Scheduling FAQ

Q: Why can’t the caregiver see their client’s schedules? I see them on the schedule.

 A: The issue is that the client's assigned record does not have a current date for the “Date Completed” field, which is why the caregiver cannot see any schedules until that after that date.  To resolve this, update the “Date Completed” date so that it is before the first date of service the staff will be working with the client.

Q: Why is the assigned client not showing up when trying to schedule for the staff, and I know that the client has properly been assigned to the staff?

A: You must select the caregiver and input the start date in order for the valid assigned clients to display. If you get in the habit of filling out the date before selecting the drop-down for assigned clients, the correct list of assigned clients for that caregiver should populate.

Q:  Can I schedule multiple dates of service all at once? 

A:  Yes, multiple dates of service can be scheduled all at once using the ‘Recurrence’ function.  Start by adding a scheduled event, and entering the required fields for Caregiver, Client, Service, Date and Start/End and/or Duration.  Next, click on the ‘Recurrence’ button.  Schedule using either a ‘Recurrence pattern’ or ‘Choose specific dates’.  Enter a date range in the ‘From’ and ‘To’ fields.  Adjust the repeating pattern.  Select the days of the week within the calendar grid (yellow), changing selected dates to green…Save.   

Q: How do I delete schedules?

A: There are several ways to delete, however, please note that any schedule linked to a time record, timeclock record, or note cannot be deleted since it is connected to another record. The most common way to delete multiple schedules is:

• Open the Scheduling desktop
• Select the grid button to search by grid
• Use your filters to pull up the schedules you would like deleted
• Select the Delete button at the top of the list with the red trash can icon, then select From All

Individual schedules can be deleted by opening up the event and clicking delete.

Q: I need to update a schedule, what is the best process for doing this?

A: It is recommended that instead of changing schedule items you should delete them first and then create a new correct schedule item. This will keep you from moving a schedule item that is already linked to a note or a piece of time, which could be problematic in other ways. Alternately, you could choose to search for schedules not linked to notes prior to editing, as those are eligible for editing vs. deleting.

Q: Is there a way to bulk edit or bulk delete schedules?

A: Yes, click the Bulk Edit/Delete button. Enter in the date range, caregiver, client and service to be edited or deleted, along with any other pertinent criteria, and click Search. Either click the Select All checkbox or individually select the schedules requiring edits and choose the Delete Selected or Edit Selected button accordingly.

Note: when clicking Edit Selected, another form will be presented where you will check the criteria that needs editing. Once selected, enter in the correct data and save.

Q: How can I see which schedules are not linked to notes?

A: In the Calendar view, there is a checkbox for "Show no Note Created" that can be used in conjunction with the search filters as needed.  In the Grid view, there is a filter for “Linked to Note”; setting to "No" will return schedules with no notes (use in conjunction with other search filters as needed).  You can also see which schedules do not have a note associated in the search grid via the Linked to Note column, which could be helpful when exporting data.

Q: Is there any way to see if/when a note start and end time differs from the original scheduled start/end time? 

A:  Yes, from Scheduling > Grid, scroll to the bottom of the filter stack and find the ‘Deviates From Note’ filter.  Set the filter to ‘Yes’.  Apply any additional necessary filters such as client name, date range, service name, etc. and click Search.  Any scheduled events that differ in time with associated notes will display.  

Q: Where do the Missed Shift reasons get created and can I report on these reasons?

A:  Categories can be created to represent why a scheduled event did not occur. These can be created at Configure > List Configuration > Scheduling > Missed Shifts. Once the categories are created, it is highly recommended that schedules are routinely monitored and that missed shifts are recorded. Not only does this free up the units on the authorization so that they can be reused, it also provides visibility as to why/when services are not being provided. The reporting of missed shifts can be performed from the Grid mode of the scheduling desktop, using the filter for Missed Shift in conjunction with any other desired search filters. The results can be exported for further analysis.

Q:  How do I schedule open shifts to indicate a client has authorization and is in need of services, but I don't yet know which staff will be providing the service? 

A:  After clicking on a cell from the Scheduling Calendar view (or clicking ‘Add Schedule’),  check the ‘Open Shift’ checkbox.  Proceed with entering the rest of the scheduled event data, and Save.  If the ‘Open Shift’ option is not available, go to Configure > List Configuration > Scheduling > Rules, and ensure that the ‘Allow Open Shift Schedules’ checkbox is selected.  You can then search for all open shifts using the respective filter found in both the Calendar and Grid view.

Q: What is the purpose of the Validate button?

A: When scheduled events are saved, the system will check to ensure the caregiver record is current with trainings, the client record is updated with consents, the service has enough authorized units to cover the event and that the time will not overlap with other services. If the user entering the scheduling is assigned a user role that can override any of those error messages, then the Validate button would report on those errors. Any user with access to schedules can validate for a specified time frame the errors that may result in compliance issues if the scheduled service is provided.

Q: We scheduled a service for the authorized amount of units and did not receive any warning messages. When we go back to edit a schedule, a validation is thrown due to exceeded units. Why didn't we get this warning when we initially scheduled? 

A: There are many reasons this could occur. The schedule may have been adjusted since it was originally created which would change the units being used in scheduling. Also, units that are tied up in notes, batch billing and claims will pull from the total authorized units available as well as what is currently scheduled. If notes are created but not linked to a schedule that can also cause the units to be tied up in both scheduling and notes which will also pull from the total authorized units.

Please review the Service Variance Report to see where the units are being calculated (Schedules, Notes, Time Records, Batch Billing, or Claims). Then you can decide what needs to be done so you can schedule as needed. To find the report, go to the Scheduling desktop and click on the Service Variance Report. The filters you will want to use for this report are:

Client Last Name:
Service Abbreviation:
Service End Date: Enter the date range for the  authorization period you are receiving the exceeding units warnings (daily, weekly, monthly, total, etc)

Q:  What are schedule statuses, and how do I use them? 

A:  Statuses are a means of color coding and filtering the scheduling calendar view.  Status types are created and maintained by going to Configure >List Configuration >Scheduling >Time Schedule Statuses.  Statuses can be used to differentiate different programs within an organization, or they can be used to filter based on service type.  Statuses can also be more client/service delivery specific by showing statuses such as "scheduled", "in waiting room", or "ready to be seen".  

Q: How do I add or remove a status on the scheduling tab?

A: You can manage scheduling statuses by going to Configure >List Configuration >Scheduling >Time Schedule Statuses. Click Add to create new statuses and after entering a description and clicking update, click on the color palette icon to choose the color.

You can delete statuses at this screen, but only statuses that have never been used at the scheduler. You will receive an error message when trying to delete informing you it can't be deleted if it has been used. In that case, often times customers will enter in a "z" prefix to the beginning of the description so that if falls last in the list of alphabetized statuses at the schedule. Customers also choose to make the "inactive" (descriptions with the "z" prefix) status the same color as a visual cue.

Q:  I am a scheduler/supervisor and I have scheduled multiple events on the Scheduling Desktop.  However, none of schedules are showing up on the calendar.  What do I need to do to see these scheduled events? 

A:  Schedule visibility is determined by role security configuration and cost center assignment. To see all schedules, click on the "Show All" checkbox from the calendar view.  To filter schedules based on specific parameters, enter the desired filters on the left of the calendar/grid views and click search to populate the calendar/grid. Both search results will depend on your assigned cost centers (you can verify by going to Options in the top right corner). You will only see schedules for the clients/employees linked to your assigned cost centers. 

Q:  I am a scheduler/supervisor and I need to change the existing scheduled events from one caregiver to another.  How do I easily do that?

A: This can be accomplished by using the Bulk Edit/Delete function.  Click on the Bulk Edit/Delete button at the bottom of the calendar view (or top of the grid view). Enter all required fields within the search dialog and click Search.  Select the checkboxes next to the entries to be edited and click ‘Edit Selected’.  From the Bulk Edit pop-up, enter the name of the new caregiver, check the associated checkbox, and click Save.

Q:  When I click on Scheduling > Add Schedule > Add Shift Schedule and select the Date/Site, I see all of my Shifts, Caregivers and Clients.  However, there are no default services displayed beside each client name per shift.  How do I ensure that the residential service auto-populates to the ‘Service’ field by default?

A:  The default shift service must be identified for each client at the Authorizations screen in order for the service to auto-populate.  From the Authorizations desktop, locate and open the residential service authorization(s) for the clients being shift scheduled.  Select the ‘Default Shift Service’ checkbox (bottom of the service authorization) and click Save.  Now, the default shift service identified will auto-populate to the ‘Service’ field within the shift scheduling grid.     

Q:  When I click on a date cell to add a scheduled event from Scheduling, the ‘Assigned Clients Only’ checkbox is selected by default.  We don’t use assigned client rules, so how to I schedule a Caregiver to work with a particular client?

A:  After clicking on the date cell from Scheduling, select the caregiver name from the ‘Caregiver’ drop-down.  Next, remove the ‘Assigned Clients Only’ checkbox and proceed with selecting the client name from the ‘Client’ drop-down and entering the date and times/duration for the scheduled event.

Q:  When I click on a date cell to add a scheduled event from Scheduling, I notice a checkbox labeled ‘Override RAP Service’.  What is this, and what does it do?

A:  The ‘RAP’ in this instance stands for ‘Relative as Provider’.  This is a function with the scheduling system that allows for filtering/un-filtering services that are identified as typically provided by a relative of a service recipient.  By checking the ‘Override RAP Service’ checkbox, the system will un-filter any services that have been identified as typically provided to show all service authorizations that have been entered for a selected client.  Note:  the identification of a service as a ‘RAP’ service is made by going to Configure > List Configuration > Employees > RAP Services > Add RAP Services.

Q:  How do I schedule a service by duration instead of using start and end times?

A:  Services must first be configured to allow for scheduling by duration.  From Billing > Services, filter/sort/search the service grid for the services in question.  Open the service(s) by double-clicking and ensure that the ‘Schedule Duration’ checkbox is selected.  If this is enabled, return to the Scheduling desktop and proceed with entering a scheduled event.  The ‘Duration’ field should now be available as an option for time entry.  For a duration of 3 hours, for instance, the entry should look like ’03:00’.  When the corresponding note is written, staff will be required to enter the start/end time, which allows for most accurate reporting of overtime (the service worked when going into overtime) and allows for validation of an overlapping time.

There is also an option at the service configuration to choose 'Duration Only'. This option will always record the time as duration and staff will never input start/end time. The considerations for this are the overtime and overlap scenarios as mentioned above and the importance of capturing those for the particular service. 

Q: What is the purpose of the ‘Create Time Records’ function from the Grid view at Scheduling?

A:  This function is not frequently used, as typically time records (and therefore billing) are created from approved notes. However, ‘Create Time Records’ from scheduling allows for the creation of time records directly from schedules; which can then be batched and invoiced for billing submission. For any service that is being documented on a note, it is 100% recommended to bill from the note vs. the schedule so limiting access to the Create Time Records button is critical to the success of billing/audits.

Q: Is there a way to export scheduling data from OnTarget?

A:  Yes, the export function is available from both the Calendar and Grid views of Scheduling.  Start by filtering either the calendar or grid view.  Once the desired schedule is in view, click the ‘Export’ button, enter a date range for the export, and click Export.  The resulting table-style calendar can then be exported to any of the available common file formats. 

Q:  When I attempt to delete schedules from Scheduling > Grid, the scheduled events persist and don’t appear to be deleting.  However, I’m not receiving an error message.  What should I do next, to get these scheduled events deleted?

A:  The inability to delete scheduled events is typically due to the schedules being linked to something else in the system.  For instance, a schedule may already be linked to a note, time record, or time clock record.  First, ensure that the scheduled events in question are not linked to notes, by selecting the ‘Linked To Note – No’ filter.  If the scheduled events are currently linked with notes, they cannot be deleted.  If they are not linked to notes, cross-check with time records using the ‘Imported – No’ filter.  If the scheduled events are currently linked with time records, they cannot be deleted.  If they are not linked with time records, cross-check with time clocks.  Ensure that there are not associated time clock records (EVV-specific services).  If it is found that there are associated records, the records would need to be deleted and/or voided/retracted in order to successfully delete the scheduled events.