Setting Up Preferences for OfficeMate

1. From the OfficeMate Administration main window, click Setup, and select Preferences.

   The System Preferences window opens.

2. From the Provider drop-down menu, select the default provider that is assigned to new patients when their demographic data is recorded in OfficeMate.
3. From the Welcome, Birthday, and Appointment drop-down menus, select the default letters and postcards.

   You can view and edit the letters and postcards that are available or create new ones. For more information, go to Maintaining Documents.

4. Select or deselect items in the Display in Title Bar box to choose the information that you want to display next to the patient’s name in the Patient Demographic window title bar.
5. Select or deselect items in the Required Data box to choose the information that you want to appear in yellow in the Patient Demographic window.
   The items that you choose are only a visual prompt to remind you what information you require for patients; however, a patient record can be created without completing all of the required data fields in the Patient Demographic window.
6. Select the Make reminder fields mandatory Yes radio button to require that the items displayed in the Reminder Data box are completed on the Patient Demographic window.
7. Select the Use Patient Center Yes radio button to first open the Patient Center window, instead of the Patient Demographic window, when selecting to open a patient's record. The Patient Center displays important patient information, including the patient’s ID, date of birth, phone numbers, email address, last exam date, expected referral return date, chart number, next appointment date, default provider, insurance carriers, patient and insurance balances, credit, the average amount spent per visit, and photo/notes (if applicable).
8. Click OK to save your preferences and close the System Preferences window.

In addition to the procedure above, watch this video for more information.

1. From the OfficeMate Administration main window, click Setup, and select Preferences.

   The System Preferences window opens.

2. Click the Finance tab.
3. Select the Yes and No radio buttons to choose the other options.

   Preference	Setting to Yes…	Setting to No…
   Apply fee slip overpayment to oldest balance	Automatically applies any overpayments to the patient’s oldest open balance.	Does not automatically apply overpayments. Users are prompted to apply the overpayment manually.
   Apply patient unapplied amount from fee slip	Automatically applies any unapplied balances from the patient’s receipt history when recording new or edited fee slips.	Does not automatically apply any unapplied balances from the patient’s receipt history when recording new or edited fee slips.
   Default All Same Guarantor	Selects the All Same Guarantor check box on the Receipts & Adjustments window by default. This allows payments made by one patient to be applied to other patients within the same family.	Does not select the All Same Guarantor check box by default on the Receipts & Adjustments window.
   Display warning msg for handwritten products	Displays a warning message when a user manually types a product on a fee slip that does not match any product in the database. The warning does not prevent the user from manually entering a product.	Does not display a warning when handwritten products are entered on the fee slip.
   Show voided fee slips on billing history	Displays voided fee slips on the Billing History report.	Does not display voided fee slips on the Billing History report.
   Display reminder for level II codes	Displays a warning to remind the user to select a PQRS code when an eligible diagnosis code is selected on the fee slip.	Does not display a warning to remind users to select a PQRS code.
   Print patient DOB on fee slip	Includes the patient’s date of birth on the printed patient’s receipt.	Does not include the date of birth on the patient’s receipt.
   Default Co-Pay to be checked on Refund Window	Selects the Refund Co-Pay check box by default on the Fee Slip Item Return window. The Refund Co-Pay check box can be deselected by the user as needed.	Does not select the Refund Co-Pay check box by default. Users have to manually check this box if necessary when processing a return.
   Pop-Up Copay/Eligibility information on Fee Slip	Automatically opens the Authorization/Copay window when the user selects the patient’s insurance on the Fee Slip window.	Does not automatically open the Authorization/Copay window. Users will have to click the Auth/Copay button on the Fee Slip window to view and edit copay and eligibility information.
   Express End of Day	Activates an “express” end-of-day process to close the financial activity for the day and start a new day. The “express” process does not require you to reconcile your cash drawer or print reports.	Deactivates the express option. Users will need to reconcile the cash drawer and print reports in order to complete end-of-day process.
   Activate Patient Open Charges button	Displays the Open Charges button on the Fee Slip window, which allows users to open a list of open charges and allows users, whose security settings permit, to post the charges to the fee slip, leave open, or close patient open charges.	Does not display the Open Charges button on the Fee Slip window.
   Pop-Up Open Charges window on Fee Slip	Automatically opens the Open Charges window when a fee slip is created for a patient who has open charges. This preference is only available if the Activate Patient Open Charges button preferences is set to Yes.	Does not automatically open the Open Charges window. Users can click the Open Charges button to manually open the Open Charges window if the Activate Patient Open Charges button preferences is set to Yes.
   Allow Fee Slips to be changed before End of Day	Allows users, whose security settings permit, to edit fee slips before the end-of-day process is completed. If you choose to edit fee slips before completing the end-of-day process, perpetual inventory counts and reports may not be accurate.	Once a fee slip is recorded, users are unable to make any changes to the fee slip. If changes are necessary, the original fee slip will need to be voided and a new, accurate fee slip will need to be created.
   Activate Detailed Benefits and Max Allotment Calculations	Activates the detailed benefits and maximum allotments methods for setting up insurance plans and calculating patient eligibility and copays. This preference is only available to practices that upgraded from OfficeMate Enterprise 2.0, or OfficeMate 9.0, 9.5, or 10.0 and had at least one insurance plan that used either of these two methods. For more information about detailed benefits, go to Setting Up Plan Detailed Benefits. For information about maximum allotments, go to Setting Up Plan Maximum Allotments.	Deactivates the detailed benefits and maximum allotments methods. All insurance plans will be set up using the percentage method.
   Activate Discounts and Packages	Activates discounts and packages, which enables users, whose security privileges allow, to create discounts and packages in OfficeMate Administration or apply discount and package promotions to fee slips in OfficeMate. For more information about discounts and packages, go to Setting Up Discounts & Packages.	Deactivates discounts and packages.
   Send VSP Claims and Lab Orders Immediately upon Completion	Sends VSP claims and lab orders electronically to Eyefinity when the fee slip is recorded.	Sends VSP claims to the Third Party Processing window to be processed like other insurance claims. VSP lab orders must also be processed as you process other lab orders.
   Enable the General Ledger Interface	Enables the General Ledger Interface, which allows users to export general ledger (G/L) transactions to such external, business-grade accounting systems as Sage Software MAS 90 and MAS 200. The General Ledger Interface also enables users to export journal entries into Intuit QuickBooks 2005–2010. For information about the General Ledger Interface, go to Using the General Ledger Interface. This setting automatically disables preferences listed hereafter.	Disables the General Ledger Interface, and therefore, the ability to export financial data to MAS 90, MAS 200, or QuickBooks. Enables the preferences listed hereafter.
   Allow Fee Slips to be changed before and after End of Day	Allows users, whose security settings permit, to edit fee slips before and after the end-of-day process is completed. Because modifying records after the end-of-day process may result in data conflicting with that exported to accounting software, the General Ledger Interface is disabled if this preference is set to Yes. Allowing the fee slip to be edited after the end-of-day may result in inaccurate inventory counts and reporting.	Users will not be able to make changes to the fee slip after the end-of-day process. Users may be able to make changes to fee slips prior to the end-of-day, if the Allow Fee Slips to be changed before End of Day preference (above) is set to Yes. If changes are necessary, the original fee slip will need to be voided and a new, accurate fee slip will need to be created
   Allow Posting Date to be changed in Administration	Allows the posting date to be changed in OfficeMate Administration to allow for adjustments on prior dates. Because changing the posting date may result in data conflicting with that exported to accounting software, the General Ledger Interface is disabled if this preference is set to Yes. Allowing the posting date to be changed may result in inaccurate inventory counts and reporting.	The posting date cannot be changed in OfficeMate Administration. Once the end-of-day process is complete, transactions can no longer be recorded for that day.
   Allow Posting Date to be changed in Locations	Allows the posting date to be changed in OfficeMate locations to allow for adjustments on prior dates. Because changing the posting date may result in data conflicting with that exported to accounting software, the General Ledger Interface is disabled if this preference is set to Yes. Allowing the posting date to be changed may result in inaccurate inventory counts and reporting.	The posting date cannot be changed in OfficeMate locations. Once the end-of-day process is complete, transactions can no longer be recorded for that day.
   Allow Payment Method to be modified	Allows the method of payment to be changed in the Receipts History window. Because changing the payment method may result in data conflicting with that exported to accounting software, the General Ledger Interface is disabled if this preference is set to Yes.	Does not allow users to modify the payment method once it is posted. To correct the payment method, the user must record a payment reversal in the Receipts History window and rerecord the payment using the correct payment method.
   Allow Reversal and Correction Posting Date to Be Modified	Enables users to change the date of payment reversals and corrections. This is the default setting. Because of auditing requirements, you cannot change the date of deposit. The posting date for a payment reversal or correction must be the same as or later than the posting date of the deposit.	Prevents users from changing the date of payment reversals and corrections.

4. Click OK to save your preferences and close the System Preferences window.

In addition to the procedure above, watch this video for more information.

1. From the OfficeMate Administration main window, click Setup, and select Preferences.

   The System Preferences window opens.

2. Click the Misc tab.
3. Select the VisionWeb Integration check box if you are integrating with VisionWeb.
4. Select the External Patient Communication Integration check box if you are using a supported third-party service to communicate with your patients.
   The Patient Demographic window, Correspondence Hx tab displays the vendor name to indicate which service was used to send a particular correspondence to a patient.
5. Select the Yes and No radio buttons to choose the other options.

   Preference	Setting to Yes…	Setting to No…
   Display Quick List on startup	Displays the Quick List window when OfficeMate is launched.	Does not display the Quick List. Users will have to open the Quick List manually.
   Activate Task Manager Notifications	Displays notifications when users are assigned tasks	Does not display notifications when users are assigned tasks. Users must check the Task Manager manually to view tasks assigned to them.
   Display patient photo and alerts	Displays the patient photo and alerts on the Patient Center window.	Does not display the option to add a patient photo to the Patient Center window.
   Default Ophthalmic Lens Power Range	Defaults the low sphere and cylinder to 0.00 and the high sphere and cylinder to 99.00.	No default is applied to the low or high sphere and cylinder for lens products.
   Prompt for transaction validation password	Requires a password when a user makes a change on the Fee Slip, Eyewear Order, Soft Lens Order, Hard Lens Order, Receipts & Adjustments, and Patient Ledger windows. You will only be prompted for your user ID and password once when you select a new patient or insurance company on the Receipts & Adjustments window. If you do not type a valid password and user ID in the Validate User window, then you will be prompted to type a valid password and user ID in the Validate User window when you complete the transaction and click Record.	There will be no user validation when processing transactions on the Fee Slip, Eyewear Order, Soft Lens Order, Hard Lens Order, Receipts & Adjustments, and Patient Ledger windows.
   Activate Identify Safeguard - Red Flags Rule	Activates the Safeguard - Red Flags rule feature, which complies with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) to ensure the security and confidentially of your patients’ information.	Deactivates the Safeguard - Red Flags rule feature.
   Activate VSP Lens Product 30 Day Reminder	Tuns on a reminder in OfficeMate Administration to prompt you to download the latest lens product lists using the Lens Product Loader. Clicking OK in the reminder window opens the Lens Product Loader and downloads the latest lists.	Deactivates the reminder.
   Print Contact Lens Release Disclosure on Rx	Control whether or not the FTC Contact Lens Rule disclosure appears at the bottom of printed contact lens prescriptions. This is so providers who have implemented other solutions to satisfy the FTC requirements can print contact lens prescriptions without the disclosure text and signature lines.	Prevents the FTC Contact Lens Rule disclosure from printing.
   Print spectacle release disclosure on RX	Control whether or not the FTC Eyeglass Rule disclosure appears at the bottom of printed eyewear prescriptions. This is so providers who have implemented other solutions to satisfy the FTC requirements can print eyewear prescriptions without the disclosure text and signature lines.	Prevents the FTC Eyeglass Rule disclosure from printing.

6. Select a font type from the Font Name for Grid Printing drop-down menu.
7. Click OK to save your preferences and close the System Preferences window.

For more information on setting up Quick List, photo/alert, password validation, and Red Flags rule display options, watch this video.

1. From the OfficeMate Administration main window, click Setup, and select Preferences.

   The System Preferences window opens.

2. Click the Label Printer tab.
3. Select the default printer and label size from the Default Printer box drop-down menus.
4. Select file folder label lines from the File Folder Label drop-down menus.
5. Type the number of mailing and filing labels to print in the # of Prints box text boxes.
6. Click OK to save your preferences and close the System Preferences window.

In addition to the procedure below, watch this video for more information.

One-click documents are letters and forms that you can easily print from many windows within OfficeMate. For information on creating and editing one-click documents, go to Maintaining Documents.

1. From the OfficeMate Administration main window, click Setup, and select Preferences.

   The System Preferences window opens.

2. Click the One Click Documents tab.
3. Select the default printer from the Default Printer box drop-down menu.
4. Click the … (ellipses) in the One Click Documents box to select which letters and postcards you want to be available as one-click documents.

   The Text Files window opens.

5. Click the + next to OfficeMate Documents to expand the folder.
6. Navigate to and double-click the document that you want to select as a one click-document.
7. Click OK to save your preferences and close the System Preferences window.

For more information on setting up one-click document preferences, watch this video.

1. From the OfficeMate Administration main window, click Setup, and select Preferences.

   The System Preferences window opens.

2. Click the Statements tab.
3. Select the Yes and No radio buttons to choose the statement options.
   If you are centrally administering your billing from the administrative location, select the No radio button next to the Print provider license & tax/EIN on Statement preference.

   Preference	Setting to Yes…	Setting to No…
   Use “Do not print on patient statement”	Enables the “Do not print on patient statement” check box in the Fee Slip Item Adjustment window and prevents ledger items marked as DNP from printing on patient statements.	Disables the “Do not print on patient statement” check box in the Fee Slip Item Adjustment window so that future adjustments cannot be marked as DNP. Any ledger items previously marked as DNP will still not print on patient statements.
   Print provider license & NPI on statement	Prints the provider’s license and NPI on patient statements.	Does not print the provider’s license and NPI on patient statements.

4. Type the number of days that you want to be displayed in detail on your statements in the Display # days from period end text box.
5. Select the Yes and No radio buttons to choose the statement options.

   Preference	Setting to Yes…	Setting to No…
   Print insurance charges/payments	Prints amounts charged to insurance and/or the amounts the insurance has paid.	Does not print insurance information on the statements.
   Print reason for insurance denial	Prints the reason for insurance denial on the patient statement.	Does not print the reason for insurance denial on the patient statement.
   Print credit card payment information	Prints credit card payment information on the patient statement.	Does not print credit card payment information on the patient statement.

6. If you want to calculate late charges for patients, follow the instructions below; otherwise, go to step 7.
   1. Select the Calculate late charges check box.
   2. Type the late charge amount, the amount at which late charges should begin to be calculated, the grace period, and a description of the late charge.
   3. Select the Fee Slip Date radio button if you want to calculate finance charges for insurance transfers based on fee slip dates or select the Transfer Date radio button if you want to calculate finance charges for insurance transfers based on transfer dates.
7. If you want to calculate finance charges for patient, follow the instructions below; otherwise, go to step 8.
   1. Select the Calculate finance charges check box.
   2. Type the monthly percentage, grace period, and a description of the finance charge.
   3. Select the Fee Slip Date radio button if you want to calculate finance charges for insurance transfers based on fee slip dates or select the Transfer Date radio button if you want to calculate finance charges for insurance transfers based on transfer dates.
8. Type a message in the Print this message at bottom of Statement text box.
9. Determine whether statement aging should begin from the date of the fee slip or when the charges are transferred from the insurance to the patient by selecting the Fee Slip Date or Transfer Date radio button.

   Preference	Setting to Yes…	Setting to No…
   Print administration address on statement/fee slip	Prints the address of the home office for multilocation practices. For single location practices, administration address is usually the same as the practice address.	Prints the address of the office where the services were performed.
   Print zero dollar line items on statement/fee slip	Prints all items that appear on the claim, including such zero-dollar line items as level II CPT codes.	Suppresses zero-dollar items from printing on the statements and fee slips.

10. Click OK to save your preferences and close the System Preferences window.

In addition to the procedure above, watch this video for more information.

1. From the OfficeMate Administration main window, click Setup, and select Preferences.
2. The System Preferences window opens.
3. Click the Lab Orders tab.
4. Select the Full Page or Half Page radio button to print your lab orders on a full or half pages.
5. Select the Yes and No radio buttons to choose lab order preferences.

   Preference	Setting to Yes…	Setting to No…
   Print Patient ID on Eyewear Lab Orders	Prints the patient’s ID number in OfficeMate on the lab order.	Does not print the patient’s ID number on the lab order.
   Allow lab order to be printed if not billed	Allows the lab order to be printed even if the fee slip has not been recorded.	Does not allow the lab order to be printed if a fee slip has not been recorded.
   Allow lab order edits after fee slip has been billed	Enables the Edit Lab Order button on the order windows and allows users whose security roles include access rights to Edit Lab Orders after Fee Slip Billed to edit lab orders after a fee slip has been recorded.	Disables the Edit button on the order windows and does not allow users to edit lab orders after a fee slip has been recorded.
   Allow Eyewear Orders without Frame Details	Allows eyewear orders to be recorded with lens information but without frame information.	Requires lens and frame information to be recorded on eyewear orders. If you use the VSP interface, select the No radio button.
   Validate Promise Date	Causes the user to be prompted to enter a promise date if one has not been entered when the lab order is recorded.It is important to record a promise date on every lab order for the following reasons: The promise date enables your practice to manage which patients may be coming to pick up their orders on any given day. The promise date allows you to pull up a list of orders in the Rx Status window for any given day based on promise date.	Allows users to record lab orders without entering a promise date.
   Validate lab (Order Lens From) for a lab order	Requires users to select a lab if one is not selected when the lab order is created.	Allows users record lab orders without selecting a lab.
   Activate Rx Slider on Lab Orders	Gives users the option to record eyewear, hard lens, and soft lens order measurements using a slider rather than manually entering measurements	Disables the slider option, requiring users to enter measurements manually.
   Update Prices in Rx Orders	Gives users, whose security settings permit, the ability to price lens attributes on an eyewear order if the selected lens is missing attribute pricing. When a user selects a lens that contains attributes that have not been priced on an eyewear order, a pop-up window prompts the user to enter the missing price information.	Prevents users from adding missing attribute pricing. Eyewear orders are recorded without prompting the user for missing prices.

6. Select which staff member’s name, if any, appears on the lab order from the Display staff member’s name on lab order using drop-down menu.
7. Select the Yes and No radio buttons to choose printed prescription preferences.

   Preference	Setting to Yes…	Setting to No…
   Display patient’s home phone on lab orders	Prints the patient’s home phone number on lab orders. this may be useful if the orders are shipped directly to the patient.	Does not print the patient’s home phone number on lab orders.
   Display patient’s day phone on lab orders	Prints the patient’s day-time phone number on lab orders. this may be useful if the orders are shipped directly to the patient.	Does not print the patient’s day-time phone number on lab orders.
   Print product name on printed Rx	Prints product names on printed eyewear, hard lens, or soft lens prescriptions.	Does not print product names on printed prescriptions.
   Print patient’s address on printed Rx	Prints the patient’s address on printed eyewear, hard lens, or soft lens prescriptions.	Does not print the patient’s address on printed prescriptions.
   Print patient’s age on printed Rx	Prints the patient’s age on printed eyewear, hard lens, or soft lens prescriptions.	Does not print patient’s age on printed prescriptions.
   Print PD information on printed Rx	Prints the pupillary distance on printed eyewear, hard lens, or soft lens prescriptions.	Does not print pupillary distance on the printed prescriptions.
   Print lens information on printed Rx.	Prints the lens information on printed eyewear, hard lens, or soft lens prescriptions.	Does not print the lens information on printed prescriptions.
   Print patient’s date of birth	Prints the patient’s date of birth on spectacle and contact lens prescriptions.	Does not print the patient’s date of birth on spectacle and contact lens prescriptions.
   Print patient’s phone number	Prints the patient’s daytime phone number (or, if not recorded, home phone number, or, if that’s not recorded, cell phone number) on spectacle and contact lens prescriptions.	Does not print any of the patient’s phone numbers on spectacle and contact lens prescriptions.

8. Select the appropriate default Eyewear and Contacts Rx Expiration (Months).
9. Select the vision Rx printing size and electronic signature option from the Print Rx options drop-down menu.
10. Select the default lab order printer from the Default Printer drop-down menu.
11. Click OK to save your preferences and close the System Preferences window.

In addition to the procedure above, watch this video for more information.

1. From the OfficeMate Administration main window, click Setup, and select Preferences.

   The System Preferences window opens.

2. Click the Centralized tab.
3. Select the Yes and No radio buttons to choose 3rd Party Billing, Purchase Order, and Correspondence options.

   Preference	Setting to Yes…	Setting to No…
   Centralized 3rd party billing	Allows the administrative location to process all third party billing. All third party billing must be processed in OfficeMate Administration.	Allows each store location to process their own third party billing within OfficeMate. Enables third party processing in OfficeMate for single-location practices.
   Centralized correspondence	Allows the administrative location to process all correspondence. All correspondence must be generated in OfficeMate Administration.	Allows each store location to generate their own patient correspondence within OfficeMate. Enables correspondence in OfficeMate for single-location practices.
   Centralized purchasing	Allows the administrative location to process all purchase orders. If you elect to centralize your purchasing, ensure that you have created a distribution center. Centralized purchasing must be done from a distribution center. For information on creating a distribution center, go to Maintaining Locations for OfficeMate. The Purchase Order and Receive Purchase Order menu items are disabled at store locations.	Allows each store location to process their own purchase orders within OfficeMate. Does not require single or multilocation practices to set up a distribution center in OfficeMate.

4. Select appropriate lab processing preferences from the Order Transmitcode, Order Result code, and Event log level drop down menus.
5. Click OK to save your preferences and close the System Preferences window.

In addition to the procedure above, watch this video for more information.

The Payment restriction preference allows you to specify the minimum dollar amount or percentage that must be paid at the time the fee slip is recorded. If the minimum payment restrictions are not met, the fee slip cannot be recorded and orders associated with the fee slip will not be processed. Users who have a security role assigned to them that allows them to override payment restrictions may enter a user name and password to override the payment restriction and record the fee slip. For more information on enabling payment override restrictions, go to Setting Up Security.

1. From the OfficeMate Administration main window, click Setup, and select Preferences.

   The System Preferences window opens.

2. Click the Payment Restrictions tab.
3. For each product type, type a dollar amount or percentage amount in the table grid.
4. Select the Yes radio button for Apply Payment on Fee Slip Restrictions to enable fee slip restrictions. Select No to disable fee slip restrictions, as needed.
5. Click OK to save your changes.
   When the user enters an amount on the fee slip that is less than the minimum set in the Payment Restrictions tab, the fee slip displays a warning, and an override is required to record the fee slip if the amount is not corrected.

In addition to the procedure above, watch this video for more information.

Use the perpetual inventory preference to adjust how display, or sample, products are counted and sold.

1. From the OfficeMate Administration main window, click Setup, and select Preferences.

   The System Preferences window opens.

2. Click the Perpetual Inventory tab.
3. Select the Yes or No radio buttons to choose your perpetual inventory options.

   Preference	Setting to Yes…	Setting to No…
   When a product is Discontinued, change the Minimum Display Qty to 0	Automatically sets the minimum number of samples to zero when a product is discontinued. If you are maintaining perpetual inventory, select Yes.	Leaves the number of samples or display quantities on record when a product is discontinued.
   When a product is Non Stock, change the Minimum Display Qty to 0	Automatically sets the minimum number of samples to zero when a product is marked as nonstock. If you are maintaining perpetual inventory, select Yes.	Leaves the number of samples or display quantities on record when a product is no longer kept in stock.
   When a product is Backordered, allow the sample to be sold	Allows product samples to be sold when the quantity available is zero. If you are maintaining perpetual inventory, select Yes.	Prevents product samples from being sold when available quantities are exhausted.
   Allow Sale of Inventory Items with Zero Quantity on Hand without Warning Message	Disables the warning message that displays when an item that is not in stock is sold. If you are maintaining perpetual inventory, select No. If this preference is set to Yes, perpetual inventory on-hand, on-order, and committed counts will be inaccurate.	Displays a warning message when an item that is not in stock is sold. Selecting the Allow Sale of Inventory Items with Zero Quantity on Hand without Warning Message radio button will cause your inventory counts to be incorrect. If you are maintaining perpetual inventory, select No.

4. Click OK to save your changes.

In addition to the procedure above, watch this video for more information.