How to edit a patient

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

1. Navigate to the Demographic tab in the patient's file.
2. 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, such as patient records managed by a hospital system, or patients with certain statuses. This is locked by your site's configuration so that the source system stays the master. Contact your Practice Manager if you believe a locked field should be editable.

Data Validation Checks

HealthTrack checks some fields before it will save, and will warn you if data needs to be corrected:

• 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 Individual Reference Number (IRN) is not checked in this validation, nor is the card's expiry.
• Patient Name: names follow Medicare naming rules. They cannot contain brackets, and there can be no spaces either side of a hyphen or apostrophe, or begin or end with these characters. For example, O 'Brien is rejected, while O'Brien is acceptable. All patients require a Family Name, but can be saved without a Given Name.
• Date of Birth: the date of birth must be a real calendar date. Future dates are blocked from being selected.

Other Data Validation Checks

There are also some checks performed after saving a record to highlight data that may need to be reviewed.

• DVA Card Number: the card number entered may display a red exclamation mark icon if the value entered is invalid. This is validated by a built-in check defined by the DVA.
• Individual Health Identifier (IHI): some changes on the Demographic tab may require the patient's IHI to be manually verified. If you receive an alert advising IHI failed validation after patient details change, the IHI can be checked on the Additional tab of the Demographic tab.
• Suburb, Postcode, State: when entering an address, HealthTrack will prompt users to choose a suburb, postcode, and state to ensure that the data used corresponds with Australia Post. This ensures electronic Patient Claims can be submitted to Medicare, and prevents issues with letters that need to be posted for distribution. You may receive an alert advising The suburb, post code and state do not match the Australia Post data if there are inconsistencies identified.
  • If you believe there is a Suburb and/or Postcode that is missing or incorrect, please contact HealthTrack Support.

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 Given Name if empty.
• Pronouns have their own template tag.

Patient 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

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.

Employment & Occupation

There are two ways to record details of the patient's employment history, including their employer and occupation:

• On the Demographic tab, enter the Company, Job Title, and Occupation fields.
• On the Additional tab of the Demographic tab, use the Employment section to enter the necessary details.

HealthTrack keeps a history of employment entries, allowing you to record a new set of details when a patient's employment changes, as well as recording an End Date and Status for previous employment. This keeps earlier employment history on file, which may be necessary for any occupational health work.

To add or update a patient's employment information:

1. From the Demographic tab, select Edit.
   • From the Main tab, select the edit icon next to the Company field.
   • From the Additional tab, select the icon next to the Employment field.
2. Select New or Edit.
3. Set the Company by selecting Add or Change.
4. If known, enter further details such as the Start Date, Employment Status, Job Title, and Occupation.
5. The Address information will populate based on the selected company, but can be altered if required.
6. Select Save.
7. Select Save Patient when all changes are complete.

When multiple employment records exist for a patient, the Demographic tab will show the record with the most recent Start Date.

Privacy Form & Patient Information Forms

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