Cornerstone glossary

Estimated reading: 20 minutes

A guide to frequently used terms and phrases with examples and organized by category.

General

General terms

Term	Meaning	Example
Accounts receivable information (A/R Information)	Information about the manner in which a client is specified to pay for goods or services. This information includes finance charges, billing charges, discounts, and credit codes.
Alphanumeric sorting process	A text sorting process that treats numbers as letters when sorting a list. This creates a list which may not appear “numerical.”
Application	A computer program used for a particular kind of work, such as word processing or database management.
Billing charge	A flat charge, in addition to finance charges, added to a client’s account at the time statements are generated.
Billing charge threshold	The minimum balance on account a client must have at the time statements are generated for a billing charge to be added.
Billing message	Customizable messages that can be defaulted to print at the footer of invoices, statements and estimates.
Bookmark	Used when creating custom medical notes/correspondence documents to insert specific information on a case-by-case basis.
Cancel button	The Cancel button is used to clear information that has been entered or to exit the screen. Choosing Cancel means that any changes that have been made will not be saved.
Cash clients	Intended for walk in clients who make a purchase. Invoices and Payments cannot be voided for this type of client. Note: Use the Client ID of CASH when creating a cash client. This ID is coded in a way that requires payment is made in full.
Categories	The divisions of data on a graph. Snapshots use EOM closing dates and the current period as categories.
Census list	Use F3 to display the Census List. The census list details all of the patients currently checked into your practice or the boarding module if you use it. It also includes the staff they are checked in with, room they are located in, and the reason for their visit.
Check boxes	Boxes that appear next to a list of options and may or may not be selected. As few as zero or as many as all of the check boxes may be selected.
Classifications: Client, patient, staff	Used to categorize clients, patients, and/or staff. Client classifications can be set to determine which clients may receive reminders. All classes can be used to organize some reports. Alerts can be set for client and patient classifications to identify types of clients/patients that need special attention.
Classifications: Invoice items	Used to classify invoice items and can be divided into subclass. Used for filtering of reports and report data.
Client description	The description used for invoice items that will appear on the client’s invoice. This description is preferred when the hospital description might be confusing or upsetting to a client.
Client and patient report builder	Custom Report Tool built into CS for client/patient information. Most commonly used for Address Labels.
Close button	Button used to save and close a screen. Unlike Cancel, any changes that have been made will be saved.
Communication messages	Customizable messages that can be applied when sending an email to a customer. This feature is available beginning in Cornerstone version 9.5
Context sensitive help	Context sensitive help is accessed by pressing F1 or choosing a Help button. It is Help directly related to the window or dialog box it was called from.
Correspondence	Customer facing documents such as report cards or authorization forms. These are setup/customized using the Documents feature.
Credit codes	Used for grouping payment types and specifying which types of payment you accept from each client.	Cash only, All payment types
Cursor	The mark on the screen which indicates where data will be entered. In Cornerstone, it usually looks like a flashing vertical bar.
Daily Planner	A hub of information and activities that need attention, such as: appointments, check-ins, open invoices, Patient Visit Lists, tentative medical notes and correspondence documents, and Lab results. You have the ability to complete a variety of tasks from the daily planner, such as: schedule a call back for lab results, completing medical notes and transferring patient visit lists to invoices. You also have access to the Patient Clipboard.
Database	The collection of data organized in a specific way to facilitate searching and retrieving information. See SQL.
Defaults	Defaults are preset values and settings that save you time by eliminating repetitious keying. Defaults are available on the Controls menu.
Departing instructions	Information paragraphs that are linked to invoice items and automatically print on the invoice. These paragraphs explain the care and treatment of animals after surgery, treatments, vaccinations, medications, and recommend needed services or return visits. The Invoice Item Information screen is used to link Departing Instructions to Invoice Items. Departing Instructions are set up from the Lists menu. Departing instructions form the patient’s history can also be inserted into medical documents using the bookmark for departing instructions (File Description: Medical History).
Diagnostic codes	Codes entered into a patient’s medical history in order to target and track patients with particular disorders and characteristics, or for insurance billing. VPI (Veterinary Pet Insurance) Codes and AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association) Codes are types of diagnostic codes. Each diagnostic code has an ID, a VPI description, hospital description, default status (tentative, final or ruled out), and status (active or inactive).
Dispensing fee	Fee that can be added to inventory items that will automatically be included in the price when charged out at invoicing. Typically applied when item is given during office visit.
Dispensing item	An item that can be linked to an inventory item and used when dispensing fees vary based on dispensing method (prescribed vs. administered).
Directory	A unit of a file system structure. The Windows operating system organizes files in directories or folders.
End of Period (EOD, EOM, EOY)	End of Period (EOP) processing is an essential part of generating important financial and statistical reporting for the practice. Some reporting may not be available unless end of period is run consistently. Financial periods are process based and not automatic by calendar. For example: If you forget to run end of day on October 4th and you realize this at the end of day on October 5th, you cannot go back and process end of day for the 4th. Your end of day for 10/5 will include both days without a way to separate them. NOTE: EOD and EOM can be set to run automatically. EOY must be run manually.
Estimate message	Customizable messages that can be defaulted to print on estimates. Note: A billing message can be created to print at the bottom of the estimate. Estimate messages allow you to create multiple messages to either default or choose to print on an estimate. They allow for more verbiage, allowing for a longer message with more information and are printed right after the estimate on the page, instead of the footer.
Filters	Data ranges which narrow the focus of a report. The filters for a report appear in the Range field in a dialog box displayed when a report is selected.
Final	A completed document or diagnosis that has been determined or is obvious from the start, such as, broken leg or hit by a car.
Finance charge	A percentage amount added to a client’s account at the time of monthly closing. This applies to amounts due over 30 days if end of periods are correctly processed.
Flagged owners	Clients who have been set up in the Cornerstone system with a classification that has the Send Reminders check box selected (or have no classification) and have also been set up as an Owner with the Send Reminders check box selected.
Folder	A storage unit in the Windows operating system. Folders (or directories) may contain files, programs, or other system information.
Foundation	A term referring to the basic Cornerstone module. The Foundation module includes scheduling, invoicing, prescription labels, inventory, client accounts, client and patient information.
Gross sales	The total sales from invoices. Does not deduct discounts or add taxes.
Group items/Smart Codes	One Invoice Item ID that invoices out several related items at one time. The invoice items are grouped in the Invoice Item Information dialog box.	All spay items can be put in one group and will be invoiced for the correct patient based on species, sex and weight. Additional options include asking before adding the item to the invoice, ask for quantity and the ability to customize pricing within the group.
Help button	The Help button opens help directly related to the specific dialog box in which you are working (Context Sensitive Help). This online feature in Windows applications allows you to access information and answer questions about the program. Pressing F1 also accesses Context Sensitive Help
Hospital description	The description the practice uses for invoice items.
Icon	A graphic symbol used to represent different elements of the operating system or software package.
ID	Used for searching for and uniquely identifying clients, staff, patients, invoice items, etc. within Cornerstone
Inventory Item	Physical items that can be set up to track quantity depletion of inventory stock. Can also track lot numbers and expiration dates. Can be sold to clients or depleted internally.
Invoice message	A message that appears on the bottom of printed invoices, usually a general reminder or a note of appreciation. Invoice Messages are set up through Billing Messages on the Controls menu.
Invoice types	Invoice Types can be set up and assigned to invoices. Types allow some invoices to remain open at the end of the month closing.
Item Status	As invoice items are included on the Patient Visit List, they can be given a status to appear in the medical history.
Item Status, Accepted	An item marked as accepted on the Patient Visit List will display in the patient’s medical history, showing that the recommendation was accepted.
Item Status, Declined	A declined item is recorded in the Patient Visit List as being declined by the client.
Item Status, Declined to history	An item marked as declined to history on the Patient Visit List will display in the patient’s medical history, showing that the recommendation was declined.
Item Status, Performed	An item marked as performed on the Patient Visit List will display in the patient’s medical history, showing that the recommendation was performed. This status also removes the quantity from Cornerstone inventory.
Item Status, Recommended	An item marked as recommended on the Patient Visit List will display in the patient’s medical history, showing the recommended item.
Mass markup	Increasing or decreasing prices on large quantities of service or inventory items.
Medical notes	Medically relevant records (paperless) such as SOAPs or technician notes. These are setup/customized using the Documents feature.
Megabytes (MB)	A term used to measure computer memory. A megabyte equals 1,048,576 bytes (or 1,024 kilobytes). The higher the megabytes, the more memory the computer has for processing. Cornerstone runs most efficiently on computers with at least 64 MB of random access memory (RAM).
Menu bar	The horizontal bar containing the names of the application’s menus. It appears below the title bar.
Minimum price	Price which appears on the invoice until an invoice item’s quantity times price plus dispensing fee equals the base price. Set up in Invoice Item Information.
Mobile computing	Separate module that allows a copy of your current database to be made and used outside of the practice. Must be synced up with current database often.
Net income	In Snapshots, the practice’s net income = gross sales + tax – all discounts + finance charges + billing charges + adjustments + service charges.
Net sales	gross sales less preset and manual discounts.
Ok button	Button used to confirm data has been entered or actions have been performed.
Patient Clipboard	Displays all aspects of a patient’s record including owner information.
Payment types	The different types of currency accepted by the practice. For example, for the Credit Code Cash or Credit: Payment Types may be Cash, Checks, Integrated Card Payment, Visa, and MasterCard. Payment Types are set up on the Controls menu.
Pet health report card	The pet health report card provides details of the physical exam. By following a template, the provider can systematically examine the patient. Each body system can be marked as normal, abnormal, or not examined and contains observation text.
Physical Exam	The dialog box used to determine the diagnosis. The physical exam is a step-by-step tool to help you through a diagnosis. The pet health report card prints with all the system observation information.
Pick items	Pick lists allow you to quickly choose one or more items from a list of related invoice items.
Prescription instructions	Customizable instructions that can be defaulted on invoice items to print out when creating prescription labels.
Primary vendor	The vendor set up in the Data Defaults that appears automatically as a vendor when setting up new inventory items Can also be set per item under the Inventory tab of the item information window.
Printer assignments	Overrides windows default printer and is set for each individual workstation.
Problems	These are the symptoms the pet has presented with. Example: lethargy, vomiting.
Prompts	A customized field used to gather more specific information about the client, patient, species or staff member. Prompts are set up in the controls menu.
Reason for visit	Entered into appointments to let doctors know why patient is coming in. They can be customized to print out documents and/or set pop up alerts to remind staff of instructions to share with the client (example: bring stool sample to your appointment). They can also be color coded, so the visits are easily recognizable when on the appointment scheduler (Example: Blue appointments equal exams)
Receipt number	A term used to measure computer memory. A megabyte equals 1,048,576 bytes (or 1,024 kilobytes). The higher the megabytes, the more memory the computer has for processing. Cornerstone runs most efficiently on computers with at least 64 MB of random access memory (RAM).
Referrals	This Cornerstone feature enables you to record who a particular client has referred or who referred this client so you can track your business sources.
Reminders: Call backs	A type of reminder generated for the practice to call the client. Can be created manually or automatically based on invoiced items. Completed manually.
Reminders: Letter reminders	In Cornerstone, Invoice items are used as reminders and are linked to the other invoice items they need to remind for. They can be set to the number of days for when the reminder is due, and it will display in the patient’s file.
Revenue Center	Used for sales reporting/tracking production, if you have multiple areas in practice or multiple practices that you want to track separately.
Ruled out	A diagnosis that was suspected, but then ruled out as valid.
Security settings	Staff Permissions to allow/remove staff logins from doing a variety of actions in CS.
Service item	Service items are the items used for professional services. Inventory items can be linked to them for tracking items used during professional services, such as a rabies vaccine.
Special actions	The action triggered by a certain invoice item.	An ovariohysterectomy is performed on a patient. The special action would change the patient’s sex from female to spayed female.
Suite	Used to organize rooms on the Appointment scheduler	A suite is created for the groomer rooms and a suite is created for the surgeries and drop offs.
Status bar	The bar located at the bottom of the screen which displays prompts (based on the location of the cursor or the focus) for the type of information to be entered in a box.
Systems	Systems are the highest (or most general) level of diagnoses. Patient Advisor comes preprogrammed with the major body systems examined during a patient exam. These systems are not species specific.
System templates	Used to set up your choices of systems and subsystems to display on the physical exam document. If a particular species needs specific systems listed, you would define them here.
Tab key	The Tab key moves the cursor forward from one field to another and is often required to accept a newly entered ID or number in windows. To move backward, hold down the Shift key and press Tab.
Template	Document templates (for medical notes and correspondence) are created in the Cornerstone Editor. Once created, you can then select a document template at the time of use, when adding a medical note or correspondence document to a patient’s record. Classic medical note templates are created in the Classic Template Setup dialog box. Once created, you can then select a Classic medical note template at the time of use, when adding a Classic medical note to a patient’s record. Microsoft Word documents are based upon Word templates (or .dot files). A template stores specific information, such as formatting, styles, macros, and customized settings. The default template is Normal.
Tentative	A document or diagnosis that is subject to change when more information is gathered.
Time units	A time unit is the smallest unit of time for which an appointment can be scheduled. A time unit may be 10 or 15 minutes.
Toolbar	The icon across the top of the Cornerstone window, which, when clicked with the mouse, open a specific dialog box or perform an action in Cornerstone
Travel sheets	Travel sheets, also known as fee sheets or circle sheets, are a way of grouping frequently used together products that you can choose from electronically or print a copy of the sheet.
Treatment instructions	An instruction associated with an individual diagnosis. Each instruction can have a unique body of text providing information about ongoing care, plans, or Patient Advisor Instructions.
Treatment plan	The Treatment Plan document includes the diagnostic information and the treatment and instruction information the owner needs to care for his or her pet. The Treatment Plan was called Patient Advisor Instructions in earlier versions of Cornerstone.
Usage Taxes	Taxes specifically on items used within the practice. Inventory Usage Taxes are used with Internal Usage.
Values	The numerical values of the data are displayed in a graph. Snapshot graphs most often use a dollar amount or a number amount.
Whiteboard	Allows for tracking of all treatments and charges through a patient’s stay.

Inventory

Term	Meaning	Example
Auto-calculate price	Inventory feature that calculates a new price of an item when it is received on an order at a higher cost.	Item cost is $5.00 with a markup of 100% (sold for $10.). Received at a new cost of $6.00. New price will update to $12.00.
Average cost	Cost calculation based on existing and new inventory	12 cans on hand at a cost of $12.00. 12 cans received for a cost of $15.00. 24 cans are on hand with an average cost of $1.13 per can (total cost on hand / total QOH).
Buy/sell ratio	Buy/sell ratio of the buying unit of measure, to the sell unit of measure	1 bottle = 100 tablets
BUOM	Buy unit of measure	Used as default unit of measure when placing and receiving orders. You purchase vials of rabies vaccines by the tray.
COGS	Cost of Goods Sold	Reporting of QOH items sold and their associated cost
COH	Cost on hand	QOH times average cost
Cost	General term for amount paid for inventory
Cost center	Used with Internal Usage. A specific area of the business where items are used for internal purposes.	Opening a bag of food to feed hospitalized patients would be used internally for a cost center of Hospital.
IDEXX: Smart Ordering	MWI/IDEXX/Patterson only. Allows CS to send orders directly to vendor. Recommend not using this as special deals and online promotions will not get applied when ordering from CS.
Lead time	The number of days it normally takes to receive the item from the vendor after the order is placed.
Location	Place where inventory is stored or categorized	Required to receive inventory, transfer stock, set reorder information.
Location group	MLI only: a group of inventory location(s) for which orders are placed.
Location types	MLI only: Option to further define inventory locations	Location of Pharmacy A and Pharmacy B, at Practice A and Practice B, are types of Pharmacies.
MLI	Multi-location inventory. An item’s QOH can be maintained in more than one location with reorder information set per location	A brand of food is sold at both Practice A and Practice B. There are 48 cans on hand at practice A and 24 at Practice B.
MLSD	Multi-location single database	Configuration available for practices with separate physical locations or businesses sharing the same database.
Non-tracking	Inventory items not maintaining quantity on hand	The item does not have the “Maintain QOH” box selected under the Inventory tab, but can still be ordered and received.
Overstock	QOH exceeding maximum on hand reorder details	If the max you want on hand at all times is 60 cans, the overstock would be at least 61. Items appear in red if placed on an order at a quantity that that will exceed the item’s overstock point.
PO	Purchase order	Vendor orders placed in Cornerstone
Price	Selling amount of an item (client price)
PWL	Purchasing Worklist	Window used to view and order Suggested and Want List items
QOH	Quantity on Hand	Number of selling units in stock
Receipt	Invoices or receipts from inventory vendors/supplies used to receive inventory into Cornerstone (and update the quantity) after you have received it physically into the practice.
Reorder points	Reorder details for tracking items (reorder point, reorder quantity and overstock)	When 12 cans are left, order 2 cases, but do not exceed 48 cans on hand.
SLI	Single location inventory: An item’s quantity on hand can only be maintained in one location	A brand of food is sold at Practice A and there are 48 cans on hand in the food location. 8 tubes of eye ointment are on hand in the pharmacy location.
SP	Special Price: Indication on purchase order or receipt that an item cost is less than the vendor normally charges.	Five cases of food were purchased from the vendor, and a sixth was received free, as a promo. The sixth case would be received on a separate line with the SP icon selected.
Suggested	Prompted ordering information based on current QOH and reorder information	Buy/Sell ratio is set up to order 1 case (12) when 12 cans are left. The remaining quantity in stock is 0. The Purchasing Work List will automatically add this item as suggested to order a quantity of 2 cases
SUOM	Sell unit of measure	Used for invoicing and inventory consumption. You sell the item by the can, but purchase it from the vendor by the case.
Tracking (MQOH)	Inventory items set to maintain quantity on hand (MQOH) with or without lot/exp date details.
UOM	Unit of measure used on inventory items for both SUOM and BUOM	can, tablet, bottle, package, sleeve, etc.
Vendor cost	Purchase amount paid for an item. Can be tracked per vendor and item.	A bottle of pills cost $100.00 when purchased from the vendor.
Vendor list	List of suppliers that a practice would purchase inventory from
Want List	Manually requested ordering information	A customer wants to special order a certain brand of food. Medical supplies are not tracked, but the practice needs more gauze, so it is added to the Want List.

Reporting

Reporting Terms

Term	Meaning	Example
And/Or	Added when using multiple ranges for a report	AND = information meets both criteria (Item A and Item B) OR = information meets either criterion (Item A or Item B)
Closed periods	Processed daily, monthly and yearly periods used to create EOP-based reports labeled by date and time.
Current periods	Open daily, monthly, yearly period that includes data from the close of the last processed period to the present.
EOD	End of Day
EOM	End of Month
EOY	End of Year
EOP	End of Period	General acronym referring to all or any end of day, month and year reports and processing
Favorite	Report starred as a favorite in the Report Search window
Filter	Refines report information	Filter all sales to a specific class
Locked	Report unavailable to logged in user. Security access not given to a particular report
Range	Reporting filter	Date, staff, class, item ID, description, type or status
Save/Save As	Export to a file type	Save report data to xls, csv, txt or other available format
Snapshot	Productivity tool/reports in the form of graphs that provide insight into productivity and number of active clients/patients.
Sort	Defines the order of report information	Sort by ID or name

Cornerstone glossary

General

Inventory

Reporting

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Reporting

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