Release Notes: Cornerstone Software 9.6

Learn about the latest updates in Cornerstone version 9.6.

Cornerstone hardware and software requirements

For hardware and system requirements, see the Hardware and Operating System Guidelines.
See recommended settings for Windows* 10 or Windows* 11.

Security and default settings

Review the two new security settings and ensure staff is set with the correct security for their roles and responsibilities.

Review the six new default settings and verify they are set for your practice, as appropriate.

Featured updates

Click on the links to learn all the details about the newest reports, documents, and integration features. You can also use the table of contents on the right to navigate to all other features you want to review.

• Reporting functionality updates that get you to your data faster!
• Client only documents are here!
• Integration partners to improve your client’s experience!

Appointment scheduler and check-in

• New setup and display options are available for Multi-location single database (MLSD) practices to view appointments by practice. Upon upgrade, room and practice default settings will display as All Practices. You can:
  • Set rooms to display per practice under Lists > Room.
    
  • Set a default filter based on staff or practice and workstation defaults. If both defaults are set, staff defaults will be used.
    
    
    
  • Filter the schedule for Today window as needed with a new Practice filter.
    
• The Staff ID field under Check-in defaults will clear after you acknowledge the ‘Valid Staff ID must be entered’ message when entering an incorrect staff ID.
• Pasting an appointment on top of itself will display the ‘Invalid appointment time’ message, as expected, when open appointment spots are unavailable. The system no longer creates as a duplicate appointment that does not contain all the appointment data.

Clients and patients

• A duplicate client alert will display if a matching email address is found when setting up or updating a client.
• The client phone number can be set as required data under Controls > Defaults > Practice and Workstation > Required Data.
• The Client Account window now displays:
  • Transactions are chronological, so multiple same-day transactions are easier to follow.
  • The practice ID when you hover the pointer over a transaction. For non-MLSD practices, the ID displays as 1.
  • Client status
    
• Vaccine tag updates:
  • A new Include voided tags checkbox is now available in the Patient List window. For the Client and Patient Search tool, an Include voided checkbox is located next to the Vaccine Tag field. The checkbox will not be selected by default, so search will include only valid tags. When the checkbox is selected, the patient will be displayed in the search results if their voided tag matches the vaccine tag search criteria. Voided tags will display a (V).
    
  • The Given and Expiration Dates on the Vaccine Tag window from any workflow (Example: Patient Visit List, Invoice, Special Action box) will be based on the vaccine item’s line-item date.
  • The warning on the Vaccine Tag window regarding Given Date has been removed.
• Settings to help with integrations:
  • A new short message service (SMS) indicator will appear and can be chosen when adding or updating a client’s phone number. This feature is available for U.S. and Canadian practices.
  • Onscreen text has been added to the phone number entry window to remind you that a 10-digit format is needed for SMS.
    
  • The SMS indicator will be set for you upon upgrade for any phone locations that appear to be related to a cellular phone.
    

Documents (medical notes and correspondence)

Client Only documents

Documents (correspondence) can be solely client focused and not part of patient history. Client documents are saved to the Client Communications tab, which was added in Cornerstone* Software 9.5.

• A new document template type, Client Only, is now available. It is set up and filled out similarly to patient documents but without the patient-specific features. This template type will display the document in the Client Communications tab of the Patient Clipboard.
  • Templates are set up as or converted to Correspondence documents. Templates can be set as both staff and practice favorite documents to improve searching on document lists using favorites. Note: Client Only documents marked as favorite will not be displayed in the document submenus.
• Convert existing templates to client only from the Document Template List.
  
• A new bookmark, All Patients, can be used for both patient and client-type documents. It is a list-format bookmark available for all types of documents.
  
• Client Only documents are limited to nonpatient-type bookmarks. The following bookmarks can be used:
  • All Patients
  • Choice
  • Client
  • Miscellaneous
  • Practice
  • Question
  • Staff
  • User Def Client
• You can select Client Only type documents from both the Start New Document and Document Template List windows to filter the lists as needed.
  
• When accessing the Start New Document window from the client right-click menu of the Patient Clipboard, Client Only document types will be pre-selected, and the Patient ID will not be displayed by default. Patient IDs are not used for Client Only documents.
• Client Only templates can be used for merge-from-file and template export/import.
• Only the client banner will be displayed on Client Only documents.
  

Other document updates

• The Server date/time is used when manually finalizing a document, regardless of the workstation date/time.
• Canceling a Title Only document after emailing will still save it to Patient History.
• Canceling a medical note or correspondence document after printing will still save it to patient history.
• Resolved an issue in which a Cornerstone upgrade automatically added documents to the staff favorites list even though the list had been empty before the upgrade.
• The horizontal scroll bar on landscape format correspondence templates has been restored.
• The Ctrl-U shortcut is functioning as expected for underlining text in documents.
• When printing a custom rabies certificate directly from Correspondence:
  • The document’s rabies expiration date bookmark will use the corrected expiration date in cases where the most recent tag was corrected.
  • The rabies expiration date bookmark will use the most recent rabies tag information even if the tag number is not present (None/None Entered).
    Note: Both instances of a corrected rabies tag expiration date work correctly when printing/reprinting from the
    Tags/Microchip ID tab/Vaccine Tag window.
• Linked documents can be successfully removed from diagnostic codes when using Ctrl + D.
• Documents set up with group items, including those with special actions, can have item statuses changed to blank. When saving and reopening a document, changing blank statuses again does not cause an error.
• Current or most recent weight will be displayed correctly on medical note/correspondence documents when using ‘current weight’ and ‘weight date’ bookmarks.

Integration partners

• For the latest information on integrated payments, please see the Cornerstone Payments page and FAQs.
• The integrated CareCredit payment type can process payments directly or send a payment link by text or email through CareCredit’s online portal.
  • This setup also includes an improved application process in which you can text or email an application to your client using the existing CareCredit toolbar button.
  • This feature is available for U.S. practices.
• A new Offers button can be accessed from key workflow windows to send a Trupanion Exam Day Offer for eligible pets in the U.S. and Canada. For information about Trupanion’s Exam Day Offer, visit https://vet.trupanion.com/automated-offers-info.
  Configure the connection to Trupanion through the MyCornerstone self-service portal.
  
• Client phone settings and display have been updated to improve integration with communication-based platforms.

Inventory

• Additional columns for PO/receipt number and location/group for ordered and received items have been added to the Item History tab within the More Item Information window.
  
  • Columns can be selected and deselected for display by right-clicking the header row. The additional columns apply to the following windows:
    • Purchasing Work List
    • Create Purchase Order
    • Edit Purchase Order
    • Receive Purchase Order
    • View Quantity on Hand
    • Find and Transfer Items
• The Purchasing Work List window now correctly filters by location. For practices configured with single-location inventory, only the items in that location display.
• Item Details will refresh correctly when you select different items on the Purchasing Work List with or without filters applied. This feature is for Multi-location inventory configured practices.
• The Purchase Order’s Cost field will display correctly as $0.00 when an item is added that is not associated with the selected vendor.
• When receiving a purchase order, items will be displayed in sequence order from the PO.
• Multi-location inventory-configured practices can now choose None as the default receiving location under Controls > Defaults > Practice and Workstation > Inventory.
• An issue was resolved concerning an incorrect receiving location being applied when saving an inventory receipt without clicking on receipt item details. The field will remain blank and prompt you to pick/enter prior to posting.
• Separate lines for the same item on a purchase order will remain as separate when receiving the order.
• Item costs will recalculate correctly when switching between buy and sell units of measure when receiving inventory.
• For prescribed items not using the prescription label special action: When adding an item with available refill on a Patient Visit List or invoice at a quantity greater than the refill amount and using the RX buttons, you will be asked if you want to use a refill. Clicking Yes will continue to use the refill and the quantity on the prescription label and will match the PVL once the refill is completed.

Invoicing and payments

Change given

• The Change Given setting can now be applied per payment type in Account defaults, under Controls > Defaults > Practice and Workstation > Account. Upon upgrade, all payment types will be selected by default if the Change Given setting is used.
  
  • Change Given will be calculated upon tabbing or clicking out of the payment type field when entering payments while posting an invoice or entering a payment on account.
  • If Change Given is changed by the user, and a payment type set to calculate change is added or changed, the change-given amount is recalculated.
  • If Change Given is changed by the user, and a payment type set to not calculate change is added or changed, the change given amount is retained as entered.
  • In the payment window, when using more than one payment type, you must enter the type that will calculate change given last.
    Example: For a balance of 315.50, there are three payment types: Payment type 1 of card is $100.00, payment type 2 of card is $200.00, and payment type 3 of cash (where change given is set) is $20.00, and the change given is $4.50.
    
• The Calculate Change Given feature is now available when adding payments to a previously posted invoice.

Integrated CareCredit payment type

The integrated CareCredit payment type enables additional payment options to either process a payment or email/text a payment link using the CareCredit online portal. Payments appear on deposit reports and payment registers. These settings also enable sending an application to your clients using the existing CareCredit window, accessed from the toolbar or from the Activities menu. This feature is available for U.S. practices.

For detailed information on setup and use, see the CareCredit Integration article.

Other

• An image request will save successfully when you process an image request special action from a saved invoice and the request originated from a finalized estimate and was transferred to the Patient Visit List.
• A new security setting is available for voiding payments on account (payments not associated with an invoice number) or opening an invoice with payments and using Ctrl + D on the payment window.
  Notes:
  • Users with Client Account Payment access will have payment void security automatically enabled upon upgrade to Cornerstone 9.6.
  • Use the Security report sorted by menu description to view existing access and adjust accordingly. An administrator password is required. Go to File > Security Setup > select a user > Security > Print to access the report.

Patient Clipboard

• The Account Information tab now displays the following:
  • Transactions in chronological order.
  • The practice ID when hovering over a transaction. For non-MLSD practices, the ID displays as 1.
    
• Client Only documents will appear under the Client Communications tab with the template name, status, and paperclip icon, if attachments are present.
• Addressed an intermittent Error 2 on the Patient Clipboard when using the add/more RDVM link.

Reports

Saved report criteria

Entering the same criteria over and over on the same report is a thing of the past. Create and save up to 10 different sort and range entries for noninventory and select End of Period (EOP) reports, per logged-in user. This feature is available for noninventory and select EOP reports that offer sort and/or range filters.

• Once reports are created, run them by clicking the Saved Criteria checkbox and selecting the report name from the list.
  
• Saved criteria reports can be updated and deleted as needed.
  

Interactive report preview

Reduce the need for tools like Excel* to look at your report data. With a new Interactive preview on select noninventory and EOP reports, you can sort, filter, find, and print selected report results.
Note: Available functions are based on the selected report.

• An updated report preview is available. It includes additional options to Sort, Filter, or Find data, based on the selected report. The selected report results can be printed.
  
• Available functions are based on the data-set size of the report and whether the selected report has grouped data. Sort, Filter, and Find are not available for Inventory group reports or for some End of Period (EOP) reporting due to extensive sorting already built into the EOP reports. Tools will appear in the report preview if available for the selected report.
  
• From the report preview, right-click or double-click a patient- or client-specific data row to open their Patient Clipboard.
  
• Suggested uses of the Interactive report preview:
  • Filter the Client Master report for blank email addresses.
    
  • On the Treatment report, use Filter to search for a specific Client ID for all their invoices from a report’s date range.
    
  • Sort the Accounts receivable report by balance due.
    
  • Sort any of these end of month reports by sales or quantity to see your top items sold:
    • Inventory Sales Report by Closed Invoices
    • Serv. Sales Report by Closed Invoices
    • Cost of Goods Sold by Class, Item
      
  • Find a specific patient on the Invoice Item Sales Information report and open their Patient Clipboard.
    
• The Client Account History report now displays the associated invoice number on payments. All transactions are displayed in chronological order, so multiple same-day transactions are easier to follow.
  

Other report updates

• Data entry is now consistent in report range date fields:
  • Enter dates numerically with or without slashes. Example: 12/31/2023 can now be entered as 12312023.
  • Press F2 in the date field to display the calendar and select a date.
• The Daily Deposit Report now has a ‘by Practice’ version that displays deposit totals based on the logged-in practice. There is a report page per practice, and the report can also be filtered by practice. This feature is for Multi-location single database practices.
• You can now specify midnight as a time on the Appointments Report – Summary.
• EOD Itemized Audit Trail reports now print AM/PM.
• When printing monthly invoices and statements, a print options window displays, allowing you to select a specific printer.
• Corrected the calculations so that Inventory Cost and Cost Totals reports in Cornerstone and the end-of-year Inventory Cost reports (located in Cstone/Share/EOYInvCost) are consistent.
• Inventory items that have been inactivated or reactivated will display correctly on the Internal Usage report.
• Documents that were recovered with support assistance will now appear properly on the Patient History report.
• When saving the Invoice Item Reminder Report to file, the columns for reminders to generate, satisfy, type (C/L), and reminding time frame are all visible for the report.
• Addressed error 149 when running the Inventory Cost report sorted by vendor.

Other enhancements and improvements

• Updates to the Communication Log window to support integration with communication-based platforms for texting:
  • A practice drop-down list is now available on the Communication Log window for Multi-location single database configured practices.
  • Log entries will be displayed for SMS messages sent to the client from IDEXX platforms only.
• The new Cornerstone Help Hub is linked under the Help menu.
  Note: You can still press F1 to display help content based on the open window.
• For prescribed items not using the prescription label special action: When adding an item with an available refill on the Patient Visit List or invoice at a quantity greater than the refill amount and using the RX buttons, you will be asked if you want to use a refill. Clicking Yes will consume the available refill quantity, and the quantity field on the PVL will match the label. Example: If you enter 30 on the PVL, but the refill quantity is 20, you can click Yes to use the refill quantity and the amount will be updated on the PVL.
• Cortisol test results are now available for the Heska Element I+.
• You can now enter and validate your LIMS ID within the VetConnect* Plus account information settings under Lists > Practice.
• When closing an estimate using the X and selecting Yes to save changes, the estimate expiration date is no longer NULL and is set according to estimate defaults.
• When creating a Referral Doctor or Hospital, spaces are no longer allowed in the ID field.
• The purge limit when purging billing data has been resolved, and the message ‘This record has already been created by another user’ will no longer appear.
• When toggling between the Mass Markup window tabs, additional checks are employed to ensure that only the applicable item types are selected based on cursor placement.
  Example: If dispensing fee is selected, only Inventory items can be searched for and selected.
• When invoicing an item with multiple callbacks, any notes entered are applied only to the note they were entered on. They no longer populate the additional callback reminders.
• Addressed areas where entry of inactive staff IDs was allowed in various Practice and Workstation Defaults, windows, and workflows, such as completing whiteboard treatments, adding existing rabies tags, or vaccine tag/rabies defaults.
• When entering Class and/or subclass IDs in the Invoice Item Setup Tool – Set Class tab, the IDs will display in upper case regardless of keyboard settings. Example: Even if entered as lower case.
• A staff signature can be added successfully while setting up a new staff ID.
• If multiple payments are received from a text request from an online payment request, the additional payments are correctly applied to the client’s account.