Connections

To access this window, navigate to File > Connections. In order to utilise the Connections window, we must first understand what each setting does.

To delete from or add to the connections list in this window, use the buttons Add Connection and Delete Connection.

Name: This is the name of your connection. 

Type: Currently the only connection type you can choose from this drop-down is File Transfer. 

Format: This is the format you are wanting your patient data exported/imported in. You can choose between the following:

• HL7
• XML
• ASCII

If the file type HL7 is selected, Genie will generate an Admission Discharge and Transfer (ADT) message whenever a patient demographic record is added or modified. 

Note: Genie can import 3 of the 51 ADT messages:

• A28 - Add person information
• A30 - Merge person information
• A31 - Update person information

If using XML or ASCII format, the fields to be exported or imported must be specified using the Set Export Fields or Set Import Fields buttons.

Set Export/Import Fields: These options are only available when exporting/importing XML or ASCII. In each of these windows, you can choose which fields you would like exported from or imported into Genie. You can additionally set field and record delimiters, depending on the patient fields you choose.

Instead of manually selecting fields one by one, you can alternatively choose an Auto Format, which brings in a preordained list of fields, depending on the format you choose. These formats include Genie, SmartRooms, M.E.D. Billing and Damson. For a list of these fields, please see the What information is imported/exported? section below.

Machine: This will default to the computer you are currently on, however, if the Export/Import folders are on a different computer, you may need to change the machine to match the correct machine on your network.

File Transfer - Export/Import Directory: These are the locations where you are wanting your data exported or imported to on the machine you have selected. The Export folder should normally be the folder where the other software is looking to import from.

Save Changes: Once you are satisfied with the information you have selected and are ready to start importing/exporting, click Save Changes.

There are multiple different export options from within the Connections window. These will export patient demographic information one patient at a time. The "trigger" that you choose below stipulates which patient is exported. 

In order to export patient information, ensure all the relevant settings within the Connections window have been set up correctly. This includes Type; Format; Set Export Fields (if using XML or ASCII); Machine; and Export Directory.

You must then select one of the below and click Save Changes. Then once you subsequently perform the trigger, the file containing your patient's basic demographic data will be created and placed into your specified Export Directory.

Note: While you can have both Export New Patients and Export Modified Patients selected at the same time, these cannot be selected at the same time as the other two export options listed below.

Enable Export of New Patients

Exports patient demographic data upon saving out of a demographic window for a new patient.

Enable Export of Modified Patients

Exports patient demographic data upon saving out of a demographic window for any modified patient record.

Enable Export when...

• clinical record opened
• patient is in waiting room

Exports patient demographic data upon opening a clinical record or when a patient is placed in the waiting room .

Export when appt type is "Select Appt Type"

Exports patient demographic data when a patient is placed as a certain Appointment Type within the Appointment Book.

Patient data can be imported into Genie using the Enable Import checkbox within the Connections window.

Once this checkbox is ticked and the Save Changes button is selected, Genie will look in the Import Directory specified in the Connections window for any files that match your specified file type.

Enable Import

1. Choose file format (HL7, XML, ASCII) that you are wanting to import, and Set Import Fields if applicable;
2. Choose correct Machine and Import Directory;
3. Click Save Changes;
4. The Import file directory that you have chosen will create two folders - "Errors" and "Processed";
5. Once the import file has been moved into one of these folders, the patient demographic information has now been imported into Genie. Depending on how many records you are looking to import, there will be a delay between the instruction to import and the actual transfer of data due to connection latency.

An important point to showcase is that this method of importing patient information could possibly produce many duplicate patients within your Genie database.

Note: This will not import any clinical and/or financial information.

For ASCII and XML file transfers, you can set the fields you would like imported and/or exported. Genie allows you to customise these fields, or use preset formats for Genie, SmartRooms, M.E.D. Billing and Damson.

Below are all the fields available within the Set Export/Import Fields, along with all preset fields included in the Genie Auto Format.