Looking at the list of users, and their various roles in the clinic, How do I determine which users are the “provider”? I just talked to Tony for a bit about this. He explained that there are 3-4 things that indicate provider status, but that there is some overlap with each one.
Can anyone tell me if there is a concrete method?
Here is what Tony and I talked about:
1) authorized flag in users
The trouble with this is that the admin user is authorized upon installation.
2) Is there a calendar for this user?
I don’t think this will work for versions < 3.1
3) GACL Physician role
Apparently some personnel in billing needs (or has) this access to work with the coding
4) presence of information in the federal drug id field, et al?
Since the users table is also used as an address book, such as for referrals, these fields may be filled out for providers not working at the clinic. I know about how only a user at a facility has a userid, but is this a good way?
There is some overlap, especially if you have clinicians leaving Fee Sheet prep to clerical staff. A coder or biller likely needs to see the encounter to properly fill it out, but perhaps ought not to be able to change it. And I am unsure how to make that exclusion, which might be no more than my ignorance. Please note my terminology, as there are a LOT of non-physician providers who are best served nonetheless with the “Physician” ACL designator, and a few actually resent its inclusion. My wife demanded I create her a “Super NP” class with all the authorities except ACL and database manipulation (to protect her from herself in both cases) for her private practice. So creating such new classes is a definite possibility for real authorities.
But if your issue is to prevent listing as providers anyone not actually providing clinical services, as for example ME, who does IT and security and admin to protect my wife from herself, I am not certain how I could exclude myself from being in that list by the nature of the expectations in the design of OpenEMR and the gacl. And her biller definitely has been given clinician permissions, which are required to see the encounters. Not sure that can be overcome. (Any ACL experts out there know better?)
As to the specifics of your address book, obviously those without a UserID will never be in the possible listing of “providers” for actual clinical inputs nor billing nor other “direct access” activities in OpenEMR. I, for example, scan lab reports along with EOBs, checks, etc,. The latter two I send copies to the biller, who lives remotely - we have a unique setup because my wife has her “master” of OpenEMR on her notebook computer to allow her to do house calls, which backs up to the “server” each night so the biller can answer questions because it is accessible 24/7, and connects to “The Master” only as needed and it is connected to the internet via our VPN. The former I upload to “The Master” when I can link to it, specifically for each patient. My wife can then view the labs directly on her notebook.
I am not sure any of that has addressed your questions as such, but I hope so. If not, please be more specific and I’ll try to help.