What’s new
Welcome to Version 2022.1 of Axiom Rolling Forecasting!
Enhancements in this release include the following:
Now you can associate payor mappings with Revenue, Deductions, and Statistic RFCodes so that payor data elements can be configured and reported at various specific levels in the RF plan files and the Deductions Model calculator.
New alternative IP Census calc method
The Per Unit IP Census calc method provides an alternative way to calculate IP Census volume that eliminates the risk of unintended exponential growth in volume calculations.
Benefit % of Salaries calc method update
We updated the Percent of Salaries including OTA calculation so that it is both correct and also more transparent. We added a row related to the Salary One Time Adjustment (OTA) and Benefit OTA to clearly show the amounts being included in the percent calculations.
Deductions Model calculator updates
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Changes to payor setup – We removed the Standard Payor Setup section from the RF Deductions Setup utility and put that functionality in a new utility, the RF Payor Configuration utility.
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Number scale indicators – We added number scale indicators ($000s) to the applicable row headings in the calculator to provide a visual cue of the format to use in that row when entering amounts.
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Change a plan file calc method – Instead of changing calc methods in the plan file worksheets, the preferred method is to change them in the RFCODE Dimension table using the Dimension Maintenance Utility. Changing calc methods in plan files is being deprecated.
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Plan file Benefits calculations – Contractual salaries are now excluded from benefits calculations in the plan file Forecast, Initiatives, and Summary worksheets. We updated the calculation methods so that you do not need to select a benefits code when the selected Salary code is E_Salaries_Contract.
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Plan file Revenue block label change – In the plan file Forecast worksheet, the label for CMI Inpatient Admissions has been changed to CMI Inpatient Admits\Discharges, and the CMI Adjusted Admissions label has been changed to CMI Adjusted Admits\Discharges. The change allows for situations in which Discharges have been configured for RFCodes and the related driver for IP Census.
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Forecast sheet Total rows now easier to see – In the plan file Forecast worksheet, the Total rows for each section are now in boldface type with light gray background shading to differentiate them from other rows on the sheet. For both Actuals and Forecast columns, the numbers in these rows are also in boldface type.
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First-time Fixed/Variable % entries now autosaved at first use – Previously, in the plan file Forecast worksheet, when you entered a Fixed/Variable percentage for the first time for a revenue item when the Forecast Method was set to the default "Driver," your input was lost when you saved unless you changed the Forecast Method to PriorForecast before saving. Now when you enter data in the Fixed/Variable percent column for the first time, when you save, the Forecast Method is automatically changed to PriorForecast, preserving your change. You still have the option to manually set Forecast Method to Driver at any time after saving the first input.
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New Plan file configuration option – Now you can control whether the OTA sections in the plan file Forecast worksheet are expanded or collapsed by default. Find this setting in the Planning Configuration utility.
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Forecast quarterly calculations now included in saved rows – Prior to this release, in the Forecast worksheet, the Quarter 1 through Quarter 4 calculated fields were not included when rows were saved to the database, which could be a problem for reports needing the results calculated in those quarterly columns. Now, any rows from the worksheet that are saved will include quarterly data if it exists.
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Certain revenue calc methods can be used for deductions – If you need to use the Other Revenue, Global Data, or No Forecast calc methods for Forecast deductions, you can now do so without the results ending up in revenue totals instead of deductions. Previously, when these calculation methods were assigned to a deduction RFCode, they were excluded from the deduction results. The code has been modified so that if a deduction RFCode is listed as a deduction in the RFSUM column, and the assigned calculation method is Other Revenue, Global Data, or No Forecast, that item will still be treated as a deduction.
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Forecast method impact changes – For forecast items using a forecast method of averaged months (e.g., 3 Month Avg, 6 Month Avg, and so on), the forecast method will be used to get the initial rate for the first forecast period only; the second forecast month will use the results of the first month instead of taking the average of the set number of prior months. This update prevents the second forecast month from starting with an averaged value that does not reflect reality. Subsequent forecast periods will use the Last Month forecast method (start with the prior period results) and adjust as normal. The following calculation methods have been adjusted to work with this new approach: Expense, IP Census, Other Deduction, Other Revenue, Patient Revenue, Patient Revenue Net IP Census, Patient Revenue Net Per Unit, Pct of Salaries, Per Unit IP Census, Per Unit Volume, Rate Per FTE, Salary, and Volume.
Miscellaneous updates
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RFCODE data table – For deductions RFCode entries, the default calculation method for the Initiatives tab has been changed to Deduction.
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Manager Dashboard – Executive Overview tab – For all subtabs, when the Totals or Per Unit Data setting in Data Display Options is set to Per Unit, Historical Performance Analysis data is not available. When the Totals Per Unit Data setting is set to Totals, Historical Performance Analysis data is available, with two exceptions:
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Summary tab’s Net Income over Expenses KPI card
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Labor Overview tab’s Paid Hours per Unit KPI card
These cards do not have historical analysis data regardless of the selected Totals per Unit Data setting in Data Display Options. For more information, see Working with the Manager Dashboard.
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