ClienTrax Veterinary Practice Management Software

Tracking Boarding Activities

Would you like to be able to keep track of what needs to be done each day for each animal that is boarding with you? If you are running version 6.0b7 or later, you can!

The Boarding Activities window can be accessed by clicking on the Activity

button on the Boarding Record window or by clicking on the Boarding button on the tool bar from the Patient Card.

This window allows you to enter the animal’s feeding schedule, grooming appointment, training, and any treatments that should be administered while the animal is boarding.

Once you have these items entered, they can be brought up and updated at any time. For example, the feeding schedule is permanently kept on file. So every time the animal boards, you only need to confirm whether it is the same as the last time the animal boarded, and edit it if necessary.

Once the animal is checked in on their boarding reservation, they show up on all appropriate feeding schedules from that time until the time they are scheduled to leave. Feeding schedules can be easily printed from the Boarding Window. Simply click on the Print button on the tool bar when in the Boarding Window, then select which feeding schedule you want AM, Mid Day, or PM, then select the date you want the schedule for. You can print today’s Mid Day feeding schedule to see which animals do get a mid day feeding, or print next week’s schedules to make sure you have the food on hand for the animals you expect to have checked in then.

Scheduling grooming on the Boarding Activities automatically takes you to the appointments schedule so that a grooming appointment is created at the same time.

Training and Treatment items (such as medications that need to be administered daily) show up on To Do lists so they can be printed.

Activities can be checked off as completed so the status of each activity is easy to see.

For more information on using Boarding Activities, please feel free to give us a call.

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Creating Controlled Substance Log Entries

We have had several calls lately about controlled substance log entries. We will explain here what does and does not create a controlled substance log entry. The information in this article is based on ClienTrax version 6.0b8 or later. Most older versions only ask for the manufacturing information once, rather than the 2 times that will be described below.

If you would like to use the Controlled Substance Log created within ClienTrax, you need to make sure you have the basics set up correctly. The first, most important setting is the Hold Rx option in Setup. Go to File/Administration, then click on Setup. On the Setup Main Screen, you will see several checkbox options. This means the options are turned on (have a checkmark) or off (no checkmark) by clicking on the box next to it. The Hold Rx option must be turned on (have a checkmark) for controlled substance log entries to be created.

The other settings that need to be checked are on the Inventory Cards for the individual medications. Go to Main Menu and select Inventory/Service. Once the inventory list is displayed, double click on an item in the list to open the Inventory Card. Then bring up the inventory card for one of your controlled drugs.

On the inventory card for each controlled medication, you need to make sure three things are properly set up. The first is to make sure there is a checkmark on the Controlled option below the Min and Max fields. This is what tells ClienTrax this item is a controlled substance. The second is to make sure there is a checkmark in the Qty Control option above the ON Hand field. This is what tells ClienTrax to keep track of the On Hand count when an item is bought and sold.

The other very important setting on the inventory card is the manufacturer’s information. You enter this by clicking on the Mfg Info button at the lower right corner of the card. This opens the window where the manufacturer’s name, lot number for the current bottle being dispensed from, and the discard date for that lot must be entered. A controlled substance log entry must have this information. So if it were blank, the record would be considered invalid, and therefore will not be created.

If you have items for services such as “General Anesthesia”, these settings will not be done on the service inventory card. The Qty Control and Controlled options must NOT be checked on the service. Instead, you will want to make sure the service has the proper entries on the Deduct From button. To do this, bring up the inventory card for the service, then click on the Deduct From button at the right side of the card.

Click on the edit button, then enter into the Deduct From table any items that need to be removed from inventory when this service is charged. If the quantity of the item that needs to be deducted is the same every time you perform that service, enter the quantity that needs to be deducted. If the quantity may vary, such as in an anesthesia when the exact dose depends on the weight of the patient, leave the quantity blank for the item to be deducted. Any items set up to be deducted without a specific quantity set will prompt a window at the New Visit screen asking for the quantity used of that item.

Once you have everything set up properly to have controlled log entries created, the invoice entries also must be done correctly for them to be accepted and saved on the log. This means when you are invoicing controlled substances, ClienTrax will ask you to verify the manufacturer’s information (and the quantity if you have set it up to do so by leaving the quantity blank on a Deduct From entry).

When you first enter a controlled substance onto an invoice, or enter an item that is set up to deduct a controlled substance from inventory, it will bring up a window for you to confirm the current manufacturer’s information. This same window will also have a field for the quantity used to be entered if the item was set up to be deducted with the quantity left blank. If you know what the information should be, you should make sure the window is complete and correct, then OK it by clicking the OK button or pressing the Enter key. If you do not know the information at this time, cancel the window by closing it, clicking on the Cancel button, or pressing the Escape key.

If you OK the completed information at this time, then a log record will be created when the invoice is totaled. If you cancel the window or OK the window without complete information, ClienTrax will bring the will bring the window up again after the invoice is totaled to give you another chance to complete the information. If you complete the information at this time and OK it, then a log record will be created. If you cancel the window at this time, the invoice will be completed, but no log entry will be created.

For controlled substances, the controlled substance log records and the On Hand count are connected. If the information is incomplete so that no controlled substance log entry is created, this will also cause the On Hand count to not be changed. However, the transaction will still show on the client and patient histories, and on the daily transaction reports.

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Correcting Controlled Log Entries

Even when everyone does their best to make sure all information is accurate, mistakes can happen. Mistakes can happen in the controlled substance log entries when you can’t read the handwriting that tells you the quantity to enter, or a client is getting impatient to be checked out, and you still don’t have the correct information to enter, or you get rushed and ok or cancel the Controlled Substance window when you meant to do the opposite…

However, once the mistake is caught, it can easily be corrected. Controlled substance log entries are saved and displayed in the records for each individual patient. To view the record for a controlled substance, bring up the patient card that the medication was dispensed/administered to. Then click on the Control Log (Ctrl Log) button on the tool bar. This opens the RxLogEdit window. All controlled substances administered to this patient should be listed in this window.

To correct an entry in this window, select the record for the date the medication was administered. If more than one controlled drug was administered on the same date, such as an anesthetic cocktail, there will be a separate record on that date for each medication. You will need to click on one of the records to see the description to know which medication the record is for.

Once you have the correct record selected, you may click on the Edit button on the tool bar and change any incorrect information. To save your changes, click on OK or press the Enter key. If you need to change the client or patient for the record, you will also need to make sure the transaction histories are also corrected. If the record is altogether wrong, you may delete it by clicking on the trash can icon on the tool bar.

If a record was never created (maybe you have a newly entered item that someone forgot to make sure the controlled option was selected on its inventory card), you may need to create one without reinvoicing. To do this, click on the Insert button on the tool bar and enter the appropriate information. Click on OK or press the Enter key to save the new record.

If you notice you are having to make frequent corrections to these records, you may want to review the settings for your controlled substances to make sure they are set up correctly, and review how these records are created with your staff so they know how their actions affect the controlled substance log.

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Humor Is Healthy…

This month’s chuckle

A guy sees a sign in front of a house: "Talking Dog for Sale." He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a black mutt just sitting there.

"You talk?" he asks.

"Yep," the mutt replies.

"So, what's your story?"

The mutt looks up and says, "Well, I discovered this gift pretty young and I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA about my gift, and in no time they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies eight years running.

The jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger and I wanted to settle down. So I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious characters and listening in.

I uncovered some incredible dealings there and was awarded a batch of medals. Had a wife, a mess of puppies, and now I'm just retired."

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog. The owner says, "Ten dollars."

The guy says, "This dog is amazing. Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?"

The owner replies, "He's such a liar. He didn't do any of that stuff."

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