Welcome to Tips & Tools, a resource which will enable users to make most use of their Socrates practice management software.


Content on this page will be added to continuously based on questions we commonly receive from customers.

If you do not find an answer to your question below the please submit your question here.


Frequently Asked Questions

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Question:

I downloaded lab results but mapped the results to the wrong patient, can I delete this mapping so future results don’t go into the incorrect chart too?

 

Answer:

Go to My Communication\Lab Messaging. Near the top left of the screen click on “Patient Mappings”. Search for the patient in question, select the patient by double clicking on the name and you will see the list of lab mappings for that patient. Click on the red X next to the mapping you want to delete.

 

Question:

How do I delete a note I added to a chart in error?

 

Answer:

Open the patients chart, Begin or Edit a consultation first, highlight the note in question and press “Delete” on the keyboard. You will be asked “Are you sure you want to delete the selected note?”. Click Yes.

 

Question:

How do I create a new tab for a specific group on the Appointments screen?

 

Answer:

Navigate to My Control Panel\Admin Console\Appointments. Click on the “Appointment Groups” tab at the top. On this screen you can create new groups and add users to existing groups. Remember to close and reopen the Appointments screen to view your changes.

 

 

Question:

Is there somewhere I can view a history of all the lab results I have imported?

 

Answer:

Go to My Communication\Lab Messaging. In the top left corner click on “Import History”. Enter dates for “Lab date from” and “Lab date to” and click Search. You can also search for CO-OP messages and Appointment messages using the tabs at the top

 

Question:

Is there a way I can quickly search through a list of investigations to add to a patients chart?

 

Answer:

In a patients chart in the Investigations section, if you click on the list of investigations you can start to type the name of the investigation you are looking for and the list will filter based on the letters you type.
 

Question:

Can a patient’s appointment be cancelled or set to DNA (Did Not Attend) automatically if they don’t turn up?

Answer:

Socrates can automatically set appointments to DNA if a patient does not arrive for their appointment. If turned on this feature is set to cancel the appointment after 90 minutes by default, but this can be altered to a different time to suit the practice in question.

Question:

Can I restrict access to charts for certain users or groups of users?

Answer:

Go to “Patient Maintenance\Open Patient”. Search for the patient in question. On the “Patient Details” page click on the “Chart Access” link along the left. Here you can restrict users or groups of users from accessing this patient’s chart.

Question:

Can I delete a pregnancy added to a chart in error?

Answer: 

If you have added a pregnancy in the Ante Natal section in error you can remove it by highlighting the pregnancy and pressing “Ctrl + Delete” on your keyboard. You will then see a dialog that asks for confirmation, click “Yes” to confirm. You can always view previously deleted items by clicking the checkbox “Show Cancelled Visits”.

Question:

Is there somewhere in Socrates I can store commonly visited web sites for quick access?

Answer:

If you go to “Communication” in Socrates you will see a tab on the extreme right of the screen called “Web References”. You can access your links here. To add new links to Web References go to “My Control Panel\Admin Console\Categories & Templates” and click on the “Web References” tab.

Question:

If I have Skype installed on my pc, can I use it to call a patient number from Socrates?

 

Answer:

Socrates supports Skype integration. If you have Skype installed on your pc you will see a Skype phone action button beside the patient’s phone number in Socrates. Click on this icon to call the patient.

 

Question:

Is there a batch control facility in Socrates for my Immunisations?

 

Answer:

If you go to My Control Panel -> Admin Console -> Immunisations and click on the “Shots” tab, you can highlight an individual shot and add your batch information to that shot. This saves you having to enter this information every time you administer the shot and it also appears red to warn you when the batch is about to run out.

 

Question:

Is there a way I can quickly review all my electronic results in one place after they have been imported?

 

Answer:

Simply go to My Control Panel -> Result Viewer and view the “In Review” results. You can filter the results based on HCP so you only see the results that apply to you.

 

 

Question:

Can I see a history of instant messages I have sent to colleagues in the past?

 

Answer:

You can view a history of all your instant messages, to do this just open an instant message with Dr. X for example and click on the “Message History” button in the bottom left corner. You can filter the list to view only messages you sent or messages you received.

 

 

Question:

Where can I view the visit history for a particular patient?

 

Answer:

If you go to Patient Maintenance -> Patient Summary and click on “Visit History”, you will see a history of all the patients Appointments, walkins, etc.

 

 

Question:

How do I add a reminder to a patients chart?

 

Answer:

On the Consultation Summary screen you will see an “Add Reminder” link in the top right corner. This allows you to add a reminder for this particular patient. You can set it so this reminder appears every time you open the chart or only appears from a certain date. You can complete the reminder at any time.

 

 



Question:
I am a Practice Manager and would like to know how to go about implementing computerised accounts in my practice?

 

Answer:

 

 

In Socrates it is very easy to quickly and easily implement your accounts in computerised form. Socrates supports personal, family and third party accounts, third party meaning clubs or companies for example. Firstly you must setup the correct charge types. Charge types are the list of charges that your surgery performs, for example “Standard Consultation €45.00”. To setup your list of charge types navigate to “My Control Panel”->”Admin Console”->”System Types” and finally then click on the “Account Types” tab. Once you have all your charge types setup, next you must setup your “Payment Types” and this can be done from the same screen. The only difference is when adding a payment type, ensure the “Account Type” drop down is set to “Payment”.

 

 

Once you have your list of charges and list of accepted payment types in place, you are ready to begin using the accounts. Now you can implement the charging inside the consultation rooms or at the front desk. The benefit of implementing the charging inside the consultation rooms is the exact set of itemised charges can be inputted. So for example, a patient may have been booked in for an appointment for a “Standard Consultation”, however while in consultation room, a “Standard Consultation” and a “Blood Test” was performed, two separate charges. By implementing charging inside the consultation room, when the patient returns to the reception area after consultation, the administrative staff can see on screen all charges, and he/she can then say to the patient “Ok Sir/Madam, I can see you owe X for the following charges”.

 

From here the admin staff can take payment and optionally print a receipt for the user. You now have computerised accounts fully implemented in your practice, you can then utilise all the accounting reports inside the Reports module of Socrates to get daily cash book reports, unpaid patient reports, patient account statements, all types of useful accounting information.

 

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Question:  
I would like to know if Socrates supports electronic lab message downloading and importing into the patient’s chart?

 


Answer:

Yes using Socrates, you have the ability to download and import electronic lab messages inside the software. One of the major benefits of lab messaging in Socrates, is you can download lab messages directly from the software, as Socrates has a feature called “Healthlink Web Service Integration”. Socrates connects directly into your Healthlink account and starts the import process, saying you multiple clicks and time. Once results are integrated into Socrates, they go to a special location called the “Investigation Viewer”, this location is designed as “My Mail”, showing the healthcare professionals all the results that have come back for them from the laboratory and which have not been signed off yet. From here the healthcare professional can sign off on results as they view them and even SMS the patient to let them know about their blood results that have come back. Once results have been reviewed, they are stored inside the patients chart indefinitely, and the healthcare professional can trend the results against previous results, graph results, print them and many other functions.

 

 

 

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Question:
Is there any way to automate the time consuming job of updating our medical card lists? 

 

Answer:

In Socrates 2009, a breakthrough feature called the PCRS Importer which allows automatic updates of your GMS lists for you. To utilise this feature you require to be setup with the HSE using the “Client Eligibility Suite”, this system will allow you to check your monthly GMS panels, submit your STC forms online and a number of other useful functions. On this system, you can download your monthly GMS panels in “PCRS” format. This is a nationally standard GMS list format that comes from the HSE system.

On the PCRS Web site, look for the link called "capitation drill-down". That gives you the appropriate link to start the download of your GMS list in “PCRS” format.

Once you download this list to your hard disk, we will want to integrate the list directly into Socrates and Socrates can update it for you. So inside Socrates navigate to the “Patient Maintenance” section, once in there look towards the left hand side and you will see the “PCRS Importer” button. Click this button and it will launch the “PCRS Importer” facility. From this module you can load your downloaded PCRS list into the “PCRS Importer” and Socrates will update all your GMS lists in seconds!!!

This saves hundreds of hours a year for practices with multiple GMS lists, having the ability to update your GMS list with the click of a button, is all about the automation improvements Socrates brings to your practice.

 


PCRS Contact Information:

 

If surgeries are looking to import their GMS Panel Listing into Socrates they need to phone the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (PCRS) to get access to their web service so that they can download their GMS Panel.

https://www.sspcrs.ie/certdownload

Contact the PCRS on Tel: 01 864 7145 for a registration form. Once your registration form is received you will be advised how to download a digital certificate and then you can access the services online. You can check patient medical card eligibility at www.sspcrs.ie/portal/checker/ or by sending an sms-message with the card number and code letter to Tel: 087 909 7867.



 

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Question:
How do I print a patients repeat prescriptions without going into their chart?

 


Answer

 

Go to My Control Panel and then Prescription Viewer. Search for the patient in question and the system will display scripts that the doctor has already prescribed. Simply highlight whichever drugs you would like to print and then click on Print.


 

 

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Question:
I would like to be able to quickly identify appointment types on the Appointments Diary. Is this possible?

 


Answer

 

 

Yes. You can colour code appointment types by going to My Control Panel → Admin Console → System Types → Appointment Types.

 

 

Back_to_Top

 

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Question:
How do I send an SMS message to a patient?

 


Answer

The first requirement is that you have an account with a specialized SMS company called esendex.ie


Contact our help desk for a link to their sign-up page. Once the account is active you will be able to text patients from several areas including Communication, Investigation Viewer, and the Patients chart.
 

 

Back_to_Top

 

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Question:
Can I block off time on the Appointments Diary for more than one person at the same time?

 

Answer:

Yes. Go into Resource Availability on the left hand side and then into Availability Exceptions. Next in the HCP's list simply tick the box beside the HCP you wish to apply the exception to. 
 



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Question:
How do I set up Third Party / Company accounts so that I can charge them directly and invoice them as is necessary?

 

Answer:

In the top left corner of the application click on Accounts followed by Setup Third Party. On the following screen add the necessary details (such as company name, accounts manager, address etc.) and then tick the box for ‘Third Party a/c’. Once you have an account created you can make charges to it by clicking on Accounts (as described above) followed by Third Party Account. 

 

 


 

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Question:
I have saved a scan to the wrong chart. Can I transfer it to the correct chart?

Answer:

Yes. Go to My Control Panel and then Document Management System. Highlight the scan that you want to move and then click on the Transfer/Copy button on the left hand side. Next select the correct patients chart and then click Save.
 



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Question:
How do I quickly get into a patients chart from the Appointments Diary?

Answer:

Highlight the patient’s appointment. Then click on ‘View Consultation’ on the left hand side.
 


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Question:
I have a patient letter saved on my PC but it is not saved in Socrates. Is it possible to attach this to their chart?


Answer:

Yes. Go to My Control Panel and then Document Management System. In the top left corner of the screen you will see an ‘Attach File’ button. When you click on this you will be able to browse to the location of the letter and attach it to the chart.



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Question:
How do I find out when a patient was registered on the system

?

 

 

Answer:

In Patient Maintenance click on Patient Summary. After selecting your chosen patient you will see a Registered date under the Patient Details heading.


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Question:
I have downloaded the latest PCRS patient listing but I have some unmatched results, what is going on?

 

Answer:

Socrates database has patients listed as GMS but they are not on the PCRS list and remain unmatched after running the PCRS importer – Why?

 

On Socrates as GMS but not on the HSE list as GMS, they may not match because:

  • The new card has been issued since 1st of the month. The list is a snapshot of the HSE list as at the 1st of the month but you can only access it on the 16th. Patients who have been approved a card since the 1st will not be on that list that you have imported. At this practice we use two custom fields to record GMS card updates that we have agreed or verified with the HSE offices. One field where we log the date of the update and the second field where we log brief details of why we updated it – i.e., practice staff initials, /Letter/Phone call and the HSE staff name. 

    You should only allow patients that have details in these fields to remain as GMS patients otherwise we change them to private and check for any bills that might be due. Those that we allow to remain should be checked the following month to ensure that they have matched off correctly. NO patient in this category should be unmatched for a second month.  If they haven’t matched on the following month, then we issue a fax instruction to the HSE asking them to sort this and to seek back payment for any missing capitation fee (quote the staff name, date and or letter details that were put on Socrates when the custom field was updated).
     
  • The patient is an unregistered baby with same number as mother.  Babies born to a GMS family have the same entitlement to a GMS card and share the mother’s number until they are registered in their own right.  This usually takes about 4 months, but can be expedited by faxing a copy of the baby’s birth certificate and PPS number to the HSE office.
     
  • Duplicate patients – maybe one record is marked inactive /archived etc, needs to be reactivated and merged to get rid of. 
     
  • Duplicate patients but with incorrect detail – look for surname/first name reversals, not just same DOB, similar spelling, address checks etc. Or search by medical card number to locate & merge where appropriate.
     
  • Lost card eligibility. The patient or family card has been withdrawn. Update the record to private & issue any relevant billing that might have been due. Check with the HSE as to why the card is withdrawn if it is before the expected validity date. Instances where cards are withdrawn earlier than the printed date on card have been, where the patient has reached their 16th birthday and should apply in their own right for a card rather than remain on the family card.

    In this case we would recommend that a practice runs a report each month to identify this age group. Then issue a letter to patients who will be 16 the following month advising that they need to have their own card otherwise we will charge them. Then following this, use the report which identifies those who are now 16 with a family medical card to change their status to private on the system.

    Cards have also been withdrawn in the past where patients have failed to reply to correspondence from the HSE – i.e. moved address etc. If the PCRS importer is run every month, then this is spotted quickly and patients can be informed and charged when they attend or assisted to have their card re-instated.


On the PCRS as GMS but not on the HSE list as GMS.

  • PPS no not with HSE but card is OK. We find that the PCRS importer will not match off patients where the PPS number is not with the HSE. We obtain the numbers from patients and fax the HSE with those numbers to allow them to match on the next run.
     
  • New family/patient. Patient has applied for a GMS card but has not registered with the archived files etc)
     
  • RIP patients. These patients may be on the HSE list for a month or so, but will be on our Socrates database as inactive.



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Question:
How do I avail of the Healthlink Web Service Facility in Socrates?

 

Answer:

The Healthlink Web Service allows complete automation of the lab download process inside the Socrates system. To avail of this system inside Socrates, you require to have your Healthlink account setup and the Healthlink security certificate installed inside your web browser.

 

Contact the Socrates help desk and we will perform a simple setup task where we will link your security certificate to the preferences inside the Socrates system. From that moment onwards you do not need to perform the old manual download process which included the following steps:

 

(1) Open your Internet Browser
(2) Log onto the Healthlink Web Site and enter username/password and pin
(3) Download unprocessed results
(4) Save results to a folder
(5) Open up Socrates- Lab messaging module
(6) Browse to saved results folder and begin labs integration

 

Utilising The Healthlink Web Service dramatically cuts down the steps and time required:

 

(1) Open Up Socrates-Lab Messaging Module
(2) Click “Download With Healthlink” and Enter Username/Password and PIN


Note: Step 2 can be further simplified in Socrates v1.6, as you have an option to save your Healthlink account credentials, so no need to key in this information each time you perform the lab messaging integration process.




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Question:
Can I electronically refer my patients for breast care from Socrates; I can do this on the Healthlink website?


Answer:

With the release of Socrates v1.6 in late March 2010, Socrates customers will be able to electronically refer patients from the Socrates systems to numerous hospitals in Ireland utilizing the Health link system.

 


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Question:
Can I see a record of all the SMS messages I have sent to a particular patient?

 


Answer:

 

 

Yes, if you go to Patient Maintenance and click on Patient Summary. Click on SMS history and you will see a list of all messages sent to that particular patient.

 

 


 

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Question:
How can I check if a GMS/DVC patient has a valid card while they are making an appointment?

 


Answer:

 

 

On the create appointment screen click on their GMS number which will bring you to the latest GMS records on the PCRS website. You will then clearly see if they have a valid card or if it has expired.

 




 

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Question:
How do I create a note template so I don’t have to type out common notes every time?

 


Answer:

 

 

If you go to My Control Panel/Admin Console/System types. Click on the Note Templates tab along the top. Here you can add new note templates or edit existing ones. You can also create note templates with an ICPC code and free text combined.

 

 


 

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Question:
How do I know who cancelled an appointment?

 


Answer:

 

 

On the appointments calendar select “Cancelled” in “View” dropdown. You can see all appointments here that were cancelled. If you double click on the cancelled appointment a window opens up and tells you the date it was created and the date it was cancelled and also what user created it and cancelled it.

 

 


 

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Question:
How can I quickly view a HCP’s appointments for an entire week?

 


Answer:

 

 

On the Appointments diary click on the button along the top named “Work Week”. You can then select a HCP in the drop down. This shows you the appointment diary for the selected HCP for the entire week.

 


 

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Question:
Can I change the order of the HCP’s on the “All Professionals” tab on the Appointments diary?

 


Answer:

 

 

Yes you can now change the order of HCP’s within the “All Professionals” tab on the Appointments diary. To change this go to “My Control Panel -> Admin Console -> Appointments” and select the “Appointment Groups” tab. Select the user and then you can use the green arrow buttons to move the names up or down the list. Close and reopen the Appointments diary to view the new order.

 


 

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Question:
Can I create my own ICPC keywords?

 


Answer:

 

 

You can now create your own ICPC Keywords and place the appropriate ICPC
conditions under this keyword. To access a list of ICPC Keywords go to “My control panel -> Admin Console -> categories and templates -> ICPC Keywords”.
The list of keywords is displayed along the left and any ICPC codes assigned to
that keyword will be displayed on the right. To search the list of keywords you can begin typing with the keyword list selected and it will start filtering the list to any keywords that begin with the text you enter.

 


 

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Question:
Where can I view the history of a User Task?

 


Answer:

 

 

Open up the user task in question. Above the “Update & Close” button you will see a small button, when you hover the mouse over it you will see the text “User Task History”. If you click this button you will see the history of this user task, including any updates made to the task and the date/time they were made.

 


 

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Question How to print labels quickly?

Answer:

Open the patients chart (you do NOT need to begin a consultation) and hold ‘Ctrl & I’, the label details window will then appear and you can either click ‘Fininsh’ or “Enter’ (on keyboard), and your label will then print.


 

 

 

Question:
Can I view all the Electronic Referral responses in one place?

Answer:
If you open the “Result Viewer” by going to My Control Panel\Result Viewer, you can click on the tab along the top named “Referral response messages” to view all the response messages. From this section you can print them, mark them as read or Assign a task for a patient.
 

 

Question:
How can I get a list of all immunisation shots due on a particular date?

Answer:
Go to “My Control Panel\Immunisation Viewer”. Click on the “Due” tab at the top. You can select a date and view all immunisations due on that date.

 

Question:
Can I add a user added drug to Socrates?

Answer:
You can manually add new drugs to Socrates at any time. Go to My Control Panel\Admin Console\Drugs. This takes you to the “Add User Drug” screen. You can fill in the required fields and simply click Next & Finish to add the drug to the system.
 

 

Question:
Is there a quick way to add an availability exception?

Answer:
Click on Edit\Preferences at the top of the screen. On the Preferences dialog check the box “Define Exceptions by Right click” and Click Ok. Open the Appointments screen, right click on any time slot and the “Availability Exception Manager” window opens.
 

 

 

Question:
I accidently moved a patient in the Waiting room from “Patients Expected” to “Patients Present”. Can I move them back again?

Answer:
Highlight the patient in the “Patients Present” list and click on “Expected” along the left of the screen, this will move the patient back to the “Patients Expected” list.

 




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