CASE STUDY: Outreach

Highlights:

• Set up a query and review the answer.
• Save the query results to build a Contact/Events file for these providers.
• Export the answer to MS Excel for use as a data file in a MS Word Merge file to produce a cover letter and mailing labels.

The Case

Julie Somes is Director of the Mountain Ambulatory Surgery Center. Her facility has recently opened a Microsurgery Suite that will be staffed in a partnership with Peakview Hand Surgery Associates. She would like to send out an informational brochure and cover letter about the new Microsurgery suite to all Primary Care Providers, Orthopaedic Specialists, and Podiatrists in Eagle and Summit Counties.

Process

Julie will generate a data set that includes the providers that match the desired specialty and location.

Julie will keep a record of each mailing in the Contact/Events records so that she can track response, follow up, and measure how effective this portion of her outreach campaign is.

She will then export the data set to Microsoft EXCEL where she will review it, and make any adjustments that she needs. She will use the EXCEL spread sheet as a data source in the Microsoft Word mail merge feature to create her cover letter and mailing labels.

Step 1 Enter Selection Parameters:

Selection parameters indicate whether the result will deliver multiple incidences of a provider because they exist in the original Peregrine data base with multiple practice locations and multiple clinical specialties.

Julie decides that since she is sending a mail distribution, she would like to reach provider at one location rather than wasting postage on all of their locations. Using the Queries/Results tab she selects the “Primary Address Only” radio button. However, she also wants to include providers who practice her desired specialties as a secondary specialty, so she selects the “All Specialties” radio button.

Figure 1

Step 2 Enter Search Criteria:

Using the ‘Search By’ tools, Julie enters Family Practice, Internal Medicine, General Practice, Pediatrics, Surgery : Orthopedic, and Podiatry from the ‘Specialty’ drop down box.

She then enters Eagle and Summit Counties from the County selection drop down. Her selections appear in the ‘My Search’ area of the screen (Figure 1).

Julie inspects her search parameters and decides to sort the answer by Specialty, then Name from the “Sort Results” options. She is now ready to query for these providers.

Julie clicks on the ‘Search’ button to generate her answer.

Figure 2

Step 3 Review the Answer:

Julie scrolls through the answer display to see that all of her specialties were delivered to the answer (Figure 2). She observes the number of records delivered (77)..

Step 4 Select records to be stored as Contact Events:

Since all 77 providers in the answer set will receive a cover letter and brochure, Julie uses the ‘Select All’ button to place a check mark in each “Add to my list’ check box (Figure 3).

Figure 3

She can either Print the selected “Add to my list” subset of providers (which in this case is the same as the original answer), or she can create a list of contacts with them. She will create a list of contacts, so Julie clicks on the ‘Create Contacts’ button to view the ‘Create Contacts’ dialog box. This contact list is created because Julie is actually using the software to create a data base of providers that is independent of the Peregrine data base and is persistent regardless of Peregrine Updates.

A pop up screen appears that allows Julie to properly identify the ‘event’. Identification of the event should be unique to the event. There are three areas where Julie has an opportunity to describe the event.

When Contact/Events are created, they are added to an existing contact events data base along with any contacts created by Julie or anyone else using the Timberline-MPD software. Julie then opens the ‘Action/Event’ tab to see that this event has been stored.

Julie queries for the Contacts using her name as a search criteria to show all records have been stored as an event in her name (Figure 4).

Figure 5

From the search result, Julie can see that her selected providers have been permanently stored as contacts/events in the Contact/Events data base.

Julie uses the ‘Select All’ button to select all of the providers on the list and saves them with the ‘Save Selections’ button. This action will save only the selected providers in the in a temporary data base database for printing and exporting.

Step 5 Export the answer to an MS EXCEL file:

Julie opens the Timberline-MPR reporting program using the Report button on the upper right hand portion of the screen.

Figure 6

From here, she can select from a variety of reports to print or export to MS EXCEL.

Julie selects ‘Contacts’ from the drop down selections. The report of contacts will open for viewing. She then clicks on the ‘Export’ button to open the ‘Export Dialog Box’.

Figure 8

Step 6. Creating a merged document:

Julie opens Microsoft Word and creates the letter that she wants to send to the Providers.

1. On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Mail Merge Toolbar.

2. Under Select document type, click Letters. The active document becomes the main document.

3. Click Next: Starting document.

If you're familiar with the mail merge feature or prefer to work outside the wizard, you can use the ‘Mail Merge’ toolbar. The buttons are arranged in sequence from left to right.