Netsmart's Front Desk plus supports enterprise-wide agency operations with a host of features and sophisticated tools that not only save time, but also contribute to client satisfaction with a streamlined check-in/check-out process.

Front Desk plus delivers a whole new level of flexibility and versatility to meet the unique needs of individual organizations. So much more than a registration tool, Front Desk plus offers agencies interface options tailored to meet specific needs of individual staff members.

Critical scheduling and funding rules can be easily accessed “behind the scenes,” enabling agency staff to verify client identity and complete check-in and scheduling quickly and efficiently. Front Desk plus for CMHC/MIS also eliminates redundant data collection and improves data integrity. Its flexible format allows each organization to tailor it to its own unique needs and operational structure.

With Front Desk plus, the CMHC/MIS can handle scheduling for every staff member of an agency, regardless of size. Any appointment for any client or staff member can be entered into the system and planned around accordingly. Client appointments are not only scheduled by date and time, but also by program, service, location, staff, and other agency resources such as meeting or examination rooms and transportation requirements.

A universal calendar keeps track of all impacted resources and automatically adjusts the future availability and schedule of each one. For instance, if Doctor A treats a client and his sessions require the assistance of Nurse B, the CMHC/MIS automatically adjusts the schedules of both staff members involved. From the front desk administrator admitting patients through the Enterprise View, to the clinician preparing for the day’s appointments through the Clinical View, Front Desk plus keeps your entire agency on schedule and helps it to operate as efficiently as possible.

Smart Scheduler and Calendar
The Front Desk plus Smart Scheduler is the software that enforces the rules under which a service can occur in an organization. In other words, it is the traffic cop that directs the agency resources through their daily routine, making sure everybody and everything is in the right place at the right time. An organization can enter virtually everything - doctors, nurses, clinicians, meeting rooms, mobile units, etc. -
into the Smart Scheduler. The schedule knows each resource’s availability and can schedule blocks of time while meeting service and funding requirements. These capabilities allow time to be scheduled in advance (to accommodate vacations, for example), and also to accommodate patterns such as scheduling a weekly meeting for a specific time and location.

If the Smart Scheduler is the traffic cop, the Front Desk plus calendar feature is the officer’s hands and whistle, making everyone aware of the schedule’s demands. The user can display the schedules for multiple resources by day, week, or month. This allows staff the flexibility to quickly check the schedules for a number of doctors and, with color coded tasks, easily identify availability.

Enterprise View
Through the Enterprise View of Front Desk plus, users are able to:

• Display client eligibility
• Display and update planned events
• Perform check-in and check-out functions
• Collect payment
• Address “no-show” patients
• Cancel appointments
• Schedule a planned event

Front Desk plus’ Enterprise View virtually lays out an entire agency’s operations to the user. It provides an easy-to-follow guide to appointments and resource allocation that can be organized for almost any length of time, and is also flexible enough to accommodate unforeseen changes, such as patient no-shows or unscheduled emergency appointments.
In the check-in/check-out process, the Front Desk plus user can view and verify client demographics, private-pay eligibility, third-party eligibility, authorization information, planned event details, and auto fee computation. Front Desk plus even includes an e-mail link so that the user can send a notice to A/R if assistance is needed.

At check-in only, the operator can accept payments and generate receipts without reconciling events or creating journal entries. All payments can be stored in a database that includes reference and memo fields where data can be added.

During check-out only, the user may reconcile a service (and add a note if eCET® has been implemented), display, update, reschedule or cancel an existing appointment, and schedule a new appointment through the Smart Scheduler.

Front Desk plus even offers visual cues to let users know the status of a client’s appointment. When the check-in process is completed for a client, a blue checkmark appears next to his or her name. When that same client has successfully checked out, the blue checkmark turns red.

Clinical View
Through the Clinical View of Front Desk plus, users can:

• View intake and report menus
• View the session manager for individual clients
• Reconcile end-of-day status
• Reschedule appointments
• Address no-show patients
• Cancel appointments
• Schedule a planned event

The Clinical View is designed specifically to help clinical staff manage their personal schedules and completing their day-to-day clinical documentation tasks. This is the application that brings the clinical and back office functions together in an environment that supports the clinician. With the Smart Scheduler, the administrative and clinical sides of an agency are fully connected. Service notes and service reconciliations are completed in real-time and automatically link the data through to the financial and billing functions.

Front Desk plus logically links clinical services to the financial and billing process without redundant data entry. Along with connecting the clinician to other agency departments, the Clinical View session manager also lets a clinician prepare for a client session by presenting a summary of the client’s history. Intake reports and assessments are just a few mouse clicks away.

At day’s end, a clinician can use Front Desk plus for his or her
individual service reconciliation, including accounting for overhead costs and comp time.

Contact us today for additional product information.