Contact Card Locations Memo

Hello everyone,

In the March 2024 release, we will be launching the first phase of a project that we are confident will address a very common issue in our system. This update will introduce the ability for users to add multiple locations to contact cards. Currently, users can add a location to a contact card, but this enhancement specifically allows the addition of multiple locations for providers. This feature aims to rectify numerous issues that users have been encountering. A prevalent problem is the overwriting of pre-existing data on provider contact cards, often because users might receive information from a different fax number and update the one on the contact card. However, the original fax number isn't invalid; it may just be from a different location or department. Another issue arises when, to avoid overwriting pre-existing contacts, users opt to clone the contact and make slight modifications. While this approach addresses the issue to some extent, it clutters the system with nearly identical contact cards. Therefore, the goal of this update is to prevent users from needing to take either of these steps by introducing the ability to add locations to contact cards.

Key Changes:

1. UI Changes: Users will notice several UI changes, the first being on the contact cards themselves. For contacts that are providers (Contact Type: Doctor or Facility), a new section will appear, moving the general locations fields and enabling the entry of multiple locations instead of just one. Additionally, there will be significant UI changes to the provider search on entities (CL, UR, CMDM, HBA cases, etc.). The updated UI will allow users to see the location connected to the contact, along with a plus button that enables users to add a location directly from the entity.
2. New Features with Ease of Use: We've also introduced some 'ease of life' features that will provide users with more information about the contacts:
   • A tooltip has been added to contacts that have a location on them in the provider section on entities.
   • A ‘Red’ highlight has been added to the provider section to alert users when a location is no longer active and explain why.
   • Location names (more info below) will also be appended to all sections where the provider is displayed.

With the highlighted changes mentioned, let's dive right in and discuss this new change and the helpful features it brings.

How to add Locations to a Contact Card:

1. When creating a new contact, ensure you select either the ‘Doctor’ or ‘Facility’ contact types.
   
2. After doing that, fill out the rest of the required fields (legal name and File As), then click ‘Save’.
3. From there will notice that the ‘Location Info’ section has been removed and replaced with a new section called ‘Locations’.
   
4. Here, users can add an address to a location, as well as an EIN, Email, Phone numbers, a fax number, and a ‘Correspond Via’ selection. To generate and save a location entry, users only need to add a fax or a phone number; all other fields are optional. However, it is recommended to provide as much detail as possible.
   • While all other fields are recognizable and have been used before, a new field called ‘Location Name’ has been added. This field, which will be appended when the location is added to an entity, ideally allows users to quickly recognize the desired location. You can use this field to describe a different location or department, whichever makes identification easier.
5. After you fill out your location to completion, a finished product would look something like this. From here you will be able to clone, edit, and check the audit history to see what changes have been made to your location.
   
6. Lastly, when a location needs to be deactivated, all a user needs to do is select a deactivation reason, and it will grey out the location (just like termed eligibility).

The next major change we'll discuss is how this affects the provider search on entities. For this example, I'll use UR cases, but it will display and work similarly on all entities with a provider section.

How to add a location via the provider section:

1. On an entity with a provider section, clicking the plus button will display the provider search as usual. However, if you search for a provider, you'll notice a few changes:
   • A new column displays the location name, a field previously mentioned that will help users identify which location they’re adding more quickly.
   • Next, users will notice a plus sign next to each provider. This sign allows users to create a location from the provider search by directly opening the contact card, a process I will describe in more detail in the next step.
     
2. After searching for a provider, click the plus button, and you'll see that the contact card opens.
   
3. Click the green plus button(or the clone button) in the locations section and enter all the information you'd like to add to the contact.  
   
4. After finishing, click save. After clicking save, you can close the contact card, and you should notice that the location has been added to the provider section.
   
5. Lastly, if a location is deactivated, it will have a tooltip and be highlighted red to indicate its deactivated.
   

Updates made to the contact search:

While this change is minor, it's still worth mentioning. With the contact search page, users will now see a location name field. This field displays all location names connected to the contact and allows users to select/click the contact to open the contact card.

Updates to Case Authorizations, Negotiations, and Agreements:

These sections/pages will also be updated but only to allow for locations to be selectable and displayed. The core functionality of these pages will remain the same.