WINTER NEWSLETTER 2006
It's been awhile since we had a newsletter for Ormed users, and this one is a biggie because of the upcoming release of ORMED MIS 2007. Read on. There's lots going on of interest...
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ORMED MIS 2007 is coming!
Our new release has completed internal testing and external (live) testing of the software is underway. With final release scheduled for December 2006 (assuming no needed changes are identified during testing), that means you should start planning your upgrade for early 2007.
A great number of the enhancements in this release are the direct result of input from end-users like you. We gather this input at the annual user group meetings, when you complete a Future Enhancements survey online, and whenever you wish to let us know what you need to become more efficient.
Of course, full information about the enhancements and changes in ORMED MIS 2007 will accompany the release. But to whet your appetite for what’s in-store, here’s a sneak peak at the highlights:
What’s new in Supply Chain Management and E-Commerce 
- New ability to drill into the contract information from the purchase order and from invoice reconciliation
- New ability for MM and AP users to view Purchase Order notes from invoice reconciliation
- New ability to leave the buyer’s name unchanged when another buyer edits a Purchase Order
- New ability to reprint a Purchase Order by site
- New “add by department” sort order criteria for the Vendor Receipts Report
- New ability to move the Quantity Ordered field after the Item Number when printing the SAP Template, and to use larger fonts
- New size (larger) fonts and double spacing when printing the SAP worksheet
- New field in the Item Master File to record the Medical Devices License Number and allow search and print on all reports
- New security settings (business process rules)
- New e-commerce connectivity (e-mail, CareNet, GHX, Neoforma)
- New e-commerce functionality (Purchasing, Receiving)
- New ORMED X Easy Pay functionality (Purchasing, Receiving, and Invoice Reconciliation)
- New ability to transact business using foreign currency (Purchasing)
- New Purchase Order types
- New SAP quota adjustments
- New Requisitioning Line priorities
- New Ormed Alerts
- New Performance Indicator Reports
What’s new in Finance Management and Business Intelligence
Accounts Payable
- New option in Bank Setup allows payment in foreign funds
- New option in Invoice Entry allows allocation of invoice amount by percentage
- New option in Invoice Entry allows recurring invoices (create a template for invoices that occur on a monthly basis, and re-use it!)
- New feature allows you to show the number of cheques printed after cheque run
- New feature allows commit of cheque numbers after a cheque run has been successfully completed
- New functionality allows deactivation of a vendor based on the last date financial transactions were processed for the vendor
- New option in Create Payments allows you to set threshold to not select invoices less than x.xx amount when using auto tag functions
- New Manage option in AP/GL Reconciliation Report allows you to select offsetting entries (such as -100 and 100) and clear them off the report
- New report in Invoice Reconciliation shows freight amounts by vendor, invoice, and date
- New Audit Trail for vendor changes and additions
- New ability to Hold Individual Invoices from payment
- New option in Global Setup allows you to have the system automatically create a new invoice after saving a previous invoice
- New feature in Print Cheques allows you to cancel printing of cheques during long cheque runs
- New feature in Invoice Entry, Invoice, Add Detail allows automatic subtotal of non-GST or non-PST items on an invoice going to the same account number
- New feature allows import of Non-Receiving Purchase Orders from Materials Management
- New warning in Invoice Reconciliation and Invoice Entry notifies you if Invoice Date is outside the current period
- New warning in Invoice Reconciliation notifies you if the invoice number has been used before (either posted in Invoice Entry or in an open invoice batch)
- New ORMED X Easy Pay option for vendors allows for electronic payment when the receiving report is completed and reconciled in Materials Management
- New Global Setup option allows default of Facility Code and Primary Code in Invoice Entry when adding new detail based on previous detail entry
General Ledger
- New option to print journal voucher posting, EOY Journal Voucher for financial or statistics
- New ability to change the effective date to any period in the previous year
- New ability in Reprint Journal Voucher to search by fiscal period and year
- New ability in Regular Journal Vouchers, Subsystem Imports, and Recurring Journal Vouchers to allow posting to future journal voucher period
- New Multiple Years option in the Funding Agency report allows you to retain mapping of previous fiscal year(s)
- New budget audit report tracks changes or additions to budget amounts
- New Unused Journal Voucher report tracks journal voucher cancellations and deletions
- New feature allows you to cancel and reverse existing journal vouchers
- New report shows inactivated accounts in G/L which have either budget or activity amounts associated with the account
- Subsystem Controller’s Close Period option now clears the check box after successful advance
Discovery EIS
There are no functionality/feature changes to Discovery in MIS 2007. However:
- Goal is to integrate Discovery as an add-in to Microsoft Excel
- For online deployment of Discovery reports, the goal is to provide an internet browser format
Asset Management
- New functionality allows mass transfer or disposal of assets by department and other parameters
- New ability at the Asset Entry screen to drill-down to the Purchase Order
- Ten (10) new Custom Fields at the Asset Entry screen now available for recording lease dates, insurance, warranty information, etc.
- New ability to track amortization of revenue by actual department
- New report allows you to forecast depreciation expense in future years
- New feature allows you to view receiving report detail for an asset created from a purchase order in systems integrated to Ormed Materials Management
Accounts Receivable
All changes to Accounts Receivable for the general release build were made available as a pre-release (in Build 5910 Patch 14) due to MSP and OHIP requirements as of October 1, 2006.
- The majority of PRESTO DOS Accounts Receivable systems have been upgraded to Windows Accounts Receivable
- New Ontario WSIB Billing functionality has been added to the Client Invoicing application under Electronic Billing to produce an electronic submission as per the Emergis specifications for WSIB submissions
- New Electronic Billing option for Ontario Out-of-Province submissions
- New “Log” tab in the Clients area allows you to add entries to the client record for such items as account follow up, collections, dunning letter notice, etc.
- New EFT support in Cash Receipts for Royal Bank
- New option to make Location a mandatory field in Receipts and Trust Accounting area
- New “Print Activity” checkbox in the batch posting allows you to print the activity report when posting a batch
- New “Sub Facility Code and Service Location Indicator” field in Foreign Activity Import satisfies MSP and OHIP requirements
- New “Delete batches on validation errors” option removes the AR batch in case of import file failure due to error or validation errors
Cash Management
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New option for mandatory location to ensure receipts are coded to a location, providing better view options in the Cash Count area
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New “Hide Withdrawals” checkbox at the Cash Counts screen allows you to hide all trust withdrawals from appearing on screen and prevent selection of trust withdrawals for deposit
Cash Receipts
Client Invoicing
- “From and To date” in the Tax Letter is now a required field
- New option to select “Un-batched” invoices when posting an invoice batch under General, Post
- New copy/paste functionality in the tax letter grid- New “Log” tab in the Clients area allows you to add entries to the client record for such items as account follow up, collections, dunning letter notice, etc.
Trust Accounting
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New receipt registers in Reports for trust-only transactions
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New ability to inactivate a trust account (History remains only for audit purposes)
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New ability to reprint receipts
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New Withdrawal and Deposit summary reports
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New ability to filter trust reports by facility and location
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New functionality at the Interest screen allows scoping by facility
MSP Billing
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New Added Adjustments screen
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New Service Clarification and Sub Facility code fields at the Activity Entry screen
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New View Rejections screen
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New View Rejections icon that allows you to see only the rejected transactions from a particular remittance
OHIP Billing
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New Added Adjustments screen
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Referring physician added to the OHIP submission
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New Service Clarification and Sub Facility code fields at the Activity Entry screen
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New View Rejections screen
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New View Rejections icon that allows you to see only the rejected transactions from a particular remittance
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Group number is now a required field for OHIP claim submission
What's new in Human Resources Management
There are a few enhancements to Ormed Payroll and Ormed Staff Scheduling, but the majority of effort has gone into developing several new human resources modules, most particularly Labor Relations, Applicant Tracking, and Recruitment. Ormed Staff Budgeting will be released later in 2007, and is not included in the ORMED MIS 2007 release.
NEW! Recruitment
Here are some of the highlights of this new Human Resources module from Ormed:
- Position-driven recruitment process
- No need to “re-invent the wheel” each time
- Total control of the recruitment process
- A full set of tools that allow you to respond quickly to recruitment needs
- Create, circulate, and use position-driven custom forms with weighted, user-specified interview questions (also useful for annual performance reviews, exit interviews, and discipline interviews)
- Create a posting or recruitment ad in seconds by populating user-defined, pre-set default fields
- Job description, skills and education requirements, location, and other information is easily stored and updated in the Position Manager
- Track all recruitment costs
- Advertising, applicant expenses, etc.
- Determine the most efficient and cost-effective recruitment methods
NEW! Applicant Tracking
Here are some of the highlights of this new Human Resources module from Ormed:
- Streamline the selection process
- Attach resumes (.doc or .rtf) to applicant records
- Create queries to quickly search attached resumes for key words that identify applicants who closely match your requirements
- Facilitate consistent interviewing and post-interview analysis of candidates
- Reduce costs by keeping the process in-house
- Reduce reliance on – and eliminate the costs of – external consultants and agencies
- Upon hiring, information in the applicant record easily ports to the employee record
NEW! Labor Relations
Here are some of the highlights of this new Human Resources module from Ormed:
- User-defined, step-driven management of the grievance process
- Ensures responsiveness and completeness
- Aids in meeting legal requirements
- Encourages positive relations with union representatives and members
- Link a single grievance file to a group grievance
- Professionally manage disciplinary issues
- Safely store communication logs
- Provide an accurate audit trail of actions, correspondence, and communication
Payroll
- New Payscale Mass Update functionality
- Additional validation at the Timesheets Pre-Processing screen to prevent entries from being saved without either an Hours or Amount value
- Additional validation at the Timesheet Detail screen for begin and end times
- New ability in the Import Timesheet utility to import from the KRONOS timekeeping system
- New Multi-Facility Balance Sheet accounting functionality
- New Accrual Payroll functionality
Payroll -- Statutory Reporting
- New functionality to accommodate the new Service Canada (formerly HRDC) benefit program based on Best 14 Weeks of earnings and choose Web as your default ROE reporting method
- New radio buttons at the T4 and T4A Media Download screens – “Contains Amended Data” – to have the output file report an ‘A’ for <rpt_tcd> as per the specifications provided by the Canada Revenue Agency
Staff Scheduling
- New Delete Tab allows you to delete an employee’s schedule for a specified timeframe (from/to) or all scheduled entries after a specified effective date
What's new in Systems Management
- New flexibility to update target SQL objects in the Ormer Server Updater
- New ability to automate deployment of new alterations to installed Ormed software
- New secure, sensitive Upload Wizard for easy uploading of client data to Ormed
- New ORMED X Download Facility alerts appropriate staff of new software updates for Ormed software products
- New ability to change build numbers on the flyer
- New Server Updater and Data Manager/Table Analyzer options
Healthcare e-commerce jumps 50 per cent in six months
We are very excited to see that ORMED X transaction volumes increased overall by 50 per cent over the last six months, topping $75 million the first week of November. But this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what you could be doing, for free, to reduce your supply chain costs, inefficiencies, and errors with ORMED X and the ORMED X Easy Pay program. more...
Successful ORMED X Easy Pay pilot means new technology now available for everyone
Last summer Ormed brought a successful pilot project to conclusion and launched for open access by healthcare providers and merchants new technology that streamlines the supply chain to reduce costs even further. By completely automating the invoice reconciliation and payment functions, the ORMED X Easy Pay program fully automates invoice reconciliation and payment for healthcare providers and speeds payment for merchants without impacting the buyer’s cash flow.
The pilot took place at Grey Bruce Health Services, St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital, Medical Mart, and Stevens.
It’s hard to understand why any hospital, regarding whether they’re using ORMED MIS, wouldn’t register for ORMED X Easy Pay and start saving time and money right away.
“People just don’t realize how expensive manual, paper-based purchasing and accounts payable can be… what a drain on a hospital’s limited revenues it is,” Ormed president and CEO Sherback says. “Some of the inefficiencies we’re addressing with ORMED X and ORMED X Easy Pay are so ensconced in business practice that most hospitals and merchants aren’t aware of how much it’s costing them to print and fax thousands of purchase orders every year… go back and forth by phone, fax, and e-mail... re-enter the same basic data multiple times as each transaction evolves from requisition to tender document to purchase to acknowledgement to shipping notice to invoice to payment. And then there’s all that reconciliation work to do.
“The old way is just too labor-intensive to be efficient,” he concludes. “E-commerce is absolutely the best way to streamline the source to settlement cycle and reduce costs and financial stress on our healthcare system.”
For more information about ORMED X Easy Pay for hospitals, long-term care facilities, regions, and other healthcare providers, click here . If you’d like a copy of our new ORMED X Easy Pay brochures for buyers and merchants, please click here to send us an email.
Ormed signs e-commerce agreement with Emergis
Last spring, we signed an agreement with IT leader Emergis Inc. to open a network interface between our ORMED X and B2B Internet portal and CareNET Services Inc., an association that currently supports the use of e-commerce among 392 Canadian healthcare providers and 95 suppliers. The new interface enables you to send e-commerce transactions directly to CareNET’s supplier community through Emergis, a CareNET technology partner. more...
Welcome to the Ormed community!
In the past few months, we have been pleased to welcome several new clients, including:
- The Health Resource Centre (Calgary, AB) – A fully accredited, privately owned and operated surgical facility with three operating rooms and 37 beds, the Centre offers day surgery, extended-stay surgical procedures, and diagnostic, assessment, and rehabilitation services. Unique in Canada, it offers five different categories of extended-stay orthopaedic procedures.
- Campbellford Memorial Hospital (Trent Hills, ON) – The only hospital between Belleville and Peterborough, Campbellford is a 44-bed facility with a serving area of approximately 30,000 permanent residents and a large seasonal population.
- Cornwall Community Hospital (Cornwall, ON) – With two acute care hospitals and responsibility for a wide range of healthcare services dispersed throughout the city, Cornwall Community Hospital manages approximately 180 acute care beds. It treats around 65,000 clients per year as well as seasonal tourists, and is a regional service delivery site for the Ottawa Children’s Treatment Centre.
- The Good Samaritan Society (AB and BC) -- Among the largest not-for-profit, voluntary care providers in Alberta and British Columbia, The Good Samaritan Society provides complex/continuing care, assisted living, and other specialized health and community care services to more than 4,400 individuals, most of whom are elderly and/or physically and mentally challenged.
Ormed honored to participate in 2006 Innovator Contest
We were thrilled to win a spot in the top 10 in NCI’s Healthcare Innovators contest, and senior vice president of product development Dale Gregg hit the podium with Ormed’s e-commerce innovation: ORMED X Easy Pay. (NCI provides education and industry intelligence to healthcare supply chain stakeholders through a variety of training programs, conferences and professional services.)
“We received many great entries and the selection process was arduous,” said NCI CEO Greg Firestone. Dale presented ORMED X Easy Pay to delegates at the 12th Annual IDN Summit & Expo in Orlando, FL, on September 8. The presentations were judged by NCI’s Board of Advisors, and prizes were awarded to the top three, all US hospitals, as it turned out.
Ormed placed fifth, and (almost) couldn’t have been happier.
“We were the only contestant to address the entire supply chain from source to settlement,” Dale said after the presentation. “Everyone else was automating some small area of the supply chain that we already address.”
The contest gained Ormed some great exposure and launched some good discussions with US vendors and local group purchasing organizations. (And Florida wasn’t too, too hard to take, the rest of us thought!)
Dale’s been out talking up ORMED X Easy Pay quite a bit of late.
“This is an important advancement for our clients and is useful for other hospitals and vendors who don’t use ORMED MIS software,” he says. “We want to get the ORMED X Easy Pay message out far, fast, and furious.”
Websites renovated
Been to Ormed’s websites lately? Renos and refurbishments to www.ormed.com have been completed, and there’s a lot of easy-to-navigate information available up there now. Work is well-underway to enhance your experience at ormedx.com, as well.
Check in once in a while for product information, news, case studies, and white papers.
ORMED X registration easy
It’s super-easy to register for ORMED X (as a buyer, merchant, or both) at www.ormedx.com . Just follow the links and you’ll be registered in a just a few minutes.
Help us keep in touch with you
We are trying valiantly to keep our confidential contact information for all Ormed users up-to-date. Please click here to send an e-mail to info@ormed.com to let us know about changes in your name, title, department, e-mail address, mailing address, phone, and fax, etc. (We never give away or sell your contact information… we just use it to keep in touch with you.)
Get more from the Message Board
We sometimes hear, “Hey, how come I didn’t know about that?” and “How come nobody asked my opinion on future enhancements?”
Take a couple of minutes and poke around the Message Board at www.ormedx.com . That’s where you’ll find information of interest, surveys, and Ormed news that might affect you and your organization. (We promise not to bombard you with a lot of marketing spin or corporate items.)
WANTED: YOUR NAME HERE
Do you have a success story that should be shared? We are actively seeking hospital partners to work with us on case studies that demonstrate efficiency gains to which Ormed solutions have contributed in a small or big way. Little steps forward… huge leaps ahead. Problems found and resolved… successes planned and accomplished.
This doesn’t have to mean a ton of work for you. We are very interested in writing articles and case studies on a variety of experiences you’ve had using Ormed software and at least partly because of Ormed software. It helps us spread the word that our software does what we say it does, and it’s a great way for you and your organization to be seen as an industry leader and a good steward of limited resources. Please get in touch with an Ormed product specialist or the communications department to indicate your interest.
| ORMED MIS Suites |
| Supply Chain Management |
| E-commerce Management |
| Business Intelligence Management |
| Finance Management |
| Human Resources Management |
| Systems Management |
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