Preparation Checklist for the Scheduled Offline Period:


  1. Please subscribe to SmartFlow's Status Page.  Instructions HERE

  2. A user with Manager/Level 6 privileges must modify a setting in SmartFlow to allow the direct creation of new patients within the system. It's imperative to complete this task prior to the start of the offline maintenance because once maintenance commences, the settings cannot be altered. Instructions HERE

    We also recommend making three new Whiteboards: "Pending Anesthesia Sheets," "Pending Forms," and "Pending Discharges." Only a Level 6 User can do this. These Whiteboards will help find patients who had anesthesia, need forms, or must be discharged after maintenance.

  3. Make certain that all iPads are signed into your account before the onset of Offline Maintenance. Any iPad not logged into the account prior to maintenance commencement will be unable to do so afterward.

    Important: If your practice uses the iPad Security feature - the iPads MUST be in Airplane mode.  Failure to do so will result in the iPad being unusable if a users session is ended and still connected to wifi.  Alternatively a Level 6 User can turn off iPad Security before maintenance begins (Guide). They must be logged in on a single user than before maintenance.  Either way iPads should be in AIRPLANE mode.
     
  4. As soon as offline maintenance period commences, enable Airplane mode on all iPads.  Make sure not to end your user session if using iPad security before you enable Airplane mode. If you are unsure how to do this, refer to Apple's FAQ for guidance found HERE

    Important: Failure to activate Airplane mode on iPads during the Offline Maintenance period may lead to irreversible data loss.

  5. While the iPads are in Airplane mode within the offline maintenance window, please refrain from discharging patients. Instead, transfer them to the "Pending Discharge" Whiteboard. Additionally, avoid finalizing any anesthesia sheets; rather, include those patients on the "Pending Anesthesia Sheet" Whiteboard. Lastly, do not complete any forms; add those patients to the "Pending Forms" Whiteboard.

    Important: Executing patient discharges, finalizing anesthesia sheets, or completing forms while iPads are in Airplane mode during the Offline Maintenance period may lead to irretrievable loss of the respective documents.
  6. Allocate iPads to specific patient groups. Bear in mind that during the offline period, all data will remain stored locally on the iPad where it was initially entered.  Please be aware that the whiteboards and treatment sheets will not receive updates since the iPads will not communicate with each other during the maintenance period.  

  7. We recommend using the "End of Shift Billing" feature in SmartFlow at the start and end of the maintenance window. This will facilitate the manual completion of bill capture, particularly on PIMS systems with billing integration, by referring to the Billing PDF.


    For ezyVet integrated systems, you can use the Billing PDF to review the invoice once the system has completed the sync process following the conclusion of the maintenance period.

    If you require guidance on using the "End of Shift Billing" feature, please consult this FAQ.

  8. For practices utilizing RxWorks or OpenVPMS, it may be necessary to temporarily disable the SmartFlow integration during the offline maintenance. This is required due to the nature of the integration and the potential impact it can have on the PIMS. 


Post Offline Maintenance Checklist:


  1.  When the scheduled maintenance period is set to conclude, visit https://www.smartflowsheet.com. If you can successfully access the site, it indicates that the maintenance offline session has ended. Additionally, those who are subscribed will receive an update from the Status Page.

  2. After maintenance is complete, re-establish internet connectivity on the iPads by deactivating Airplane mode. Ensure they have successfully synced with the server by clicking the sync button on the main whiteboard page, as shown in the image below.  


  3. At this point, conduct another end-of-shift billing to mark the conclusion of the offline maintenance session. Subsequently, any billable actions performed during this period will be prominently documented on the billing PDF, allowing for manual addition to the invoice for all billing-integrated PIMS, excluding ezyVet. In the case of ezyVet integrated systems, you can utilize the billing PDF to review the invoice after the synchronization process is finalized. Please be aware that due to increased traffic following the end of offline maintenance, a full synchronization may take up to 30 minutes to complete.

  4. Review the section below that matches your PMIS:

    • For practices integrated with Cornerstone billing, when checking in a NEW patient into SmartFlow during Offline mode, it's crucial to input the PATIENT'S ID into the Patient File Number (refer to the FAQ for guidance). After the patient is connected, any billing item marked off once the connection is restored will trigger the resumption of integrated billing once the sync button is clicked in the red banner.

    • For SmartFlow accounts integrated with Ezyvet, existing Ezyvet patients will have all billable items synchronized once the connection is reestablished, even if they were marked off during Offline mode. For any NEW patients added to SmartFlow during Offline mode, please refer to the unallocated patient process outlined in the FAQ found HERE

    • For practices that deactivated the integration during this period, reestablish the integration. For these practices and integrated PIMS practices that are not ezyVet or Cornerstone, please note that any patients created during the offline period will not be automatically linked to the PIMS. As a result, manual billing and document addition to the PIMS will be required upon patient discharge.

  5. At this time, Anesthesia sheets and Forms can be finalized. We recommend checking the patient's treatment sheet on the web to confirm the presence of PDFs for anesthesia or forms before proceeding. If these documents do not appear after you've finalized them online, please submit a support ticket to SmartFlow, specifying the patient's name, describing the issue, and indicating when you finalized the missing form or anesthesia sheet. Keep in mind that if these documents were finalized during the offline maintenance, they may be irretrievable.

     

  6. Once all forms and anesthesia sheets have been finalized and confirmed to be archived as PDF's any patients in the "Pending Discharge" Whiteboard can now be discharged. 
     

  7. The final step is to have a user with Level 6/Manager Access toggle the setting in SmartFlow to restrict patient creation to the PIMS (EMR) back to ON.  

    • If iPad Security was turned off - at this point it can be turned back on as well.





If you have any questions before or after any scheduled offline maintenance sessions, please don't hesitate to contact SmartFlow Support for further assistance. We appreciate your use of SmartFlow and thank you for your patience.