You can create or edit queries from the List query templates window. This window can be accessed when creating contact lists (see below) or via Configure->Patient Query Templates. You can click +1 to create a new query or you can highlight an existing query and click the e|d button to edit it.
Queries work on a logical basis, It will always search for exactly what you have asked it to so it’s important we set these queries up correctly.
Here is a basic query I have created below, it is searching for patients on my practice plan (Active PPLAN Patients) which we can use to message our Practice Plan patients or simply find out how many we have. How did I create this?
When you first create a query using the +1 button it will present you with a blank screen. Firstly put a title that describes the patient list well so that all users understand what this list will create if they were to run it. Now we start building our list by adding conditions, to begin click the add condition button in the bottom right. Next choose your condition (in this example I am choosing Payor) and then click Ok. Next put in the entry you want to search for (In this example I am putting PPLAN).
Prompt for entries checkbox:
If this box is checked, every time this query template is used a window will open to prompt the query template user to specify data such as a date or date range.
TIP: Check (tick) this whenever entering a date range as this will enable a user to change the dates each time the report is run.
You now have a query with one condition but queries are very rarely built using one condition, it’s usually multiple conditions brought together. So for this example we need to add a another condition to exclude inactive patients (A condition you will use often) and to do this we click the same button as before, select “A check in inactive” and click Ok. All we need to do is change Patients With to Patient without in the drop down menu and Click Ok. You have now finished your query so click Ok once more and its ready to use.
If you make a mistake in entering a patient selection condition you can:
After you have finished and exited the query template creation, open the List Query Templates screen to check that your Query has been added to the list.
Using Date Ranges
The example before was a basic query and we will start looking at more complicated options. When using a date range options you can either specify a single date or you can make the query futureproof but putting in a value such as ‘Start of the Month’ or ‘2 Years ago’ This is useful for date of births or appointment searches.
When you are presented with a date you can either type in the date, choose it from the calendar or choose a selection from the drop down list. This includes options such as ‘Today’, ‘Yesterday’, 1 week ago’, ‘Start of the year’ and if added in will always look for that time regardless of when you run it so today will always bring up the current date.
You can take this a step further by typing in your own versions of these. For example D/M/Y-2 means two years ago or 1/M-2/Y always looks at 1st of two months ago (so if ran today at time of this blog it would be 01/02/2016). For searching for under 18s we would do
Date from: D/M/Y-18
Date to: D/M/Y
Finally check the video out below where I set up one of our most commonly asked for lists. A lapsed patients list where we will search for patients who have been into the practice but have not revisited the practice in the last 2 years.
Creating Lapsed List Example