Tricks of the Trade: Reformatting NPR Report Output Using Find & Replace

By: John Sharpe, President, Comstock Software, Inc.

The billing extract you’ve just sent to a payer has been rejected. There are quotes in the data, and they must be removed in order for your file to be processed.

You update the NPR extract and resend. This time everything goes through.

Most applications & programming languages today have a subroutine or function that allows you to replace a character with another character. For example Microsoft SQL Server has the REPLACE function.

Using a routine like STRING.FIND.REPLACE (below) can mean that you won’t have to change the format of the file. Fortunately, changing the content of your extract can be easier than changing the format of the entire file.

Here’s the before & after snapshots of the change.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

But wait, there’s more! For your future reference, here’s the URL for the code in copy & paste format.

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Has your organization implemented Meditech Client Server 5.5 or greater? Implemented most Meditech Modules? Interested in FREE Meditech NPR Training? Comstock Software will be hosting 1-hour remote NPR Workshops via WebEx for the Meditech community. Your hospital will provide Comstock Software with access to NPR in your TEST environment. In return for being the host site, your organization will receive free NPR training for its employees at no cost. To learn more, contact John at jsharpe@comstock-software.com.

John Sharpe is President / NPR Consultant at Comstock Software, Inc. Learn more about NPR Report Writing at the MEDITECH NPR Report Writing Blog.