Treatment Episodes in PPS are the framework in which you can store all details relating to a specific course of treatment for a particular client. This includes consultations, custom forms, documents, and billing details.
It's possible to have more than on Treatment Episode open for a client at any given time and you can assign each to different appointments so that each recorded visit is assigned to the relevant course of treatment. Treatment Episodes can last for as long as is necessary to cover what you deem one course of treatment, or may remain open indefinitely.
The details you record in your Treatment Episode allow for a wide range of reporting possibilities. You can find all reports relating to Treatment Episodes and Clinical Notes in general via Reports > Reports and Mail Merge > Clinical. Get a general idea of how to utilise PPS Reports from out Reporting Guide.
You'll need to ensure you have a PPS Pro system in order to use Treatment Episodes. To check this navigate to Help > About PPS and ensure you have Treatment Episodes and Consultations marked as registered. Contact our sales team via sales@rushcliff.com if you're looking to upgrade to a Pro system.
Section One - Creating a New Treatment Episode
a. You can add a new Treatment Episode when booking or modifying an appointment via the Treatment Episode dropdown. Press this and choose Create New or Select Another...
If this dropdown is not visible then it may need to be enabled via Tools > Options > Appointments Diary Options > Allows Treatment Episodes to be assigned to Appointments
Alternatively, choose Treatment Episode from the Client menu with the relevant client selected and choose New from the Select Treatment Episode screen.
b. The Treatment Episode screen will then be displayed. At the top here you can set a Start Date for the treatment, give it a name, and assign a practitioner, location, and department where available.
If the date of the first appointment in this Treatment differs with the Start Date already assigned then you'll be asked whether you'd like to change it to reflect the first appointment date.
At the bottom of the screen you'll find an Estimated End Date which can be used to put an initially proposed end on the Treatment. The true end date can be entered in the Treatment End Date field. Once this date is reached the Treatment will be marked as closed. It will not then be an option for additional consultations or appointments but can still be accessed from the client log and can be re-opened if required by removing or changing the end date.
c. The screen is then sorted into the following tabs.
Billing Details
Here you can assign who is responsible for any charges raised as part of this treatment, either from consultations, appointments, or the Treatment Plan. You can choose either the client themselves or a third-party. Make changes using the Change Current Billing Details option or add the current details to the History displayed below to make way for new entries using New Billing Party/Details.
Admin Details
From here you can record vital administrative details for the treatment including any referrer information which may be useful to review or report on at a later date. You can also assign letter templates for referral and discharge letters to send to the client or third-party now or later. These templates will need to be assigned to the referral or discharge category to be available here. Find more information on Activity Templates here.
Clinical Details
This tab allows you to enter key clinical details relating to the issues behind the present course of treatment. You can report on any information you record here. For example, you may want to view all clients with the same Diagnosis code recorded in their treatment.
Extra Information: Add new Diagnosis Codes, Outcomes, and Discharge Statuses via Tools > Look Up Tables
The dropdown fields Treatment Category and Area of Treatment either allow you to select an entry from a list of those previously used or you can create a new record by typing into the field and choosing Add. You can also make additions or modifications to these lists via Tools > Look Up Tables.
Appointments / Consultations
Here you can view all appointments and consultations assigned to the treatment episode. If an appointment and consultation occur on the same day then they will appear on the same line and be counted as one entry.
Documents / Activities
Here you can view all documents or activities assigned to this Treatment Episode in one place. Access anything listed here by double clicking.
Treatment Plan
The final tab in the Treatment Episode screen is Treatment Plan which allows you to compile a list of charges to be raised throughout the course of the treatment.
Section Two - Using a Treatment Episode
a. Now you've created the Treatment Episode it can be assigned to any appointment booked in for that client via the Treatment Episode dropdown.
b. You can then record consultations as part of the Treatment to further log details of the treatment and any progress.
c. Treatment Episodes are also a vital component of utilising PPS alongside Healthcode in order to bill third-parties directly for client treatments.
d. Should you need to make changes to a Treatment Episode at any time, or simply view it in full then access it via the Client menu.
e. You can also report on and export Treatment Episode information via the report available from Reports > Reports and Mail Merge > Clinical. Find information on using PPS reports here.
Section Three - Completing a Treatment Episode
a. You can complete a Treatment Episode from the Consultation Complete screen. Enter any relevant outcomes or discharge status and press Treatment Completed.
b. Alternatively, close the Treatment via the Treatment Episode screen by adding the Treatment End Date. The Episode will end once this date is reached.