How to edit a patient

Patient details such as contact information, health fund data, alerts etc. can be updated in the Patient's Demographics screen.

1. Navigate to the Demographic tab in the patient's file.

2. Locate and select the Edit Patient button at the bottom left-hand side of the screen.

   

3. Modify patient information by entering details into any of the fields displayed on screen.

4. Once all edits are complete, select the Save Patient button at the bottom left of the screen to save your changes.

If the demographic fields are greyed out and cannot be edited, this is usually deliberate. Records fed from a hospital system, or patients with certain statuses, are locked by your site's configuration so that the source system stays the master. Contact your practice administrator if you believe a locked record should be editable.

Field checks when saving

HealthTrack checks some fields before it will save, and rejects values that fail:

• Medicare card number: the number must be a valid 10-digit Medicare number, and HealthTrack checks the card's built-in check digit, so a mistyped number is rejected on the spot. If a number you are sure about keeps being rejected, check the card again, as the number may have changed with a card reissue. The IRN (the small number beside the patient's name on the card) is not checked, so enter it carefully.
• Names: names follow Medicare naming rules. They cannot contain brackets, and there can be no spaces either side of a hyphen or apostrophe. For example, O 'Brien is rejected, while O'Brien is fine.
• Date of birth: the date of birth must be a real calendar date. Future dates are blocked from being selected.

Sex, gender and pronouns

The patient header records Sex, Gender and Pronouns as separate fields, along with Known As for the name the patient goes by.

• Letters and templates that use the gender tag fill it from the recorded gender, and fall back to sex when no gender is recorded. The Known As tag falls back to the first name in the same way.
• Pronouns have their own template tag.

Adding or changing the patient's photo

A photo helps staff confirm they have the right patient at reception.

1. In edit mode, select the photo icon on the patient's record.
2. Add a photo by taking one with a connected webcam, or by choosing an existing image file.
3. To update or remove an existing photo, open the same window and choose the change or remove option.

The photo icons offer the following options:

Name aliases (previous or alternative names)

If a patient has changed their name, record the previous name as an alias rather than overwriting history. A patient with an alias can be found by searching either name, and alias matches show in italics in the patient search results so you can tell them apart from the current name.

Other addresses (postal and invoice addresses)

The address on the Demographic tab is the patient's primary address, and it is shared with family members on the same account, so changing it here changes it for the family.

To record a separate mailing or billing address for the patient:

1. In edit mode, select the Other Addresses and Family Members button from the Address section.
2. Add the address and set its type, such as a postal or mailing address (for example a PO box) or an invoice address (where accounts should be sent).
3. Select Save Patient after closing the window.

PBS Safety Net

You can record a patient's PBS Safety Net card against their record as a card number and expiry date. HealthTrack stores the card details only; it does not track the patient's safety net dollar threshold.

Navigate to the Additional tab in the Demographic screen and edit the 'PBS Safety Net' field.

Privacy and patient information forms

HealthTrack can record whether the patient's privacy and patient information forms are on file, via the check-boxes in the Patient Information section of the Demographic screen.