a balance pending insurance.

Optional: Find a Patient and Select an Encounter

If you don’t have a claim ID, you can first find a patient and then select an encounter.

After you find a patient, PCC EHR will display all encounters with charges that have an amount due pending insurance. Double-click on an encounter to select it.

Enter a Check Number and Optionally Review Other Transaction Details

Whenever you post payments, enter a check number.

You can also use the fields at the top of the screen to: review patient and account flags, adjust the transaction date, change the payment or adjustment types, double-check that the payment came from the current policy, and change the next responsible party for any remaining amount due.

PCC EHR remembers your work with recent check numbers. You can select from the last ten numbers you used.

By default, PCC EHR posts payments and adjustments as “Ins Pmt” or “Ins Adj”. You can also select a custom payment or adjustment type.

Enter Payment and Adjustment Amounts

For each charge on the encounter, enter the payment or adjustment amount found on the payor’s response.

When you enter a payment amount and press Enter, PCC EHR will automatically calculate the likely adjustment amount. If the ERA indicates that the remaining balance is not adjusted off, you can make changes. You can also enter a remaining balance amount, and PCC EHR will recalculate the amounts for each field.

Optional: Change the Expected Copay Amount

Sometimes a claim is submitted with the wrong copay amount. The payor may respond with less or more than expected, and indicate the correct copay amount. You can change the expected copay for any charge as you enter payments and adjustments.

Automatic Calculation and Payment Relinking: When you change the expected copay, PCC EHR recalculates the adjustment amount on the screen for you. Also, if the family already paid the copay, then when you save and post, PCC EHR will automatically apply that payment correctly and (if appropriate) credit the account. For example, if a parent already paid $10 and now only $5 is expected, the remaining $5 will be a credit on their account.

Enter CARC Codes, Groups, and Amounts

As you enter payments and adjustments, you can also add Claim Adjustment Reason Code (CARC) information.

Payors use CARC codes, groups, and amounts to explain the adjudication of a claim. This information can be important for families as well as when you need to submit a secondary (or tertiary, etc.) claim.

When the next responsible policy is “Personal”, PCC EHR displays only the first CARC field by default, as shown above. If the patient has additional policies, however, then three Code, Group, and Amount columns will appear by default. You can click the CARC field label disclosure arrow to show or hide these extra CARC fields at any time.

Automatic Copay CARC: If a copay is expected for a charge, PCC EHR automatically adds the CARC code “3” for “Co-payment amount”, with a Group code of “PR” and the amount of the expected copay as the adjustment amount.

You can enter additional CARCs, and even search for a CARC adjustment using text from the adjustment reason, which typically appears in the payor’s response.

CARC Adjustments and Insurance Payments May Not Exceed the Charge Amount: CARCs explain adjustments. For that reason, the CARC amounts for a charge cannot exceed the original charge amount minus payments. PCC EHR will prevent you from entering more than the total possible amount, as that could result in a rejected claim from a secondary payor.

Optional: Review Covered Amount and Negotiated Rate

After you enter payments and adjustments, you can see the amount of the charge that the payor adjudicated as “covered” in the Covered Amount column. This displays the original charge amount minus adjustments.

If your practice tracks insurance contracts in PCC, and you’ve entered allowable amounts for these procedures for this insurance, then you will also see a “Negotiated Rate” column to the right.

You can quickly compare the Covered Amount with your practice’s Negotiated Rate.

Optional: Review and Update Policies, Account Demographics, and More

As you enter payments and adjustments, you can scroll down to review patient policies, patient and account demographics, account balances, and account notes.

Use these components to update the patient’s policies, contact the family, or add a note explaining issues with the encounter.

As you work, click “Save” to save patient and account demographics. Policy changes and Account Notes save automatically, but changes to other fields won’t be saved until you click “Save” or “Save + Post”.

Double-Check the Next Policy

Is there a remaining amount due on the charges for this encounter? Before you save and post payments and adjustments, PCC recommends you double-check the next policy, which indicates the next responsible party for these charges.

If the next policy is a payor, then PCC will automatically queue up a claim when you save and post your payments and adjustments. If it is “Personal”, then the remaining amount will become a personal balance.

You can change the next policy. For example, if you added a new patient policy to the Policies component, you can select that new policy. When you save and post, PCC EHR will queue up a claim for the remaining encounter balances.

Click “Save + Post”

When you click “Save + Post”, PCC enters the payments and adjustments into your system, saves any changes you made to demographics, updates balances, and queues up a claim for the next insurance if appropriate.

PCC EHR will return you to the first screen of the Insurance Payments tool so you can continue on to the next encounter.

Review Posted Insurance Payments and Adjustments

After you post insurance payments and adjustments in PCC EHR, where do they appear?

You can review the history of all charges for an encounter in the Billing History section of a patient’s chart.

You can also review all payments for an account in the History tab of the Payments tool.

Additionally, PCC includes reports for reviewing what you posted, examining insurance reimbursement trends, and more.

eRx

PCC 9.7 includes new pharmacy configuration options and drug choices in PCC eRx.

Automatically Update Patients’ Default Pharmacy

You can configure how PCC eRx updates a patient’s default pharmacy when you add a new entry to their Pharmacies list. This setting is user-specific, meaning it only affects your experience in PCC eRx.

To configure the default pharmacy setting, open PCC eRx and go to the My Settings tab.

Scroll down to the Pharmacies section. The first group of radio buttons governs how PCC eRx updates a patient’s default pharmacy when you add a new pharmacy to their Pharmacies list.

Choose the option that supports your preferred workflow:

• Always: Automatically make the new pharmacy the patient’s default.

• Never: Never make the new pharmacy the patient’s default.

• Ask each time: Receive a prompt to make the new pharmacy the patient’s default.

Your default pharmacy setting only applies when you add a new pharmacy to a patient’s list using the “Add Pharmacy” button in the Pharmacies component. The pharmacies you add while prescribing or finalizing a prescription are not governed by this setting and never update the patient’s default.

Prescriptions Always Start Out Using the Default Pharmacy: Regardless of your default pharmacy setting, prescriptions always start out using your patient’s default pharmacy. If you add an additional pharmacy to your patient’s Pharmacies component for one-time use then start a prescription, you will need to change the pharmacy on that prescription from the patient’s default to the recently added entry. This is consistent with the way prescriptions and pharmacies functioned prior to PCC 9.7.

Update Siblings’ Pharmacies Simultaneously

You can configure PCC eRx to update the pharmacies for all siblings when you make changes for one. This setting is user-specific, meaning it only affects your experience in PCC eRx.

To configure the sibling pharmacy setting, open PCC eRx and go to the My Settings tab.

Scroll down to the Pharmacies section. The second group of radio buttons governs what happens when you update the pharmacies of a patient who has siblings.

Choose the option that supports your preferred workflow:

• Always: Automatically apply pharmacy updates to all siblings.

• Never: Never apply pharmacy updates to siblings.

• Ask each time: Receive a prompt to apply pharmacy updates to siblings.

The sibling pharmacy setting only applies when you update pharmacies in the Pharmacies component. The pharmacies you add while prescribing or finalizing a prescription are not governed by this setting and never get added to siblings’ charts.

Create Searchable Pharmacy Nicknames

Users with Administration privileges in PCC eRx can set up practice-wide, searchable nicknames for pharmacies that are otherwise tricky to find.

In PCC eRx, click the Administration tab. Then, click the “Pharmacy Nicknames” link.

In the Search field, type the name of the pharmacy you want to nickname, then click the “Add” button beside it.

Create a nickname for the pharmacy, optionally leave an internal note explaining the purpose of the nickname, then click “Save”.

Pharmacy nicknames display anywhere you can see and search for pharmacy information in PCC eRx.

You can edit and delete pharmacy nicknames on the Pharmacy Nicknames configuration page. Click the “X” icon to delete a nickname or the pencil icon to edit.

You can also edit a pharmacy nickname by searching for the pharmacy in the search field at the top of the configuration page and clicking the “Edit” button beside it.

Avoid Using Special Characters: For an optimal experience, avoid using special characters in pharmacy nicknames. Nicknames that contain special characters such as double quotes (“), ampersands (&), angle brackets (<>), and at signs (@) cannot be found by those characters in the pharmacy search field and may become difficult to edit once saved.

New Drug Options in PCC eRx

A routine update to First Databank’s drug database in May 2023 supported your ability to continue prescribing Poly-Vi-Flor drops and added new entries for Poly-Vi-Flor chewable. The update also added entries for several other in-demand items, such as Daybue and the EndeavorRx video game.

As a result of the update, you might need to delete your old Poly-Vi-Flor favorites and create new ones.

Similarly, you might need to write fresh Poly-Vi-Flor prescriptions instead of renewing entries already in patients’ Medication and Prescription Histories.

If you have a custom medication item for Poly-Vi-Flor chewable, delete it and start future prescriptions from the standard entry in the drug search results.

To learn more about how to prescribe in PCC eRx, read Prescribe Medications.

Reports

PCC 9.7 introduces a tool for auditing chats at your practice, new reporting features that will help you meet PCMH reporting requirements, and improved report printing.

Review Chat Logs in PCC EHR

Track your staff’s usage of PCC EHR’s Chat messages to review communication between your team members and investigate policy violations. PCC 9.7 introduces a new Chat Log feature within PCC EHR’s Audit Log.

Owing to PCC EHR’s chat potentially containing sensitive information, the Chat Log report is a separate permission from the Audit Log in PCC’s User Administration tool. To access the Chat Log you’ll need to add Chat Log permission to the appropriate user role.

When logged in as a user with the above permission enabled, the Chat Message Log is a separate tab within the PCC EHR Audit Log.

Select a range of dates, and one or more users. Be careful when selecting date ranges and users, as this report pulls the full text of all chats within the selected date range for each selected user, so chat log results can quickly get very large.

Once you’ve narrowed down your report filters, click “Run” to run the report.

The results are listed, by default, oldest to newest, so you can read the results as a conversation, from the top to the bottom. Each conversation can be collapsed or expanded using the arrow to the left.

When multiple users are selected, results will include all interactions between two or more of the selected users.

Selecting Multiple Users: When more than two users are selected, Chat Message Log results will include all interactions between two or more of the selected users. If a group chat includes two users you selected and a third you didn’t, that group chat will be included in the results.

Report on More Order Statuses

In PCC 9.7, you can use additional statuses to filter and sort orders-based reports in the PCC EHR Report Library.

With the exception of immunization orders, you can filter orders on reports by Refused, Canceled, and Contraindicated in addition to the Complete and Not Completed statuses.

Reports that allow you to report on orders include the standard Orders, Orders by Visit, Broadcast Messaging Patient List, Chronic Condition Recall, Patient List, Patients Overdue for Weight Management, and Preventative Care Recall reports and their custom versions.

More granular order status reporting supports your practice’s ability to meet Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition requirements.

Report on Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation in Aggregate

If your practice documents patients’ gender identity and sexual orientation, you can report on that data in the PCC EHR Report Library without compromising patients’ confidentiality.

The Patient Count and Percentage by Gender Identity and Patient Count and Percentage by Sexual Orientation reports provide an aggregate view of how your patients self-identify. These reports support your practice’s ability to meet Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) recognition requirements.

The new reports take measures to de-identify patients by reporting only aggregate results. The counts and percentages are based on the actual number of patients who self-report a particular identity. It is not possible to report on individual patients’ gender identity or sexual orientation in the PCC EHR Report Library.

To learn more about documenting gender identity and sexual orientation in PCC EHR, read Record Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity in a Patient’s Chart.

Smarter Page Orientation When Printing Reports

When you print a report from the PCC EHR Report Library that has nine or more columns it will automatically orient in landscape format. Reports with eight or fewer columns will orient in portrait format. This orientation will automatically be set within your workstation’s print dialog window.

You can optionally switch away from the suggested page orientation. Please note that changing the page orientation may result in shrunken report output that does not optimally fit the printed page.

If you include too many columns on your report in either page orientation, some of them may be cut off from the printed output, depending on the width of the columns. For reports with significantly more than nine columns, double-check that the printed output includes all of the same information you can see on your screen. If some of the information is cut off, consider hiding one or more columns to adjust the output to fit.

Other Updates and Improvements

PCC 9.7 includes other notable updates and improvements.

COVID-19 Vaccine Codes and Other Billing Code Updates

PCC updates your system to support coding and billing in line with changing guidelines. During the PCC 9.7 release cycle, we updated your system to support new COVID-19 vaccine codes and new ICD-10 codes.

• Addition of 0174A: In early April, PCC updated all client systems to support the billing of 0174A, the administration of the bivalent Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine as a booster for patients between 6 months and 4 years of age. PCC updated your practice’s claim validation lists for the new code.

• New 2023 ICD-10 Codes: In early April, CMS issued an update to the 2023 ICD-10-CM. The update added 42 ICD-10 codes, including diagnoses for financial abuse, maltreatment, neglect, health literacy, a patient’s physical environment, financial hardship, and more. PCC updated your practice’s ICD-10 list. The new codes and guidelines are valid for dates of service starting on April 1st. You can learn more about the new codes by watching May’s Pediatric Billing Drop-In recording.

• Addition of More Bivalent COVID-19 Administration Codes: In late April, the FDA removed EUA for monovalent COVID-19 vaccines and expanded authorization for bivalent vaccines. This resulted in new administration billing codes (0171A, 0172A, 0151A, 0121A, 0141A, 0142A). These codes are retroactively available to April 18th. PCC updated your practice’s claim validation lists for the new codes.

Other Feature Improvements in PCC 9.7

• Under-the-Hood Improvements to the Summary of Care Record: In order to help your practice meet third-party requirements, PCC 9.7 adds billed ICD-10 codes and the patient’s primary care provider’s taxonomy code and tax ID to summary of care records generated in PCC EHR. These new pieces of information are not visible in the human-readable summary of care, but are included in the underlying message that gets transmitted to recipients.

• More Descriptive Error Message When Your Immunization Registry Finds Too Many Patient Matches: A more descriptive error message makes it clear when you cannot retrieve a patient’s records because your immunization registry found too many patient matches. Learn how to resolve this and other immunization retrieval errors in Look Up and Import Patient Immunization Records from Your Local Registry.

• View Claims Logs Tab Without Closing the Tool: After you process and submit claims, you can now immediately review the submission in the Logs tab of the Claims tool in PCC EHR.

• Payments on Receipts in Chronological Order: When you use the Payments tool in PCC EHR to generate a receipt that shows more than one payment, the payments will now always appear in chronological order by transaction date.

• 2023 May VIS and EUA Updates: In May, PCC updated the Vaccine Information Sheets (VIS) list on your practice’s PCC system to the latest code set. This update included changes to the EUAs listed for COVID-19 vaccines as well as the VIS listed for Pneumococcal Conjugate and Hepatitis B Vaccine.

• Update to North Carolina BCBS Claim Status Reporting: North Carolina BCBS changed their Electronic Claim Audit Report, causing claim statuses to not appear correctly in PCC’s software. PCC fixed this problem and patched the solution to all affected clients during the PCC 9.7 release cycle.

Bug Fixes in PCC 9.7

PCC 9.7 includes some notable squashed bugs.

• Truncated Dispense Quantities on Prescriptions: Prior to PCC 9.7, the dispense quantity value on prescriptions was being truncated at the decimal mark, which sometimes resulted in prescriptions for an incorrect amount or a nonstandard package size. This was especially noticeable with 6.7- and 8.5-gram albuterol inhalers, whose dispense quantity values were being truncated to 6 and 8 grams respectively. PCC 9.7 fixes this issue. Dispense quantity values now retain their decimals.

• Page Hangs after Deleting an eRx Favorite: Prior to PCC 9.7, the My Settings page in PCC eRx did not refresh after deleting a favorite, causing it to appear as if PCC eRx was “stuck” on the deleting screen. In PCC 9.7, the page refreshes properly after you delete a favorite and you can carry on with your work.

• Dispense Quantity Recalculates on Prescriptions Started from Favorites: When you prescribed from a favorite prior to PCC 9.7, the saved dispense quantity value was recalculated according to dose and days supply. When you prescribe from a favorite in PCC 9.7, the prescription reflects the dispense quantity value that was saved in the favorite.

• Error When Creating an eRx Favorite from a Pending Prescription: Prior to PCC 9.7, an asynchronous error would occur when attempting to save a favorite while editing a prescription that was pending on the Rx Queue. This is fixed in PCC 9.7 and you can create a favorite while editing a pending prescription on the Rx Queue.

• 'Ampule' Displays in Certain Prescription Views Instead of the Appropriate Unit of Measure: A patch introduced in October 2022 ensured that prescribers would continue to be able to write prescriptions for bags, bottles, boxes, containers, cartridges, devices, inhalers, pen syringes, packs, syringes, tubes, and vials. This was achieved by mapping these units of measure to an NCPDP-compliant term before transmission. While prescriptions that use this mapping have been transmitting to pharmacies with an accurate, compliant term for dispense unit of measure, certain views in PCC eRx, including renewal requests, have erroneously been displaying “ampule” as the unit of measure instead. This has been fixed in PCC 9.7 and all prescription views now display the dispense unit of measure that was actually transmitted to the pharmacy.

• Erroneous Missing Dose Warning on Weight-Based Prescriptions: In rare cases, weight-based prescriptions that listed a dose would nevertheless show the warning “Medication is incomplete. Dose is missing.” This is resolved in PCC 9.7.

• Slow Loading Times in Patient Portal: Families encountered longer than usual loading times within the Patient Portal. PCC identified the cause of this long load time and corrected it with a patch during the 9.7 release cycle.

• Incorrect pocketPCC Metric Percentile Calculation: When using pocketPCC, entering a patient’s weight in metric would display an incorrect percentile calculation. This has been corrected and the correct percentile now appears. 

• Incorrect Payment Tool Access Permissions: In PCC 9.7, permission to access the Payments tool from within a patient’s chart will be controlled by the same user role permission as accessing the tool from the Tools menu.

• Personal Payments Failing to Appear on Reports: In some circumstances, a personal payment posted in PCC EHR would not appear on certain Practice Management payment-based reports when they were filtered to show only personal payments. PCC 9.7 corrects this issue.

• Problems When Tabbing in an Immunization Order: The PCC 9.6 update changed the tab sequence inside immunization orders, which caused some fields to be skipped when a user pressed the tab key to move from field to field. PCC 9.7 corrects this issue.

• External Cause Diagnoses Could Lead to Claim Issues: When an External Cause diagnosis (W, X, Y, or V code) was linked to a ‘Same’ procedure, and that procedure became the first charge on a claim, the claim could fail to process and require a PCC support call. PCC 9.7 corrects this issue by maintaining the order of charges so the Same procedure is not first.

• Unable to Clone Protocols: In PCC 9.6, users were unable to clone protocols in the Protocol Configuration tool. PCC 9.7 corrects this issue.

In the third quarter of 2022, PCC will release version 9.4 of our electronic charting and practice management software to all PCC practices.

PCC 9.4 is a major advancement in many of PCC’s products and services. You’ll be empowered to create, edit, and generate form letters in a new interface, and PCC EHR’s Payments tool includes new features for reviewing, editing, and applying payments.

Watch a Video Overview and Demoes: Want to see PCC 9.4’s highlights in action? Watch the PCC 9.4 Overview and Video Series.

Implementation: PCC 9.4 includes features that require configuration and user-specific software training. Read about the features below and then review the PCC 9.4 Migration Considerations article.

Read below to learn more about the new features, and contact PCC Support for help with any PCC product or service.

Updates to Payments in PCC EHR

PCC 9.4 includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes for anyone at your practice who works with payments.

Apply Payments to Specific Charges in PCC EHR

When you post a payment in PCC EHR’s Payments tool, or edit a payment, you can now optionally select the charges that the payment will apply towards.

By default, when you enter a payment it automatically applies towards the oldest charges on an account that have a personal amount due.

Click “Distribution” to review and update how the payment will be applied.

PCC EHR will display all charges on the account that have a personal amount due. You can review how the new payment will be applied, and you can optionally update the amounts to change what charges will be paid by the payment.

When you are finished reviewing or changing how the payment amount will be applied, click “Save Payment” to save and post the payment.

Total Distribution Amount Must Equal the Applied Amount of the Payment: You can’t distribute more or less than the original payment amount (or than the amount you designate to apply to previous balances).

If the distribution total doesn’t equal the applied amount of the payment, you will be unable to save the payment.

Distribute a Payment to Charges Already Paid By Unapplied Payments

When you use the Distribution section to apply payments to charges, you may see more charges than you expect. The Distribution list can include charges that are paid off by unapplied payments.

In PCC, unapplied (or “unlinked”) payments on an account are automatically included in personal balance totals. So a charge can be paid off by unapplied money on an account. For example, if a family paid a $25 copay in error, and the copay due was later changed, they may end up with a $25 credit on their account. The $25 will be an unapplied payment. Personal balance totals will automatically consider that $25, and reduce the amount due on personal charges.

When you use Distribution, you will see all personal charges not paid off by an applied payment. The list may include charges that are paid off by unapplied payments, such as an old credit on the account. You can review and clean up unapplied payments on the Payment History tab.

By displaying all charges that are not already paid off by applied payments, your practice can use the Distribution section to control to which charges a payment applies.

Review an Encounter’s Charges and Payments

You can use the Billing History in the patient’s chart to review detailed charge and payment information for any encounter.

The Billing History displays all of the billing-related information for an encounter.

In the Procedures section, you can review charges for the encounter, including the amount charged and a history of all payments.

For each charge, you can see personal payments, insurance payments, and adjustments.

If any unapplied (or “unlinked”) payments on an account are paying off charges, you will see the “Payment (Unapplied)” amount indicated for each charge and in the totals section.

In the Payments section, you can review payments posted on the same date as the encounter. To configure which payment types appear in this section, contact PCC Support.

For each payment, you can review what charges the payment applies towards.

Print an Encounter's Complete Billing History: Select any encounter and click “Print” to print the billing history. It will include all charge, payment, and adjustment information along with details about the claim.

See Bounced Checks and Other Payment Reversals: If a payment has been reversed (such as a returned check or a stopped credit card payment), it will appear along with the reversal procedure. The payment description will be struckthrough to help you identify that it was reversed. (If only part of a payment has been reversed, then the payment is still partly valid and the strikethrough line will not appear.)

Click 'Payments' For More Details and to Make Changes: After you review the charges and payments for an encounter, you may want to work with the billing account’s payment history and make changes. Click the “Payments” button to open the Payments tool.

In the Payments tool, you can edit payments, add notes, print a receipt, or make changes to how a payment is applied.

Review Payment History

Use the Payments tool in PCC EHR to review and edit an account’s full payment history. You can jump to Payments from within a patient’s Billing History, or open it from the Tools menu.

You can search for an account by name or use other search parameters, like an account phone number. The list of matching search results includes a Dependents column to help you confirm that you have the right account.

Click on the “History” tab to see the account’s payment history.

Aged account totals appear at the top, followed by a list of payments. The most recent payments appear at the top of the list.

Click the disclosure arrow next to a payment to see what charges it applies towards.

If any portion of a payment is unapplied, the payment amount appears in bold orange in the Unapplied Amount column. You can click the disclosure arrow to see more details about unapplied payments.

You can use the History tab in the Payments tool to review account balance and payment information. Then you can switch to the Payment tab to post payments, enter account notes, or perform other actions.

Edit a Personal Payment

Double-click on a personal payment in the Payment History tab to make changes.

You can modify the transaction date, payment type, amount, or check number. You can also change how much of a payment applies towards balances on personal charges, and you can use the Distribution section to specify which charges the payment applies towards.

Click “Save” to save any changes to the payment.

In addition to fixing mistakes made during payment entry, your practice can use the Payment History tab to identify unlinked payments, edit them, and apply them towards appropriate charges on an account.

Editing a Payment Updates Your Daysheet and Other PCC Auditing Reports: When you edit a payment, it will update your system’s underlying payment reports. For example, the Daysheet report will display a negative entry and a positive entry, reflecting the removal of the old payment and the addition of the new payment with your saved changes.

Print Receipts for Previously Posted Payments

In PCC EHR, you can print a receipt for any payment on an account.

Select a payment on the History tab in the Payments tool.

You can shift-click or command-click to select multiple payments in the history.

Then click “Print Receipt” to generate a new receipt for the selected payment(s).

The receipt displays each payment, along with details about which charges each payment applies towards.

Different Receipts for Different Needs: The receipt created from the Payments tool’s History tab includes more information about the encounter than a simple payment receipt. You can generate a receipt any time you post a payment, and it may not always be appropriate to share a detailed receipt. Your practice should consider when to provide a basic payment receipt or the more detailed payment history receipt. You can also print an encounter’s complete charge and payment history in the Billing History section of a patient’s chart.

Updates to Insurance Billing and Claims

From claim holds to RARCs, PCC 9.4 includes new and improved features related to insurance billing and claims.

Hold Claims for Specific Dates of Service, Billing Providers, Locations, and Plans

When your practice needs to prevent certain claims from being submitted, you can create a claim hold. A claim hold prevents claims from going out for specific dates of service, billing providers, places of service, and insurance plans.

Use the Claim Holds tool to create or edit claim holds. Read the procedure below to learn more.

Claim Holds in Place Prior to PCC 9.4: If your practice had PCC place a hold on claims for your system before PCC 9.4, those existing holds will still function. Prior to PCC 9.4, PCC created holds under-the-hood in your practice’s configuration. Those holds will not be visible in the Claim Holds tool. PCC will help you migrate holds into the new Claims Hold tool so your practice can manage them directly.

Open the Claim Holds Tool

Open the Claim Holds tool from the Tools menu in PCC EHR. Your practice can use User Roles to specify which users can open the tool. (See Set User Roles for Permissions and Security)

Review Existing Claim Holds

Click on an existing claim hold in the Claim Hold Index to view details.

Click “Add”

To create a new claim hold, click “Add”.

Enter a Description and Dates of Service

A claim hold requires a description and a date range for dates of service.

• Description: You can include a lengthy description indicating the purpose of the claim hold.

• Dates of Service: Enter the claim hold date range. Claims for these dates of service, including the start and end date, will be held until the hold is deleted or changed.

Select Billing Providers, Places of Service, and Insurance Plans

Select additional criteria for the new claim hold. You can restrict a claim hold to specific billing providers, places of service, and/or a subset of insurance plans to which your practice bills.

• Billing Providers: Click “Edit” to select which providers’ claims will be held. When processing claims, PCC will hold claims with a Billing Provider that matches one of the providers listed in the claim hold.

• Places of Service: Click “Edit” to select which locations’ claims will be held. You can select one or more places of service. When processing claims, PCC will hold claims with a Billing Location that matches places of service listed in the claim hold.

• Insurance Plans: Click “Edit” to select which insurance plans’ claims will be held. You can search and sort by plan name, plan group, or the payor id used for electronic submission.

When making a selection, you can search a list and use “Select All” and “Select None” to quickly pick groups of providers, locations, or plans.

Click “Save”

Click “Save” to finish creating the claim hold.

Holds are immediately active. After you create a hold, any claims that match the specified dates of service, providers, locations, and insurance plans will not be sent out when you process claims.

Optionally, Edit a Claim Hold

Select a claim hold and click “Edit” to make changes.

For example, you may have a claim hold for a new clinician which holds claims for all insurance plans. As they become credentialed with each payor, you can edit the claim hold and make changes to the insurance plan criteria.

Delete a Claim Hold to Release Claims

Select a claim hold and click “Delete” to delete a claim hold.

The next time you process and submit claims, any claims held by the deleted hold will be sent.

When Does a Claim Hold Expire? Never: Claim holds are based on dates of service, so they never expire. Any claims that match the indicated dates of service and the other criteria for the hold will never be sent. In order to release held claims, you must either delete the hold or edit the dates of service or other criteria to change which claims are held.

Improved Visibility of Policies that are Not Yet Active

When you add an insurance policy to a patient’s record with a start date in the future, PCC EHR will display the “Not Yet Active” status.

In the patient’s policies list, future policies will appear above active policies. You can filter that list to review All, Active, Expired, and/or Not Yet Active policies.

Other Billing Improvements

In addition to the features described above, PCC 9.4 includes these under-the-hood improvements.

• RARCs No Longer Require Manual Attention: PCC’s Autopost Insurance Payments (autopip) program can post normal insurance payments and adjustments automatically, setting aside denials and claim responses with unusual adjustment reason codes for your attention. PCC 9.4 improves this process by also allowing Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARCs) to post automatically. RARCs are typically supplemental information that should not preclude automatic posting. Contact PCC Support to adjust what your system is allowed to post automatically.

• Encounters with Different Places of Service Will Be Submitted On Separate Claims: When your practice processes charges for a patient who has had multiple encounters on the same day with the same provider but in two different places of service, PCC’s claim processor will now create two separate claims. For example, when a patient had a telemedicine encounter and an in-person encounter that occurred on the same day, the encounters can now result in two claims. Only charges with the same patient, date, billing provider, and location will appear on the same claim.

• Improved Claim Configuration for Encounters With Multiple Providers: PCC 9.4 improves claim configuration options for when an encounter has a different billing and rendering provider. For example, when your practice needs “incident-to” billing, with CPT code modifiers based on the rendering provider, PCC can now more easily customize your setup for each payor to ensure the right codes go out on claims.

• Clearer Unlinking and Relinking of Payments in Correct Mistakes: When you unlink a payment that was linked to multiple charges, the Correct Mistakes (oops) program will consolidate the unlinked portions of the payment. This reduces clutter by eliminating multiple unlinked “part of payment” line items in the account history and makes it easier to relink the original payment to charges.

• Fewer Locks When You Work With Account History: When you review an account using Correct Mistakes (oops), the program will no longer place a temporary hold on charge, payment, and adjustment posting. The oops tool will only create a lock when a user is in the middle of making a change to an account, not when a user is simply viewing the history. Your practice may notice fewer warnings that charge posting will be delayed, and this improvement will also reduce concurrency payment errors that require PCC Support intervention.

• Improved Support for Billing Provider Taxonomy Codes on Claims: Insurance payors increasingly require the billing provider’s taxonomy code on claims. PCC 9.4 improves your system’s claim processing tools so PCC can more easily configure whether or not Loop 2000A includes the billing provider taxonomy code.

New and Updated Billing Interfaces

With each release, PCC expands and updates direct connections, partnerships, and integrations with insurance payors and clearinghouses.

During the PCC 9.4 release cycle, PCC enabled or updated insurance eligibility interfaces with: Community Health Choice, Community Health Plan Inc, Fidelis Care New York, Gilsbar, Health Partners of Philadelphia, Healthscope Benefits, HealthSmart Benefit Solution, Keystone First, Molina Healthcare of Nevada, Sierra Health Services, Trustmark Coresource Ohio, Trustmark Small Business Benefits, Unite Here Health, and West Virginia Highmark.

If your practice would like to take advantage of these connections, or you have other interface needs, contact PCC Support.

Create and Manage Forms in PCC EHR

Move your auto-filling forms, handouts, policies, and letters to a new Forms Configuration tool in PCC EHR where you can edit their settings, preview them with real patient data, and control how, when, and where they show up in the Forms component.

When you switch to the new tool, it becomes easier to generate forms that require a provider signature or visit-specific information. You can also try creating your own forms from scratch in an embedded form editor.

For a complete guide about how to use the Forms Configuration tool, read Create and Manage Forms in PCC EHR. Read on to learn what you have to gain by making the switch to the new Forms Configuration tool.

Enable Forms Configuration

Forms Configuration is an early access tool that can be enabled upon request. There are several steps involved in enabling the new tool.

Speak with PCC Support if you are interested in enabling Forms Configuration. PCC Support will help you assess whether the current version of the tool can support your practice’s needs and guide you through the transition.

To learn more about how to enable Forms Configuration, read Switch to the New Forms Solution in PCC EHR.

Early Access Tool: The new forms solution is in an early access testing period in just a few offices. If you are interested in participating in the early access release, please contact PCC Support.

Manage Your Own Forms

Once the Forms Configuration tool is enabled, you can manage your own forms with little to no intervention from PCC Support.

Access Forms Configuration

Open the Forms Configuration tool from the Configuration menu in PCC EHR.

Users must have the Forms permission in order to access the Forms Configuration tool. Your practice can add the Forms permission to user roles in the User Administration tool in PCC EHR.

Work with PDF Forms

When you enable Forms Configuration, your PCC Client Advocate helps you migrate your existing forms into the new tool. Most existing forms are custom-built PDFs that were uploaded to your system by PCC Support.

PDF forms are marked by a PDF icon in the Forms Configuration tool.

Edit a PDF form to view its contents, modify its settings, preview it with real patient data, and control how it appears in the Forms component.

If you need to edit the contents of a PDF form or add a new one to PCC EHR, contact PCC Support. PCC Support will continue to custom-build PDF forms and upload them to PCC EHR on your behalf.

Expect Fewer PDF Forms Over Time: Your reliance on PDF forms will diminish over time as you begin building your own forms using the form editor embedded within the Forms Configuration tool.

Control How Forms Appear in the Forms Component

The Forms component occurs throughout PCC EHR and contains the list of forms that your practice can generate for patients. You can control its display parameters in the Forms Configuration tool.

Set Forms to Display in the Forms Component

The status of a form determines whether it displays in the Forms component. You can set the status of a form in the Forms Configuration tool.

To set the status of a form, open the Forms Configuration tool and edit the form.

Set the status in the top right corner of the form canvas.

Save your work to apply the status change. Active forms display in the Forms component. Inactive forms do not display in the Forms component and cannot be generated for patients.

Set the Form Display Name

Once a form is active, its name displays in the Forms component and elsewhere on your PCC system that your practice and patients might see. You can customize a form’s display name in the Forms Configuration tool.

To customize a form’s name, edit the form in the Forms Configuration tool.

The text in the Form Name field is what users at your practice will see in the Forms component and elsewhere when the form is active.

Where Can Patients See Form Names?: When you generate forms for patients, their names serve as default document titles that patients can later reference in the patient portal.

Set the Display Order of Forms in the Forms Component

You can set the display order of forms in the Forms component. To get started, click the “Edit Display Order” button on the main page of the Forms Configuration tool.

Drag and drop the forms to rearrange their display order in the Forms component.

You can set the display order of active and inactive forms, but only the active ones appear in the Forms component and can be generated for patients.

Fill Out Complex Forms More Easily

When you switch to the Forms Configuration tool, complex forms become easier for your practice to fill out.

For example, when you generate a form that includes fields for visit-specific data, it prompts you to choose which visit it should reference.

Forms that need a signature prompt you to choose a signing provider.

Finally, forms that prompt you for written responses have text boxes that grow as you type, so you can review your answers as a whole without having to scroll.

As a bonus, forms that were built using the form editor in the Forms Configuration tool have a live preview as you fill them out for patients.

Forms built as custom PDFs do not offer a live preview as you fill them out.

Experiment with Creating Your Own Forms

Pioneers who enable the Forms Configuration tool can begin to make their own forms from scratch using the embedded form editor.

This early access tool has text editing capabilities and a library of auto-filling fields that you can add to your forms. PCC will continue to improve and build upon this tool in upcoming releases.

Patient Portal, pocketPCC, and Communication

Receive Signed Policy Documents from Families

Speed up your check-in process by creating new Patient Portal Messaging templates that include signable documents, so patients can submit your policy documents before they arrive.

Your Patient Portal Messaging Templates tool includes a new “Agreement” field. Documents attached to this field are available for all Portal users to review and sign.

When a portal user selects a messaging template that includes the Agreement field, they can review the document and click “Sign” to attach an electronic signature, along with a time and date stamp.

Once the user has signed the documents and sent the portal message, you’ll find it in the Messages Queue, the patient’s history and documents.

Automatically Close Portal Message Conversations

Prevent users from replying to old messages in the Patient Portal, so that your conversations remain on-topic and fresh in your messaging queue. PCC EHR’s Patient Portal Configuration, Portal Messaging includes the option to prevent replies to a message thread after a selected number of days.

You can select any number of days, from 1 to 99. Keep in mind that selecting too short a date range can prevent users from replying at all, so select a reasonable length of time.

If the portal user does not send a reply within the selected number of days, the conversation will become inactive and additional replies cannot be sent. The countdown resets every time a reply is sent.

Users can create a new message to begin a new conversation.

Conversations awaiting the first response from your practice will not become inactive.  Messages must have at least one reply or be marked as “no reply” for the countdown to begin.

Your practice users, replying from within the EHR, can always reply to any thread, even if the conversation is  inactive.

CHADIS Results Appear in PocketPCC

CHADIS results now automatically appear in PocketPCC, as they do in PCC EHR.
When your patients, families, and other users complete CHADIS questionnaires, and CHADIS returns the results, those results will appear in PocketPCC, assigned to the order in the visit’s note.

Configure the Other Portal Message Template

Take greater control of your Patient Portal messaging with additional options for customizing your Portal’s Other message type. Find the Other message type in the Messaging Template tool where you can edit or even delete the Other message template alongside all your other templates.

By default, the Other message is designed to function as a simple email message. It has a subject field, a large input box, and an attachments field. From the Portal Messaging Template tool, you can add any additional fields.

By default, the new subject field is enabled for the Other Message and any text entered in the subject field will appear in the subject column of the messaging queue in PCC EHR. All the changes you make to the Other template will be immediately available in your Patient Portal’s messages.

Add a Subject Line to Any Portal Message Template

Quickly review your incoming Portal Messages on the Messaging Queue by adding a subject line option to your Portal Messages.

The new subject field now appears on every Portal Messaging Template. It is disabled by default for all message types aside from the Other template. When the subject field is disabled, the subject line in the Messaging Queue displays the message template title, such as “Appointment Request” or “Referral Request”

By enabling the subject field, a single text line will be available to your users to write their own subject line.

The subject line content will appear in the messaging queue, so you can get more information about each message with a glance at your Messaging Queue.

Identify Missed and Canceled Appointments in pocketPCC

Easily identify missed and canceled appointments in pocketPCC’s visit history, so you can get a complete view of each patient’s history from your mobile device.

Appointments marked as missed or canceled in PCC EHR, are marked as such in pocketPCC alongside the visit reason.

New Titles in pocketPCC

PocketPCC is easier to navigate with the addition of labels on each page, so at a glance, you’ll know what page you’re on, and where you left off.

Manage Unsubscribed and Invalid Email Addresses and Phone Numbers

Take more control over your patient and family messaging by quickly identifying and resolving unsubscribed, invalid, and blacklisted email addresses and phone numbers from the patient demographics in both PCC EHR and pocketPCC.

The icon that previously indicated that an email address or phone number was unsubscribed from Broadcast Messaging now appears for any issue preventing an email or SMS message from being received by that number or email address.

Clicking that icon opens a window explaining the issue with that contact method and how to resolve it.

Unsubscribed Email Addresses

If a user has unsubscribed from receiving email addresses, they’ll receive no messages from PCC. Clicking the icon pops up a window with the option to send an invite email. Clicking the link in that email will resubscribe the email address to your emails.

Invalid Email Address

If the email address is not unsubscribed but still not receiving emails, you’ll find the option to correct any typo in the email address, or mark the email address as correct. Marking the address as correct does not guarantee the next message will send, but it clears the error and attempts to send future messages.

Invalid Phone Numbers

If the phone number is incorrect or formatted incorrectly, such as a missing area code, or it’s a landline and cannot receive SMS messages, you’ll have the opportunity to fix the number. Like the email above, marking the number as correct doesn’t guarantee the next message will go through.

Phone Number is Unsubscribed

If the phone number has opted out of receiving text messages, the only resolution is for that user to text UNSTOP to the number displayed in the window.

Reporting Updates

Track your practice’s COVID-19 vaccination trends in the Practice Vitals Dashboard, tailor the columns on Report Library reports to requester’s specifications, and more in PCC 9.4.

Review COVID Vaccination Trends Among Your Active Patients

You can see how many of your active patients have received one or more, two or more, or three or more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on the COVID-19 page of your Practice Vitals Dashboard.

A new trend graph illustrates COVID-19 vaccination rates among active patients within an age range over time. Select an age range to see what percentage of active patients in that range received one or more, two or more, or three or more doses of the vaccine since it was initially approved for that group.

The table below the trend graph shows the most recently collected COVID-19 immunization data and the date it was collected.

The number of eligible patients in the data set is equal to the number of active patients in the selected age range. The dose counts in the data set include those administered at your practice and those administered elsewhere that have been entered manually into patients’ charts.

You can compare your COVID-19 vaccination trends to benchmark data from the CDC. Click the link in the Additional Resources section to view the CDC’s benchmark data.

Practices who are new to PCC might note a choppy or downward trend in COVID-19 vaccination rates. This typically indicates that your practice increased its active patient count over time at a greater rate than it vaccinated those patients against COVID-19.

The new vaccination rate graph and table replace the financial and visit productivity data that was designed to show the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your practice. While the pandemic continues to have an impact, the financial and visit productivity measures are no longer as relevant as they were in 2020.

Choose How to Represent Patient Names on Reports

In PCC 9.4, you can choose whether to display patient names in one or several columns on reports in the PCC EHR Report Library. With this flexibility, you can customize reports to meet the name formatting requirements of third-party requesters. Customized reports retain their patient name format when printed and exported.

Read on to learn how to change the patient name format on reports in the PCC EHR Report Library.

Applies to All Reports with Patient Name Columns Except Broadcast Messaging: You can customize the patient name format on all reports that allow for patient name columns to be included, except for the Broadcast Messaging report, which joins multiple patient names into a a single column.

CMS’s Omission of COVID-19 RVUs Affected PCC Reports

CMS’s Relative Value Unit publications have not included COVID-19 vaccines since 2021. Due to this omission, PCC financial reports that are based on RVUs may be incomplete from 2021 through the present. PCC expects CMS to file a correction in June, and we will keep our clients up-to-date on any changes.

Your PCC system automatically retrieves the latest RVU data from CMS in order to keep your practice’s financial reports up-to-date. You can use your Practice Vitals Dashboard or run SRS reports to evaluate your pricing model and find out how the prices you bill compare to Medicare’s published values for each service.

Due to CMS’s omission, if your practice billed for COVID-19 vaccines, RVU-based reports on your system may not fully reflect the services you provided during this period.

PCC discovered this omission and sent a notice to all clients in April of 2022. PCC Support can optionally update your system’s RVUs manually upon request. When CMS files a correction, PCC will ensure that your system is correctly updating from the latest public data.

Clinical Interoperability Updates

PCC’s clinical interoperability tools make it possible to e-prescribe, submit and retrieve records from your local immunization registry, receive electronic lab results, communicate securely with other healthcare providers, and more. Most clinical interoperability updates occur on a rolling basis. Read on to learn what’s new in clinical interoperability since the last PCC release.

Better Response Options for Change Requests in PCC eRx

Since the last PCC release, your practice received an important, non-disruptive background update to change request functionality in PCC eRx. Your practice received this update on Monday, April 18, 2022.

Change requests are electronic messages that pharmacies use to request script clarifications, generic substitutions, therapeutic interchanges, drug use evaluations, or confirmation of the prescribers’ credentials. Pharmacies can also use change requests to notify you when a medication requires prior authorization or is out of stock. Change requests appear on the Rx Queue in PCC EHR alongside pending prescriptions and renewal requests.

The background update introduced five standard response options for change requests:

• Keep or Edit Original Prescription: Keep or edit the prescription you originally wrote, then send that in response to the change request.

• Approve Requested Substitution: Approve the substitution suggested by the pharmacy, either as written or with edits.

• Replace with New Prescription: Start a new prescription from scratch to replace the original.

• Cancel Original Prescription: Notify the pharmacy that you want to cancel the original prescription.

• Reassign: Reassign the change request to a different provider at your practice.

The update also fixed some bugs, resulting in:

• Fewer calls to Support to delete faulty change requests from the Rx Queue
• The ability to respond to change requests that contain little or no information from the pharmacy
• The ability to process responses to change requests successfully, even when they include notes that exceed the 70 character limit
• Neater display of repeat change and renewal requests on the Rx Queue
• The ability to respond to renewal requests for compounds on the Rx Queue
• Fewer ways to accidentally create duplicate prescriptions when your network lags
• Better handling of Spanish language and other special characters on prescriptions
• Better visibility into prescription errors that are retrying on the Rx Queue
• Fewer “digital signature” errors when sending prescriptions for controlled substances
• The ability to successfully send controlled substance prescriptions that were interrupted while you were entering your two-factor authentication credentials

Stay tuned to PCC Community for information about upcoming background updates and improvements to PCC eRx.

Contact PCC Support to get started, or to let us know that you’re interested in establishing a bidirectional connection with your registry once it’s available in your region.

Updates to Immunization Forecasting

Practices received a behind-the-scenes update to the immunization forecaster on June 7, 2022. The update included the following:

• COVID-19 Booster Schedule for 12+: This release implemented the ACIP guidance for a booster dose of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to persons 12+ years of age who have completed a COVID primary series.

• Change in Interval Between End of Series and Booster: This release also modified the interval between the last dose of COVID vaccine and the booster dose from 6 months to 5 months.

PCC updates the immunization forecaster throughout the release cycle. If you have questions or encounter issues with your immunization forecasting, contact PCC Support.

New and Updated Clinical Interfaces

With each release, PCC expands and updates direct connections, partnerships, and integrations with immunization registries, health information exchanges, clinical information networks, and more. Here are the clinical interoperability updates for PCC 9.4:

• Bidirectional Immunization Registry Connections: Practices in Delaware, Kansas, Oregon, and Pennsylvania are newly eligible to sign up for bidirectional immunization registry interfaces, joining those who have similar connections in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Virginia, and Wyoming. With a bidirectional connection, you can check vaccine records in your local immunization registry and import them into patient charts without ever leaving PCC EHR. To read about how it works, check out Look Up and Import Patient Immunization Records from Your Local Registry.

• HIEs, CINs, and More: During the PCC 9.4 release cycle, PCC introduced new clinical interfaces with VaxCare, Swell CX, HealthtrackRx, Steward Health Care, and Helix Diagnostics, and deprecated the integration with North Carolina’s CVMS.

If your practice would like to take advantage of these connections, or you have other interface needs, contact PCC Support.

Improvements to Encounter-Level CPT Reporting on C-CDAs

C-CDA is a virtual clinical document type used for health information exchange. C-CDAs communicate encounter-level information. Where available, the C-CDAs generated in PCC EHR will now include the CPT code for the encounter itself, not just the procedures completed during the encounter. Encounter-level CPT data is often requested by health information exchanges, which use it to determine if practices are meeting certain measures. This data may also help practices qualify for optimal Medicaid reimbursement.

Fixes and Improvements in the August 2022 PCC eRx Patch

A nondisruptive background patch to PCC eRx at the end of August 2022 delivers many important fixes and improvements.

• Continue ePrescribing Compounds Past September 1, 2022: Compounds prescribed from PCC eRx will comply with changes to the NCPDP SCRIPT Standard by the September 1, 2022 change deadline, securing your ability to continue prescribing compounds electronically. Read Create Custom Medication Items in PCC eRx to learn more about how to create, manage and prescribe compounds and other custom medication items.

• New EPCS Registrants Can More Reliably Proceed to Video ID-Proofing: In certain rare cases, new registrants who elected to complete EPCS identity verification via video with Exostar experienced session loss as a result of an unstable internet connection. Those providers were unable to enter their video ID-proofing code and had to restart the identity verification process. This issue has been fixed

• Add a New or Replacement EPCS Token After Deactivating All Others: Prescribers who deactivated all of their EPCS tokens and later needed to add new ones were unable to access Exostar Token Management in the My Settings area of PCC eRx, even when they had a backup phone number that they could use to authenticate their access rights. This issue has been fixed.

• Calculate Dose by Weight in Fewer Clicks: In certain cases, the “Calculate Dose By Weight” button for weight-based prescriptions required two presses in order to calculate a dose. This issue has been fixed.

• See Weight-Based Doses for Generic Antibiotics in mLs: In some cases, the weight-based dosing calculations for generic antibiotics such as Bactrim and certain Augmentin formulations resulted in the number of milligrams (mg) per dose rather than milliliters (mL). This issue has been fixed.

• Send Paxlovid, Daytrana, and Onextron Prescriptions Electronically: An issue relating to the complexity of the dose forms for Paxlovid, Daytrana, and Onextron was preventing prescriptions for these medications from being sent electronically to pharmacies. This issue has been fixed. Please note that, due to the nature of the fix, you will not be able to prescribe these medications from your existing favorites list after the update. PCC recommends deleting those favorites and creating new ones from scratch. To learn how to work with favorites, read PCC eRx Prescription Favorites.

• Prescribe Pseudoephedrine without Error: In certain cases, pseudoephedrine prescriptions caused errors when prescribed across state lines with differing DEA schedule classifications. This issue has been fixed.

• Successfully Prescribe Different Variants of the Same Controlled Substance on the Same Day: In certain cases, prescribers who created several prescriptions on the same day for various forms of a controlled substance that were meant to be taken concurrently (e.g., that differed in strength, frequency, or release mechanism) received an error prompting them to choose different dates to fill for these prescriptions. This was particularly notable in the case of Adderall and Adderall XR. This issue has been fixed.

• See All Start Dates for 3-Month Supply Prescriptions on the Rx Queue: 3-month supply prescriptions on the Rx Queue were only displaying the start date of the first prescription in the series. This issue has been fixed.

• Long Pharmacy Names Display Correctly for Renewals on the Rx Queue: In some cases, the length of pharmacy names for prescription renewal requests on the Rx Queue overlapped the provider name. A nondisruptive PCC eRx patch corrects this issue.

Other Updates and PCC News

PCC 9.4 delivers several general improvements and updates that you should know about.

Improved Access to PCC Talk

To ensure that you can reliably access PCC Talk, PCC’s online forum for users, the Help menu in PCC EHR will open PCC Talk in your web browser instead of within PCC EHR.

Update Your Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 Workstations

When a manufacturer stops providing security updates for an operating system, PCC ends support as well. Microsoft will end support for Windows 8 in January of 2023, and infrastructure support necessitates we end support for Windows Server 2012 at the same time. If your practice uses workstations that run Windows 8 (or prior) or Windows Server 2012 (or prior), you should upgrade those machines.

When a user logs into PCC EHR, it will present a message if they are running older system software. The reminder encourages them to review and update their operating system. Contact PCC Support for recommendations.

Apple does not formally announce the end of software security updates, but similarly your practice should make plans to upgrade any Apple Macintosh workstation running MacOS 10.14 (Mojave) or MacOS 10.15 (Catalina) or prior, as they are approaching end-of-life.

PCC EHR recommends a workstation running on Windows 10 (or higher) or MacOS 11 (or higher). For more information, read Hardware Guide: Your Personal Computer and Equipment.

Continuous Updates to COVID-19 Vaccine Support in PCC

PCC continually updates your system to support COVID-19 vaccines. This includes support for clinical and financial codes, manufacturer and vaccine codes (MVX and CVX), and the index of VIS. During the PCC 9.2 to 9.4 release cycle, PCC rolled out multiple patches to your system.

To learn how to configure your system for COVID-19 vaccine administration, read:

COVID-19 Vaccines: Plan, Configure, Order, Administer, and Bill

For other guides and updates related to COVID-19, visit PCC’s COVID-19 Links and Resources page.

January 2022 Support for Third Pfizer Vaccine for Immunocompromised Children 5-11

In early 2022, PCC updated the claim validation lists on all PCC systems to support the newly announced CPT 0073A. Your practice can add this procedure to your Procedures table and use this code to bill a third dose of Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine “for certain immunocompromised children 5 through 11 years of age” (AMA).

March 2022 VIS, CVX, and MVX Update

In March of 2022, PCC patched all practice systems with the latest VIS, MVX, and CVX data. These updates allow your practice to track and record the latest immunization information.

The update included these new or updated VIS document titles:

• COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech EUA Recipient-Caregiver Fact Sheet-12 years and older
• COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech EUA Recipient-Caregiver Fact Sheet- Pediatric 5 – 11 years
• COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech EUA Recipient-Caregiver Fact Sheet- Pediatric <5 yrs
• COVID-19 Moderna Vaccine EUA Recipient-Caregiver Fact Sheet
• COVID-19 Janssen Vaccine EUA Recipient-Caregiver Fact Sheet
• Recombinant Zoster Vaccine VIS
• Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13_PCV15_PCV20) VIS

The update added support for these new CVX codes:

• 207: COVID-19, mRNA, LNP-S, PF, 100 mcg/0.5mL dose or 50 mcg/0.25mL dose
• 217: COVID-19, mRNA, LNP-S, PF, 30 mcg/0.3 mL dose, tris-sucrose
• 219: COVID-19, mRNA, LNP-S, PF, 3 mcg/0.2 mL dose, tris-sucrose
• 220: HepB recombinant, 3-antigen, Al(OH)3
• 221: COVID-19, mRNA, LNP-S, PF, 50 mcg/0.5 mL dose

The update added support for one MVX code:

• VBI: VBI Vaccines, Inc

March 2022 Diagnosis Code Update

In March of 2022, PCC patched all practice systems with the CDC’s latest COVID-19 ICD-10 update. The new codes become valid on April 1st, 2022.

The update includes underimmunization for COVID-19:

• Z28.31 Underimmunization for COVID-19 status
  • Z28.310 Unvaccinated for COVID-19
  • Z28.311 Partially vaccinated for COVID-19

The guidelines specify that these codes should not be used for individuals who are not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines, as determined by the healthcare provider.

The update also includes the “other underimmunization” status, with two additional descriptions:

• Z28.39 Other underimmunization status
  • Delinquent immunization status
  • Lapsed immunization schedule status

You can read the complete list of new diagnoses in this update on the CDC’s website.

For help linking these new billing codes to the diagnosis descriptions used in a patient’s chart, read Link Chart Diagnoses to ICD-10 Billing Codes.

April 2022 VIS Update

In April of 2022, PCC patched all practice systems with the latest VIS data released by the CDC.

The update included new VIS editions dated March 29, 2022 for two vaccines:

• Moderna COVID-19 vaccine (CVX 207 and 221)
• Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for patients ages 12 and older (CVX 208 and 217)

May 2022 CVX and NDC Update

In May of 2022, PCC patched all practice systems with the latest CVX and NDC data released by the CDC.

The update added support for two new CVX codes for Moderna pediatric COVID-19 vaccines (pre-EUA):

• 227: COVID-19, mRNA, LNP-S, PF, pediatric 50 mcg/0.5 mL dose
• 228: COVID-19, mRNA, LNP-S, PF, pediatric 25 mcg/0.25 mL dose

The update also added support for new NDC codes associated with the Sanofi COVID-19 booster (pre-EUA):

• Sale NDCs: 49281-618-20, 49281-0618-20
• Use NDCs: 49281-618-20, 49281-0618-78

Finally, the update removed support for several NDC codes associated with FluMist Quadrivalent:

• Sale NDCs: 66019-308-10, 66019-0308-10
• Use NDCs: 66019-308-01, 66019-0308-01

May 2022 Support for 5-11 COVID-19 Boosters

In May of 2022, PCC updated the claim validation lists on PCC systems to support the newly announced CPT 0074A. Your practice can add this procedure to your Procedures table and then use it to bill for administration of the booster dose of Pfizer’s pediatric COVID-19 vaccine to children aged 5 to 11.

For more information about COVID-19 vaccines in PCC EHR, visit learn.pcc.com’s COVID-19 Vaccine page. Please note that the booster administration code is distinct from the 3rd dose administration code (0073A), which is already in use for immunocompromised patients.

June 2022 Support for Moderna and Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccines for Young Children

In June of 2022, PCC updated the claim validation and CVX lists on PCC systems to support the newly announced Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for young children.

• CPT Code Updates: PCC updated the claim validation code list on your system. As is usual with COVID-19 vaccines, the new codes include unique vaccine CPT codes (91322 and 91308), along with distinct codes for each administration. PCC has collected these codes on learn.pcc.com’s COVID-19 vaccine page.

• CVX Updates: PCC added the new vaccine administration CVX entry for Moderna’s 6m to 6yr COVID-19 vaccine to your system, CVX 228. Your system already included 219 (Pfizer’s 6m to 5yr vaccine). The same patch also added CVX codes for Moderna’s 6-12yr COVID-19 vaccine (227) and other less common new CVX and MVX codes, inclusive of all CDC updates up through June 19th.

• VIS Lists: When the CDC announces appropriate EUA Fact Sheet (in lieu of VIS) for each vaccine, PCC will update the lists on your system so the correct entry can be selected when you administer the vaccine.

July 2022 Claim Validation Update

In July of 2022, PCC updated your server’s claim validation lists for newly announced COVID-19 billing codes. The new codes include some additional Moderna vaccine product and administration codes for younger children. PCC updates claim validation when new codes are approved, but many payers will not accept these new codes. Work with your payers to ensure you can bill these and other new codes.

To learn more about configuring COVID-19 vaccines in PCC EHR, visit PCC Learn’s COVID-19 vaccine page. To learn more about new COVID-19 vaccine codes, read the AMA’s announcement and refer to your practice’s CPT manual.

Bug Fixes in PCC 9.4

PCC 9.4 includes some notable squashed bugs.

• • Portal Messages With No Incomplete Tasks Appeared on the Messaging Queue: Under certain circumstances, the Messaging queue could continue to display portal message conversations as incomplete with “No Tasks” when they should be considered “Completed”. PCC 9.4 corrects this issue.

  • New Type of Relationship Table Entry Did Not Appear: Under certain circumstances, if your practice created a new Type of Relationship, it would not appear in PCC EHR. This has been corrected.

  • Referring Provider Appeared Incorrectly in Patient's Billing History: If your practice’s referring provider table had an erroneous entry, it could lead to that entry appearing in a patient’s Billing History, even though the encounter was not assigned a referring provider. This will no longer occur.

  • Merging Accounts Could Cause an A/R Discrepancy: Merging duplicate PCC family accounts when one of the accounts had never had a balance due could cause your practice’s A/R totals to report a discrepancy. PCC identified this problem and corrected all PCC practices with a mid-release patch in April which is also included in PCC 9.4.

  • Identical Filenames Could Create an ERA Processing Problem: In rare circumstances, when two incoming electronic remittance advice files (ERAs) were given the same filename, the system could fail to see one of the files. PCC 9.4 adds a layer of safety by giving all incoming ERAs a new unique identifier when they arrive on your system.

  • Invalid Characters Caused Snap Text Display Issues: If Snap Texts included invalid characters, they could fail to display properly in the Snap Text editor. PCC 9.4 fixes this issue by ignoring invalid characters.

  • Daily View Report Was Unavailable: When viewing the Daily View in autopip, reports could sometimes fail to appear. This problem was resolved with a patch to affected clients and is included in PCC 9.4.

  • Simultaneous Payment Linking Caused an Error: In rare cases, when two users simultaneously tried to link a payment to two different charges, the payment would not be linked. PCC 9.4 resolves this concurrency issue.

  • Advanced Find Routines Not Displaying a Result: In rare cases, when using the advanced find routines in the Practice Management system (findem), a search would not return results. PCC 9.4 resolves this issue.

  • Old Reports Unable to Access Printer Dialog: Some under-the-hood reports from PCC’s early products and services could not open a computer’s printing dialog. PCC patched a fix to this issue upon client request, and PCC 9.4 resolves the issue.

  • Appointments Erroneously Included on Provider Hour Reports: Prior to PCC 9.4, appointment reports based on provider hours were including appointments that started at the same time that provider hours ended. This has been fixed.

  • Report Erroneously Associated Unlinked Portal Users with Formerly Linked Patients: Prior to PCC 9.4, the Patients with Portal Users report incorrectly associated unlinked portal users with the patients to whom they were previously connected. This has been fixed.

  • Visit History Shakiness : When viewing a visit history with certain screen sizes, when enough diagnoses appear, a vertical scrollbar would appear and disappear continuously, causing the text to appear to shake. This has been fixed in PCC 9.4.

  • Certain Tasks Not Saving: Prior to PCC 9.4 adding a task to a document from the pocketPCC signing queue would result in the task not being saved. This is corrected and tasks added in this way are now saved.

  • PCC EHR Sometimes Crashed when Retrieving Immunization Registry Records: Sometimes PCC EHR crashed when users clicked the “Retrieve Imms” button. This occurred in cases where the patient immunization record sent by the registry contained immunization descriptions that were associated with more than one CVX code. This has been fixed.

  • Importing Immunizations from a State Registry Sometimes Created Duplicate Lot Records in PCC EHR: Importing immunizations from a state registry using PCC EHR’s bidirectional immunization functionality sometimes resulted in the creation of duplicate vaccine lot records. The duplicate records were visible where users could select lot numbers in PCC EHR. This issue has been fixed.

  • Send EpiPen Prescriptions Electronically on the First Try: An issue with the dispense unit of measure caused new EpiPen prescriptions to default to a state where they could not be sent electronically unless extensively edited. A nondisruptive PCC eRx patch corrected this issue just before PCC 9.4 general deployment and restored your ability to send EpiPen prescriptions electronically on the first try.

  • Successfully Prescribe Drugs with Apostrophes in their Names: In certain cases, prescribing a medication with an apostrophe in its name, such as “Children’s Tylenol,” caused save and sync errors in PCC eRx. This has been fixed.

In the first quarter of 2022, PCC will release version 9.3 of our electronic charting and practice management software to all PCC practices.

PCC 9.3 is a performance and supportability update. We included many performance improvements into the PCC 9.2 infrastructure update, and PCC 9.3 extends that work with further quality-of-life improvements across our products. You’ll enjoy faster, easier access to the tools you need. During this release we also improved how PCC helps new clients get up-and-running, updated immunization tracking and reporting, and added telemedicine configuration options to support new 2022 requirements.

Read below to learn more about the new features, and contact PCC Support for help with any PCC product or service.

Open and Navigate Charts Even Faster

PCC EHR now loads patient chart data only as it is needed, significantly reducing the amount of time it takes to initially open a chart. Average chart-open times will reduce for all users, in any practice location.

In addition, PCC 9.3 reduces the number of clicks needed when you navigate around a chart. For example, when you finish charting a visit and move to other chart sections, PCC EHR will save your changes automatically. You’ll only need to click “Save” when you leave the chart or switch to another patient.

Support for 2022 Telemedicine Place of Service Codes

PCC 9.3 supports the newly updated place of service codes (02 and 10) that appear on claims for telemedicine encounters. You can schedule a telemedicine encounter in your office location and PCC EHR can select a default telemedicine location, with an appropriate place of service code. Your biller can also select a specific location when they post charges, ensuring the correct place of service code appears on the claim.

For more information, read 2022 Updates to Telehealth (Telemedicine) Place of Service Codes.

Updates to COVID-19 Vaccine Support in PCC

PCC continually updates your system to support COVID-19 vaccines. This includes support for clinical and financial codes, manufacturer and vaccine codes (MVX and CVX), and the index of VIS. During the PCC 9.2 to 9.4 release cycle, PCC rolled out multiple patches to your system.

To learn how to configure your system for COVID-19 vaccine administration, read:

COVID-19 Vaccines: Plan, Configure, Order, Administer, and Bill

For other guides and updates related to COVID-19, visit PCC’s COVID-19 Links and Resources page.

March 2022 VIS, CVX, and MVX Update

In March of 2022, PCC patched all practice systems with the latest VIS, MVX, and CVX data. These updates allow your practice to track and record the latest immunization information.

The update included these new or updated VIS document titles:

• COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech EUA Recipient-Caregiver Fact Sheet-12 years and older
• COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech EUA Recipient-Caregiver Fact Sheet- Pediatric 5 – 11 years
• COVID-19 Pfizer BioNTech EUA Recipient-Caregiver Fact Sheet- Pediatric <5 yrs
• COVID-19 Moderna Vaccine EUA Recipient-Caregiver Fact Sheet
• COVID-19 Janssen Vaccine EUA Recipient-Caregiver Fact Sheet
• Recombinant Zoster Vaccine VIS
• Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV13_PCV15_PCV20) VIS

The update added support for these new CVX codes:

• 207: COVID-19, mRNA, LNP-S, PF, 100 mcg/0.5mL dose or 50 mcg/0.25mL dose
• 217: COVID-19, mRNA, LNP-S, PF, 30 mcg/0.3 mL dose, tris-sucrose
• 219: COVID-19, mRNA, LNP-S, PF, 3 mcg/0.2 mL dose, tris-sucrose
• 220: HepB recombinant, 3-antigen, Al(OH)3
• 221: COVID-19, mRNA, LNP-S, PF, 50 mcg/0.5 mL dose

The update added support for one MVX code:

• VBI: VBI Vaccines, Inc

March 2022 Diagnosis Code Update

In March of 2022, PCC patched all practice systems with the CDC’s latest COVID-19 ICD-10 update. The new codes become valid on April 1st, 2022.

The update includes underimmunization for COVID-19:

• Z28.31 Underimmunization for COVID-19 status
• Z28.310 Unvaccinated for COVID-19
• Z28.311 Partially vaccinated for COVID-19

The guidelines specify that these codes should not be used for individuals who are not eligible for the COVID-19 vaccines, as determined by the healthcare provider.

The update also includes the “other underimmunization” status, with two additional descriptions:

• Z28.39 Other underimmunization status
• Delinquent immunization status
• Lapsed immunization schedule status

You can read the complete list of new diagnoses in this update on the CDC’s website.

For help linking these new billing codes to the diagnosis descriptions used in a patient’s chart, read Link Chart Diagnoses to ICD-10 Billing Codes.

Work with Fewer Interruptions on a Cloud-Hosted PCC Server

In PCC 9.3, practices with cloud-hosted servers can expect PCC EHR to work faster and more efficiently, even over less-than-perfect internet connections.

Faster Performance in the PCC EHR Report Library, Patient Portal, and pocketPCC

PCC 9.3 introduces several changes under-the-hood to improve the operating speed and responsiveness of the PCC EHR Report Library, pocketPCC, and the patient portal. The size and configuration of your practice will affect the extent to which you notice these improvements.

MenQuadfi Added to Adolescent Immunization Dashboard

PCC 9.3 updates the adolescent meningococcal immunization rates on the Practice Vitals Dashboard to include administrations of the MenQuadfi vaccine product (CVX 203, CPT 90619).

Add Patient Race and Ethnicity to the Immunization Administration Details Report

In PCC 9.3, you can include columns for patient race and ethnicity on custom versions of the Immunization Administration Details report in the PCC EHR Report Library. Information about patients’ race and ethnicity is sometimes required by third-party requesters who collect immunization data.

This improvement was delivered ahead of the 9.3 release to practices who specifically requested it, including all practices located in North Carolina. North Carolina practices may use this updated report to meet the submission requirements of the North Carolina Immunization Registry (NCIR).

You can learn how to add columns to custom reports in the article Create a Custom Report.

Continued Pilot Test: Create and Manage Patient Forms in PCC EHR

Continuing in PCC 9.3, you can participate in a pilot test to create your own patient form letters in PCC EHR.

As a pilot tester, you will be able to use the new Forms Configuration tool in PCC EHR to create patient form letters that include variable fields for auto-inserting patient, account, and practice information.

You should consider participating in the pilot test if you want early access to the tools for making your own patient form letters in PCC EHR and to tell PCC what would make them even better.

To learn more, read Pilot Test: Create and Manage Patient Form Letters in PCC EHR.

Generate and Print Forms in a Future Release: Please note that you will not be able to generate and print the forms that you create during the pilot test until a future PCC release.

Look Up and Import Immunization Records from Even More State Registries

Practices in Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Philadelphia are newly eligible to sign up for bidirectional immunization registry interfaces, joining those who have similar connections in California, Wyoming, Indiana, Florida, Georgia, and Virginia.

Special Considerations for North Carolina Practices: As part of the go-live process with the North Carolina Immunization Registry (NCIR), practices currently registered with the COVID Vaccine Management System (CVMS) must take special steps to switch COVID-19 immunization reporting to NCIR. If you are interested in establishing a connection with NCIR, contact PCC Support.

With a bidirectional connection, you can check vaccine records in your local immunization registry and import them into patient charts without ever leaving PCC EHR.

To read about how it works, check out Look Up and Import Patient Immunization Records from Your Local Registry.

Contact PCC Support to get started, or to let us know that you’re interested in establishing a bidirectional connection with your registry once it’s available in your region.

Exchange Patient Records with Hospitals and Other Practices On Demand

When you enable Clinical Document Exchange, you can securely and instantaneously retrieve records from other healthcare providers who participate in CareQuality network without ever leaving your patient’s chart in PCC EHR. Other providers in the CareQuality network can also securely retrieve patient records from your practice without having to call, fax, or email record requests.

To learn how it works and how to sign up, read Securely Retrieve Patient Information from Hospitals and Other Practices.

New and Updated Interfaces Available in PCC 9.3

With each release, PCC expands and updates direct connections, partnerships, and integrations with insurance payers, immunization registries, and more. Here are the clinical and financial interoperability updates for PCC 9.3:

• New Clinical Interfaces: During the PCC 9.3 release cycle, PCC introduced new bidirectional immunization registry interfaces with Connecticut (CTWIZ), New Jersey (NJIIS), North Carolina (NCIR), and Philadelphia (PhilaVax) immunization registries.

• New Insurance Eligibility and Financial Interfaces: During the PCC 9.3 release cycle, PCC enabled or updated insurance eligibility interfaces with Connecticare, Vermont Medicaid, Driscoll Children’s Health Plan, Allied Benefits, Medical Card System of Puerto Rico, Plan de la Menonita, and Molina Healthcare of Washington. PCC 9.3 also improved our claim interface with Meridian Health, BCBS All Kids Alabama, Amerihealth Caritas Health Plan of New Hampshire, and Cook Children’s Health Plan.

If your practice would like to take advantage of these connections, or you have other interface needs, contact PCC Support.

Update Your Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012 Workstations

When a manufacturer stops providing security updates for an operating system, PCC ends support as well. Microsoft will end support for Windows 8 in January of 2023, and infrastructure support necessitates we end support for Windows Server 2012 at the same time. If your practice uses workstations that run Windows 8 (or prior) or Windows Server 2012 (or prior), you should upgrade those machines.

Apple does not formally announce the end of software security updates, but similarly your practice should make plans to upgrade any Apple Macintosh workstation running MacOS 10.14 (Mojave) or MacOS 10.15 (Catalina) or prior, as they are approaching end-of-life.

When a user logs into PCC EHR, it will present a message if they are running older system software. The reminder encourages them to review and update their operating system. Contact PCC Support for recommendations.

PCC EHR recommends a workstation running on Windows 10 (or higher) or MacOS 11 (or higher). For more information, read Hardware Guide: Your Personal Computer and Equipment.

Other Feature Improvements and Bug Fixes in PCC 9.3

In addition to the features described above, PCC 9.3 includes these smaller improvements and squashed bugs.

• Less Confusion When Updating Insurance Plans: PCC 9.3 removes the payer-specific immunization registry fields from the Insurance Table, which could cause confusion when adding new plans to your practice’s table.

• Faster and More Accurate Last Answers: Instead of checking your system’s audit log when you check in or “arrive” an encounter, the Last Answer feature on chart notes now updates directly from the most recent answer from the previous visit.

• Billing Statuses Fix: Under certain circumstances, an encounter could have multiple Billing Statuses, with only one displaying. This could lead to unexpected behavior when filtering the Schedule screen in PCC EHR. PCC 9.3 fixes this issue.

• Deleting an E-lab Result: When one user imported an e-lab result to a patient chart and a different user simultaneously deleted that e-lab result, later viewing of the patient’s history could cause PCC EHR to crash. PCC 9.3 fixes this issue by adding safeguards to the import e-labs process.

• Location-Specific Tax ID on Receipts: Due to a previous feature update, receipts for time-of-service payments could only display the Tax ID stored in your practice’s general configuration. PCC 9.3 restores the ability for a receipt to display the Tax ID of the specific location of the encounter.

• Disabled User Accounts Should Not Appear in Snaptext Configuration: When you disable a user account on your PCC system, the user will no longer appear in the Snaptext drop-down menu.

• Portal Messages With No Subject Appearing as Unread: When a portal message had no subject, it could appear with an “Unread” status in PCC EHR even if it was read. PCC 9.3 corrects this issue.

• Reduced Clutter of Completed E-labs on the Visit Tasks Queue: When a user created a new lab order to link an incoming e-lab request, the order could erroneously appear on the Visit Tasks queue as awaiting results. This led to unnecessary clutter on the Visit Tasks queue. In PCC 9.3, a new lab order with attached e-lab results will be marked as complete, and will only appear when filtering for completed tasks.

• See Full Dose Range for Prescriptions on the Patient Visit Summary: In PCC 9.3, the Patient Visit Summary has been updated to display both the minimum and maximum dose quantities for prescriptions which contain a range. For example, if you write an inhaler prescription where the dose quantity is expressed as “2 to 4 puffs,” the maximum dose quantity of “4” will now appear on the Patient Visit Summary in addition to the minimum dose quantity of “2.” Prior to this fix, only the minimum dose quantity was displayed on the Patient Visit Summary.

• Portal New Document Notification Correction: PCC 9.3 prevents new document notifications from being sent to users who have been deleted from the patient portal.

• Improved Scheduling Template Error Checking: PCC EHR’s Scheduling Templates now prevent an end time of 12:00am from being selected. The latest scheduled end time available is now 11:55pm. This prevents users from selecting an end time before the day’s start time.