Set up patients, send consent, and track operation-specific PROMs.

Quick start checklist

1. Sign in and review the demo patient. Use the demo workflow to see a patient record, operation, PROM history, consent preview, and report without sending SMS or email.
2. Set up Authenticator MFA. Real patient creation and import are blocked until MFA is enabled for your account. Demo patients remain available while you set this up.
3. Check your profile and surgeon access. In Settings, confirm how your name appears in patient messages and which consultant operations you can access.
4. Add or import the first patient. Use manual entry for one patient or Import Data for a theatre list, CSV, TSV, pasted text, PDF, or screenshot.
5. Add the operation episode. Choose operation type, side, date, funding source, surgeon, and PROMs. Operation templates suggest usual PROMs and timepoints.
6. Preview consent before sending. Send by email, SMS, both, or record verbal consent when appropriate. PROM delivery stays blocked until consent is active.
7. Use the Dashboard for exceptions. Review due PROMs, overdue PROMs, missing consent, missing operative details, delivery issues, and non-responders.

Dashboard

The Dashboard is designed for exception handling. It should tell you what needs attention today, not make you inspect every patient record.

Patients and import

Patients are the person record. Operations and PROMs sit underneath the patient, so one patient can have multiple procedures tracked over time.

Manual entry

• Use Patients > + Add Patient for a single patient.
• Enter last name, first name/s, NHI, date of birth, gender, contact details, and the initial operation details.
• NHI format is AAA1111. NZ mobile numbers can be entered locally and are stored in international format.
• Choose the funding source for each operation: Public, Private, or ACC.

Import Data

• Use Import Data for theatre lists or starting cohorts. CSV/TSV or pasted table text is usually more reliable than OCR.
• The import review screen highlights rows needing review, duplicate checks, weak NHI values, missing surgeon, funding source, or operation details.
• Only reviewed rows with required details are created. Rows needing repair remain visible for manual correction.
• Imported operation details are stored against the operation episode, not just the patient record.

Registry

• Search by name, NHI, surgeon, side, or operation type. Admins can switch between My Patients and All Patients.
• The registry shows patient status, consent state, operation status, latest PROM, next due PROM, and basic progress.
• Archive patients when they should be hidden from routine dashboards without deleting clinical history.

Operations and PROMs

OrthoMetrics is operation-centred. PROM selection, follow-up schedule, surgeon access, operative details, billing context, and reports all depend on the operation episode.

• Operation setup: choose operation type, side, date, funding source, surgeon, selected PROMs, and automatic message setting.
• Suggested defaults: operation templates suggest the usual PROMs and timepoints. You can show all PROMs or reapply defaults if needed.
• Schedule: common labels are Pre-op, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 2 years. Settings can adjust the practice follow-up schedule.
• Operative details: operation-specific fields, NZJR fields, ACL registry details, and related modifiers stay attached to the operation episode.
• PROM tab: review scheduled assessments, automatic message state, most recent assessment, history, progress chart, and manual New Assessment entry.
• PDF tab: export a patient summary for the selected operation, including PROM trajectory and operation context.
• Complications: record and review complications for the operation where relevant.

Consent and messaging

Consent is patient-facing and must be handled deliberately. OrthoMetrics lets you preview consent messages before delivery and blocks PROM messaging when consent is not active.

Reports and exports

Reports is the governed place for cohort review, data quality checks, PDFs, and research exports.

• Cohort Builder: filter by operation date, subspecialty, operation type, surgeon, side, PROM, timepoint, consent, operation status, and operative detail completeness.
• Cohort Summary: generate counts, completion by timepoint, PROM descriptive statistics, score change summaries, and missing-data checks.
• Compare Cohorts: compare selected operation cohorts, including selected operative modifiers such as fixation, robotics/navigation, or diagnosis where available.
• Data Quality: review missing PROM slots and incomplete operation details before using a dataset.
• Exports & PDFs: export governed research packages. Purpose, recipient, storage location, privacy mode, and approval context are recorded.
• Privacy mode: de-identified exports are the default safer option. Identifiable exports require admin approval.

Settings and admin

Billing

Billing is tied to PROM collection, not simple patient creation. The billing surface appears in Settings > Billing.

• Public operations, including public PROM SMS, are always free.
• Private, ACC, and DHB outsourced operations count only when the first PROM link is sent or queued after the patient gives consent.
• Pending consent records remain useful drafts and do not consume billable operation capacity.
• Billing belongs to the operation consultant. Any verified user with access can send billable PROMs and SMS for Private, ACC, and DHB outsourced operations when that consultant billing account has prepaid operations available.
• The purchase option is Prepay Operation Packs. Packs never expire.
• Stripe receives clinician billing metadata only, not patient names, NHI, PROM responses, or operation descriptions.

Safety and troubleshooting

Common issues

Clinical safety rules

• Use demo or fake patient data for training and testing unless real patient use is explicitly authorised.
• Do not delete clinical history to tidy the dashboard. Archive records when they should be hidden from routine views.
• Keep contact details current before sending consent or PROM links.
• Check the selected operation before sending or recording a PROM for patients with multiple operations.
• Use NZ date format in clinical communication and review dates carefully around pre-op and post-op milestones.

For support, contact support@orthometrics.co.nz.