The PC-SIG Library 10

home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search

/ The PC-SIG Library 10 / The PC-Sig Library - Shareware for the IBM PC and Compatibles (PC-SIG)(Tenth Edition Disks 1-2804)(1991).iso / PC_SIGCD / 08 / 5 / DISK0850.ZIP / INSURE.DOC < prev next >

Wrap

Text File | 1989-05-31 | 53KB | 1,303 lines

CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION page 3 1.1 CAPACITY 3 1.2 MODES 3 2. THE KEYS 4 2.1 FUNCTION KEYS 4 2.2 OTHER KEYS 4 2.3 RETURN KEY 4 3. THE MODES 6 3.1 C (CLAIM) MODE 6 3.1.1 Type entry 7 3.1.2 Date entry 8 3.1.3 Entry procedure 8 3.2 A (ACTION) MODE 9 3.2.1 Reporting Submissions 9 3.2.2 Deductibles 9 3.2.3 Reporting payments 10 3.2.4 Changing the charge 10 3.2.5 Going from A to C and back 10 3.3 F (FIND) MODE 11 3.3.1 Procedure 11 3.3.2 Upper and lower case letters 11 3.3.3 Comments search 12 3.3.4 After a search 12 3.4 L (LIST) MODE 12 3.4.1 Information in boxes 14 3.4.2 Not paid column 14 3.4.3 Deductibles 14 3.4.4 Summary line 14 3.5 S (STORE) MODE 15 3.6 P (PRINT) MODE 15 3.7 D (DELETE) MODE 15 3.8 B (BACKGROUND) MODE 15 3.8.1 List of services 16 3.8.2 List of patients 17 3.8.3 Insurance plan information 17 3.8.4 Type assignments 18 3.8.5 Changing from one B-mode section to another 19 3.9 N (NEW FILES) MODE 19 3.10 X (ESCAPE) MODE 19 4. MEMORY AND FILES 20 4.1 WHICH DISK TO USE 20 4.2 STARTING FROM FLOPPY DISK 20 4.3 STARTING FROM HARD DISK 20 4.4 CLEARING THE INSDATA FILES FROM MEMORY OR DISK 21 4.5 STARTING A NEW RECORD (LIKE FOR A NEW YEAR) 22 4.6 INTERCHANGING ENTRIES 22 4.7 CONTRAST 22 4.8 MESSAGES 23 4.9 SOUNDS 23 4.10 LOCKED FILES 23 INSURE (c) Fred Lee version 3.0 or 4.0 June, 1986 1. INTRODUCTION INSURE is an IBM PC program dedicated to the maintenance of medical insurance claim records. It is designed to be simple and convenient to use and to provide all functions that one might need with such records. The program is menu driven with instructions shown on the screen to guide you through every step. The program features convenient data entry, search and list functions, and instant summaries. The INSURE program runs on an IBM PC/XT/AT with at least 256K of RAM memory. It operates with DOS 2 or 3 and with color or monochrome terminals. 1.1 CAPACITY: * Entries - up to 200 * Patients - up to 10 * Insurance plans - up to 10 * Charges and payments - up to $99999.99 * Total charges, payments - up to $99,999,999.00 * Deductibles - up to $9999 * Claims on one entry - up to 3 1.2 MODES: C (CLAIM) Enter or change data on claims A (ACTIONS) Enter or change actions taken on claims F (FIND) Search for a claim with particular features L (LIST) List the entries and display totals S (STORE) Store the records on disk D (DELETE) Delete an entry P (PRINT) Print the records on a printer B (BACKGROUND) Enter necessary background information N (NEW) Clear old records, make new files X (ESCAPE) Go back to DOS @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @ @ @ Note: If the program does not run properly, try @ @ starting up your computer without any other @ @ memory-resident programs such as Sidekick. Then @ @ try again. @ @ @ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ 2. THE KEYS The program usually tells you which keys to use. Some keys do different things in different modes, but most screens have a special section at the bottom which shows the most useful keys that can be used in that parituclar mode and what they do. The main functions of the keys are described below. 2.1 FUNCTION KEYS The INSURE program uses six of the function keys of the IBM keyboard. Their principal functions are the following: FUNCTION KEY FUNCTION F1 (menu) Return to main menu F2 (up) Moves cursor up F3 (types) Prints list of types on C-screen F4 (next) Finds next available unused entry F8 (Mode) Lets you enter a new mode without going back to main menu F9 (menu) Return to main menu F10 (down) Moves cursor down Note: Although F1, F9, and Esc all bring up the main menu, for the sake of simplicity, only F1 is mentioned in the KEY section on the screen and in the rest of these instructions. 2.2 OTHER KEYS The principal functions of certain other keys are described as follows: Up Arrow Same as F2. Moves cursor up Dn Arrow Same as F10. Moves cursor down Pg Up In list mode, starts list or moves screen up ten entries. Pg Dn In list mode, starts list or starts display of next screenfull of lines Del Erases last character typed Backspace Erases last character typed (same as Del) Esc Usually brings up main menu 2.3 RETURN KEY The RETURN key (also called ENTER) deserves special comment. When you are asked to type in an item such as the date or a patient, The RETURN key must be pushed to enter the item into memory. If you don't want to type in an entry, push RETURN without typing an entry. The computer will then move on to the next question. If an item is entered incorrectly, you need only move the cursor back to that item and enter it again. Changes can be made at any time. Sometimes the computer does not wait for you to push RETURN before it acts on your response to a question. The general rule is this: If the response can only be a single letter or number, the computer usually does not wait for you to push RETURN. The computer makes an exception when it thinks that you should have a chance to change your mind after typing a single-character response. If the response can be more than one letter or number, the computer must wait for you to push RETURN in order to know when you are finished. If you type in a character and nothing happens for a long time, you will know that the computer is waiting for a RETURN. When the instructions tell you to "enter" something, they mean that you should type the item and push RETURN. 3. THE MODES The various modes of the program are listed on the main menu. This menu can always be called by pushing function key F1. It is usually possible to go to a particular mode directly from another mode by pushing function key F8 and the number or letter of the new mode. Where this is recommended, the KEY section at the bottom of the screen will show it. When F8 cannot call another mode directly, it calls the main menu instead. USE MODE B FIRST ! *********************************************** It is important to remember that before any of the other modes can be used for any practical purposes, Mode B must be used to enter necessary background information into the memory. ****************************************************************** The available modes are described below. 3.1 C (CLAIM) MODE This mode is used to enter or change the basic information about a claim. The C-screen shows a form and prompts you through the process of filling it out. The following items can be entered: SERVICE This is a code name for the doctor, med lab, hospital, or other company which provided the service. (Also for drugs and medicines) DATE The date on which the service was done. PATIENT A code name for the person who received the service. CHARGE The amount of the bill. TYPE This is a letter or number that assigns the entry to a category such as a doctor bill, hospital stay, drugs, X-rays, or any other that you might assign. In this mode (and the F or L modes), if you push the F3 key, the list of types that you have assigned (see mode B-4) will be printed on the screen. Next time you push RETURN, the screen will be re-written so that the list is erased. COMMENTS Here you can type any comments you might want to make. Note: For an explanation of the code names, see MODE B Of these items, the service, the patient, and the charge MUST be entered in order for an entry to be complete. Entering the service is most essential. The computer uses the SERVICE entry to determine whether an entry line is occupied. If it finds an entry with no service, it stops its searching or listing and assumes that it has come to the end of the entries. Therefore, no entries should exist in the middle of your records that has an empty SERVICE item. (Leaving off the patient's name if the claim is for, say, prescription drugs for a number of patients is allowed but not recommended.) The use of the other items - date, type, and comments - is optional, although the date should not be left out. The use of the type item is explained in detail in the special section below. Some comments about the date appear after that. 3.1.1 Type entry ************************** type *********************************** The type item, being less obvious than other items, requires special explanation. The "type" item can be used for categorizing entries. You must decide into what categories you will want to put entries. Examples of useful categories are doctor bills, dentist bills, drugs, X-rays, hospital expenses, and orthodontia. You then assign to each of these categories a letter or number by which it will be represented in the "type" item. Since you can use upper and lower case letters as well as numerals, you could have as many as 62 categories. Mode B part 4 provides you with a list of 25 capital letters (A to Y) which you can assign to categories. The only purpose of this list is to provide you with a convenient place to record your assignments. In the C, F, and L modes, you can put the list on to the screen with [F3] to remind you of what letters you have assigned to what categories. If you should need more than 25 categories, you will have to maintain your own list on paper. The categorizing feature can be used, for example, when a policy has different maximum amounts that it will pay for different kinds of services. Each such service type can be given a code letter. The List mode can then be used to calculate the total amount paid by a particular insurance plan for a particular kind of service (see mode L below). Another time when categories are useful is at income tax time when it is convenient to be able to let the computer calculate how much you have paid for doctor bills, drugs, etc.. A less likely use of this feature is to remind you whether the claim was submitted by the service and will pay them directly or whether you submitted the claim and will receive the check. Each of these two cases can be assigned a letter (say S for service and P for patient) in the "type" item. ********************************************************************* 3.1.2 Date entry The date of the service is obvious except when a single service or procedure requires a number of visits to, say, a doctor's office. Insurance companies prefer to be billed once for the entire procedure rather than for each visit. In that case, you should make a single entry for the procedure. You might want to enter the date of the first visit. If you want to record the dates of all visits, you can use the comments line. 3.1.3 Entry procedure To go from one item to another in a downward direction, use the RETURN key, the function key F10 (Down), or the down arrow. If you have typed something in, you must use the RETURN key, or the computer will ignore what you have typed and keep the item as it was before. You will hear five beeps if that happens. To step the cursor in the opposite direction, use the function key F2 (Up) or the up arrow. To enter or change an item, use the following procedure. Put the large box-cursor on the item. The size of the box shows how many letters or numbers you may enter. Type your new or corrected item in the workspace where the small cursor is blinking. Use the DEL or Backspace keys to erase mistakes. When the entry is correct, push RETURN. The entry will then be transferred up to the form. If you push an Up or Down key instead of RETURN, what you have typed will be ignored, the box-cursor will move to the next item, and five beeps will be heard. This procedure applies also to MODE A. To erase an item that was previously entered and leave its space blank, you can put the cursor on it, push Del and then RETURN. To bring the next entry to the screen, push PgDn. The PgUp key brings the previous entry. If you type in an item and fail to push RETURN before you push another button that takes you away from that item, the computer sounds a warning message of five low beeps. The message means that the item you typed was not entered into memory. Unless you intended not to enter it, you should go back and reenter the item. It is annoying to have to go back, particularly if you have changed entries or modes. Better to be careful about pushing RETURN to enter. The computer remembers which entry you last worked on. Don't be afraid to stop in the middle of your editing to go to the B mode to check on something or to the List mode to get the big picture. When you return to the editing mode, the last entry you edited will reappear. You need only push RETURN to reactivate it. 3.2 A (ACTION) MODE This mode allows you to enter or change the actions on a claim. The actions fall into two categories: Your submitting claims to insurance companies and their payments of the claims. The same screen is used as in the C mode and the same entry rules apply. Again, the computer prompts you for the correct answers. 3.2.1 Reporting submissions Your submissions of the claims are entered at the top of the Actions section where it says REQUESTS. You should enter a code word for the plan to which the claim was sumitted and the month and day when it was done. (For an explanation of the code names, see MODE B.) There are slots for three plans. You must use them in order. That is, don't leave a blank slot in front of an occupied one. If the service submits claims for you, you must enter them here also. Put your primary coverage first. Payments cannot be entered unless this section is first filled in. 3.2.2 Deductibles The computer makes an attempt to help you keep track of the deductibles on your policies. There are conditions under which the computer can have trouble doing this accurately. Some examples are given below. If there is a conflict between your bookkeeping and the computer's trying to calculate the deductibles, you should do the bookkeeping the way you want and take the computer's deductible figures as only its best guess. When you enter the code name of a plan, the computer calculates how much of the amount of the claim is within the "deductible" of your insurance policy. The resulting numbers are printed under the plan code. These numbers are rounded off to the nearest dollar to save space. The numbers have the following meanings. * If the number is the same as the "charge" entry in the Claim section, then the entire charge is still below the deductible and is not eligible to be paid. * If the number is smaller than the "charge", then only the amount shown is below the deductible and the rest is eligible for payment. * If the number is a zero, it means that none of the charge is below the deductible and the entire amount is eligible for payment. (It is not recommended but not forbidden to have no patient's name on a claim. The name might be left off if the claim is for prescription drugs for a number of people. With no name on the claim, the computer may not be able to calculate the deductible correctly. The deductible should then be ignored.) If an insurance company processes your claims in a different order from the order in which you entered the claims, it might happen that a deductible is taken from a different claim from what your record shows. If you cannot live with that, you must reenter the claims in a different order. 3.2.3 Reporting payments When an insurance company pays on your claim, you should fill in the second half of the Action section, under RESPONSES. Where it says "Paid by ____:", enter the amount paid. The computer will calculate what percentage that is of the total charge and will print that percentage in the next column. Next, you may enter the month and date of the payment. Finally, you may enter any appropriate claim numbers. A separate line like that is entered for each plan that pays on your claim. After each such line is entered, the computer calculates what amount of the claim has not yet been paid and what percentage of the charge that is. These figures are also printed on the screen. (If the amount not paid is negative, it means that the payments were greater than the charge by the amount shown.) If the Insurance Company Does Not Pay If you receive notice that the insurance carrier will pay nothing on your claim, you should still enter the date and/or number of the claim so that you will later be able to tell whether you received a reply from the carrier. It is also important to enter "0" in the "Paid by" space. Then, when you list the claims with the List mode, you will be able to tell by the "0" in the AMT PAID column that the insurance company has replied to your claim. Claims which the insurance company has not yet replied to will be blank in that column. 3.2.4 Changing the charge If after you have filled out any of the items of the Action section, you make a change in the charge (of the Claims section), you should retype the items of the Action section. That is, you should enter the same items that you have already entered. Entering these items again makes the computer recalculate such things as the deductible amounts and percentages of payments. If you fail to reenter these items, the deductibles and percentages will be wrong. The computer will remind you to do that if you change the charge. 3.2.5 Going from A to C and back To go from mode A to C and vice versa, use function key F8 followed by the letter of the mode. If you return to the main menu, the screen must be redrawn, which takes longer. 3.3 F (FIND) MODE This mode lets you find a claim using any of the main items on the A/C form as search-items (also called search-words). The items that can be searched for are the service, date of service, patient, charge, type, comments, and plan. That is, any of the items entered in the C mode can be used plus the plan from the A mode. For example, if you use the code name of a patient to search on, the computer will find all claims that involve that patient. If you enter a patient and a plan, the computer finds all claims for that patient that were submitted to that plan. The same search-words are also used in the List mode. What is said about them here, therefore, applies also to the L mode. 3.3.1 Procedure When the mode is entered, the screen shows the same form as in the A and C modes. The entry number is 0. This entry is reserved for the F and L modes. Using the same method as used in the A and C modes, enter any items that are to be used as search- items. Any number of items can be used. Be sure to enter each item with the RETURN key before starting the search. To start the search, push the PgDn key. The computer will search the entries until it finds one that contains the search-item or items that you have selected. This entry is displayed on the screen. Pushing PgUp or PgDn again causes the computer to continue the search up or down the list of entries for the next entry that has the proper search-words. 3.3.2 Upper and lower case letters If the "comments" or "type" items are used for search-items, the computer finds only words that have letters of the same case as you typed in the search-words. For example, if your search- word is "D" or "Joe", the computer will not find "d" or "JOE" because the cases do not match. Code names, on the other hand, can be entered in lower case letters or capitals. The computer capitalizes them all for you. In other words, be aware of the case of letters in the "comments" and "type" columns, but don't worry about case in code names for services, patients, and plans. 3.3.3 Comments search In the case of all search-items other than "comments", the computer finds entries that have items exactly the same as the search-items. For example, to find an entry in which the patient is JOE, the search-item must be JOE (except that the case does not matter). In the case of "comments", the computer finds entries in which the search-item is contained somewhere in the "comments" line. For example, if Joe were used as the search- item in the "comments" line, the computer would stop the search and display an entry that had the words "Joe's hangnail operation" because the letters "Joe" appear in those words. This feature allows you to put key words into the comments line by which entries can be quickly found or listed. 3.3.4 After a search When the computer has found an entry for you, you have the following options: * Search for another entry with the same search-items. Do that by pushing PgUp or PgDn again. * Search for another item with new search criteria. Do that by pushing the Mode key, F8, and [F] or returning to the main menu and pushing [F]. In other words, start the F mode again. * Edit the entry you have just found. To do that, push the Mode key, F8, and either [C] or [A], depending on whether you want to edit the claims or the action section. You can also return to the main menu to change to the edit modes but it takes longer. * Return to the entry that you were looking at before the search. Do that by pushing RETURN. * Go to the first empty entry. To do that push F4. 3.4 L (LIST) MODE This mode is used to present the claim entries in list form. You are given a choice of listing all entries or only entries with certain characteristics or combinations of characteristics. For example, you can list only claims that have been paid or that have not been paid. Or you can list all claims for patient Joe which have not been paid. At the end of each list, the computer prints the totals of the amounts charged, paid, and not paid on all of the claims on the list. It also prints the percentage paid. The list can therefore be used as a way to summarize your claim activity. FOR THAT REASON, IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO ENTER ALL OF YOUR MEDICAL BILLS, INCLUDING ANY THAT YOU DON'T EVEN MAKE INSURANCE CLAIMS FOR. THE L MODE CAN THEN SUMMARIZE ALL OF YOUR MEDICAL EXPENSES. If you elect not to list all entries, you are given five choices: A List claims that have been paid B List claims that have not been paid C List claims that have been submitted D List claims that have not been submitted E List claims with selected characteristics You can select combinations of these choices. If choice E is one of your selections, the computer will put the A/C form back on the screen. You can then enter the items that you want to limit the list to just as you entered search- words in the FIND mode. In fact, these selections will have the same effects as the search-words in the F mode. If you enter the code name of a patient, the list will be limited to claims for that patient. If you enter a code in the "Comments" line, the list will show only entries with that code somewhere in its comments line. A letter in the "type" item will limit the list to claims of that type. (The [F3] key will print your list of types on the screen.) Any number of search-words can be entered. (See F mode above for more about search-words.) When you have finished making selections, pushing either the PgUp key or the PgDn key tells the computer to make the list. In order to present the information on an 80-character line, some of the items that appear on the A and C screen are not shown on the list (the comments, some dates, the claim numbers, and the percentage not paid). The following items do appear on the list in the order shown: Claim * Entry number * Service * Date of Service (labeled DATE) * Patient * Charge * Type (labeled TP) Submission * Plan * Amount deductible (labeled DED) Action * Amount paid (labeled AMT PAID) * Percentage of the charge paid (labeled %) * Amount not paid (labeled NOT PAID) 3.4.1 Information in boxes Suppose you ask the computer to make a list of only caims that have been paid or that have not been paid. What should the computer do when it comes to entries on which one plan has paid and another has not. If it showed both plans, you would get information that you did not request. If it showed only the plan you requested, you would not see the complete data on the entry. The computer solves this problem by listing the information that you requested and adding the information on other plans in reverse video (in boxes). Another case in which information appears in boxes is when you restrict the list to claims made to a particular plan. Submissions to other plans on the same entries are shown in boxes. 3.4.2 Not paid column The list makes a separate line for each plan to which the claim was submitted. The NOT PAID amount is listed after the last of these plans and reports the amount that has not been paid after the payments of ALL of the plans (that are not in boxes) have been added together. 3.4.3 Deductibles For an explanation of the numbers in the deductible column (DED) see "deductibles" in the explanation of the A mode above. 3.4.4 Summary line At the end of each list, a summary line is printed. This line shows the total amount charged, the total amount paid, the percentage of the amount charged that was paid, and the total amount not paid. If this line is blank, it means that the screen has not yet shown the last item on the list. Push F10 or the down arrow to add the next entry to the list. If you push Pg Dn, the next ten entries appear on the list. Only when the last entry is shown, will the summary line show the totals. After that, you are allowed to go back up the list by ten entries by pushing F2, the Up arrow, or Pg Up. The totals, however, remain the same. That is, the totals are for the entire list even if only a part of the list shows on the screen. If any total exdeeds $99999.99, the amount is rounded off to the nearest dollar. (For example, $123456.78 would be shown as $123457 .) The totals are calculated by adding only the amounts that are not in boxes. The one exception to this rule is this: If you ask for a list of only claims that have not been paid, the total amount that was paid would, of course, be $0 and the amount not paid would be the same as the total of the charges. Printing those totals would not provide useful information. So in that one case, the computer prints not the total of the items you wanted listed but the total of what was paid by other plans on the same claims. That is, the total of the information shown in boxes on the list. The "amounts not paid" are then those not paid by these other plans. 3.5 S (STORE) MODE The store mode must be used after changes have been made on any of your entries or in the background information if these changes are to be saved on your disk. You will be given an opportunity to change the disk drive and to change your mind about saving before the actual saving starts. It is wise to save your files on more than one disk. To do that, just change disks or the disk drive and store again. 3.6 P (PRINT) MODE This mode lets you print your entire record on an 80-column (or wider) printer. The list shows the same information as the screen does in the L mode, including the summary line. Only the complete list of entries can be printed in this mode. To print any of the shorter lists that can be specified in the L mode, you must use the L mode to put the list on the screen and then use the PrtSc key to print the list. 3.7 D (DELETE) MODE This mode can be used to delete an entry from your records. Deletion is done by entry number, so remember the number of the entry that you want to delete. You are asked to type in that number when the D mode starts. All entries below the deleted one are renumbered to fill the hole. 3.8 B (BACKGROUND) MODE This mode lets you enter or change the background information that the computer must have in order to run this porgram. Three kinds of information must be entered here - ervices that will bill you, patients that will use these services, and the insurance plans that cover them. A fourth kind is optional - a list of type assignments. To save space on the lists and forms, code names must be assigned to services, patients, and plans. The computer must know what these code names are for three reasons. * To help you when you enter claims by showing lists of eligible services, patients, or plans. * To check your entries against these lists so that you cannot make incorrect entries. Incorrect or misspelled codes would result in wrong lists and totals. * To make it not necessary for you to remember what code names you have assigned. When this mode is entered, four choices appear. You can select to work on the list of services, the list of patients, the insurance plans, or the list of type assignments. These choices are described in detail below. 3.8.1 List of Services If you select this choice, you are presented with a list of 22 slots into which you can put code names of services that will bill you. These services can include such things as doctors, nurses, medical labs, and hospitals. You will probably want to designate one service code under which you enter all pharmacy prescriptions. To enter a service, you must select the number of the slot into which you want to type the service. Then type the code name of the service. You may use capitals or lower case letters. This code must be seven characters or less. When you push the RETURN key, the code name is capitalized and transferred to the list. Later, when you are entering a claim, the computer will check the service that you enter against this list. If the service is not on this list, the computer gives you a warning message and requires you to push RETURN a second time to store what you have typed. The only reason why you are given a chance to enter a service that is not on the list is to allow for the remote possibility that you might be billed by more than 22 different services during the course of a year. If that is the case, you must keep your own list of code names and you may overrule the computer's warning message. Otherwise, you should take the warning message to mean that you have entered an incorrect code name. When you are filling in the Service item on an entry form, the computer shows you the available services. However, there is room for only the first 16 names on your list. To erase a name and leave the space blank, just push the RETURN key without typing anything. 3.8.2 List of Patients If you select this choice, you are given a list of 10 slots into which you can enter names of patients who are covered by your insurance policies. If such a patient has a name that is more than seven letters long, you must enter a code name for that person that is no longer that seven characters. You are prompted first to select the number of the slot that you want to fill or change. Then you must type the patients name of code. Pushing RETURN transfers your entry to the list. Later, when you are entering a claim, the computer will check any patient names that you enter against this list and against the lists of patients that are covered by the policy and will reject any name that is not on these lists. To erase a name and leave the space blank, just push the RETURN key without typing anything. 3.8.3 Insurance Plan Information This choice allows you to enter data on the insurance policies that you will be making claims against. If you have more than one plan from the same insurance company, a separate entry must be made for each plan. There is room for 10 plans. The PgUp and PgDn keys are used to view the 10 entry forms. You are presented with a form to fill in. Some of the entries on this form are there to provide you with a convenient place to store information which you might want to refer to. These entries include the full name, address, and phone number of the insurance company, account numbers, maximum coverage, and miscellaneous comments. You may use these lines as you wish. The computer does not use them. If your policy has a deductible amount, it should be entered in the "deductible" item. If the policy has a family deductible, this amount should be entered in the "family deductbl" item. Enter only the dollar amount - no pennies, no dollar sign. If there is no amount to put into these items, they must be left blank. More about the deductibles later. Two items MUST be filled in so that the computer can run the program. These items are highlighted on your entry form. They are the following: !! THESE MUST BE FILLID IN !! * A code name for the insurance plan * The list of people covered by the plan The code name for the plan must be six characters or less (spaces are allowed, but not at the beginning). Later, when you are entering a claim, the computer will reject any code name that you enter which has not been entered in this (B) mode. Other things that you should know about the B3 mode: Any maximum coverage data that you enter is there for your reference only. Many policies have different maximum amounts on different kinds of services. The computer cannot track them all. So the computer does not check your claims against these maxima and does not warn you if you exceed them. (See the discussion of type assignments under Mode C to see how you can quickly calculate what has been paid for a particular kind of service by a particular plan.) The per-person deductible amount must be entered so that the computer can keep you advised on your standing with respect to the deductible as you enter claims. (The computer cannot handle a policy which has differnt deductibles for different family members. If there is such a policy, you must keep track of the deductibles yourself.) If your policy has a maximum deductible amount for the family, enter that amount on the "Family deductble" line. The computer will include that maximum in its calculations. The list of people covered by the policy is required so that the computer can prevent you from entering nonvalid names and help you prepare claims. Each name or code name entered here must be on the list of patient names (choice 2 of this mode) and must be spelled exactly as it is on that list. To enter the names, type them either in capitals or lower-case letters and separate them with commas. Push the RETURN key when you have typed all of the names of covered persons. The computer then capitalizes the names, spaces them properly, and transfers them to the form. Later, when you are entering a claim, the computer will reject any plan that does not cover the person who received the service. Changes can be made at any time. If you want to make a change in an item after you have entered it, you must retype the entire item. The first character typed causes the old line to be erased. The RETURN key enters the new item. 3.8.4 Type assignments This mode provides a list on which you can record the assignments of letters A to Y to up to 25 categories of services. You can quickly call this list to the C-screen with the F3 key if you need to look up your assignments. The list has no other function than that. For an explanation of the use of type assignments see mode C. For making entries or changing entries, there are simple editing features. The cursor can be moved in all directions with the arrow keys and the RETURN key. To make changes, just type over what was there before. To erase, use the backspace key or type spaces. There is no need use the RETURN key to enter anything that you have typed. What you see on the screen is what will be retained by the memory. 3.8.5 Changing from one B-mode section to another There is no direct way to go from one of the four parts of the B mode to another. When you have finished with one part - for example, entering names of patients - you must return to the main menu and re-enter the B mode. IMPORTANT NOTICE: If any additions and changes are made in the B mode, You must use the S mode before turning off the computer if these changes are to be stored on the disk. Otherwise the changes are lost. 3.9 N (NEW FILES) MODE This mode helps you to clear old files from the RAM memory and disks and start new ones. You are given the following four choices: 1 Set up program for the first time 2 Clear claim records from memory and disks 3 Set up new record files for new year 4 Go back to main menu The first choice tells you what to do with the sample records that are found on a new disk. The second choice guides you through the process of clearing records from the RAM memory and, if you want, from disks. The third choice presents one possible procedure for switching over to a new year. The last choice returns you to the main menu. 3.10 X (ESCAPE) MODE The X mode is used to quit the INSURE program and return to the DOS operating system. Before executing this mode, be sure that you have stored any entries or changes that you have made on disk (with the S mode). The computer gives you a chance to abort if you change your mind. 4. MEMORY AND FILES When the INSURE program is executed, it is loaded into the RAM memory. After it starts, a 44800-byte data segment is also transferred from disk into memory. This segment serves as the place to store the records. All 200 entries can be stored in this segment. There is no writing or reading from disks during normal operation. When the STORE mode is used to store the records on disk, the contents of the 44800-byte memory segment are stored on disk as file INSDATA.1ST. Next time the program is started, this file is read from disk back into the memory segment. It is suggested that one record of 200 entries be used for the transactions of exactly one year or a multiple of a year. (See STARTING A NEW RECORD). A second disk file that is stored and read back along with this data file is the file INSDATA.2ND. This file holds the background information that is entered in mode B. While the program is running, this data resides in tables. 4.1 WHICH DISK TO USE A single diskette can hold the main program file INSURE.EXE, the data files INSDATA.1ST and INSDATA.2ND, and these instructions in the file INSURE.DOC. Such a disk should last the average family at least one year. To operate from the diskette, you need only insert it and enter the name INSURE in response to the DOS prompt for the drive you are using. If your data file is stored on another drive, you have to chance to change to that drive when the program asks you which drive it should use to read data from disk. Reading the records from disk and storing them again before you turn off the computer will then be done with this disk drive. You should back up the record files on a second disk. One way to do that is to remove the main diskette and put the backup diskette in its place. Then start the STORE mode again. If you want to be able to "boot up" with the INSURE program, you should copy the files INSURE.EXE, INSDATA.1ST, and INSDATA.2ND onto a "system" disk that has been formatted in the /S mode so that it has the necessary operating system files on it. If you also add an AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the INSURE program will start automatically when you power up the computer or do a reset (by pushing Alt, Cont, and Del simultaneously.) Depending on what drives you use, there may be another advantage to using a system disk. When you try to leave INSURE and go back to DOS, the computer might have to ask you to put a system disk in if your program is not on one already. If you prefer to operate from hard disk, copy the program INSURE.EXE to the hard disk. Install the record files as described in STARTING A NEW RECORD below. Start the INSURE program from drive C. After you store your records on the hard disk, you should back up these files by inserting a backup floppy, changing the current drive to that of the floppy, and using the STORE mode again. The INSURE program and its entire data file are loaded into memory. If it does not work properly or keeps other programs in your memory from working properly, it might be competing for memory space with other memory-resident programs. In that case, you may want to copy the INSURE.EXE and INSDATA files to a diskette with only the basic DOS files on it (done by formatting the diskette with the /S option). Starting or resetting the computer with this "system" diskette in drive A will then put only the simple DOS system into the memory along with the INSURE program and its data file. 4.2 STARTING FROM FLOPPY DISK If you are using INSURE on a floppy disk, insert the disk in drive A and enter INSURE in response to the DOS prompt >A. The program will load and will then want to read the previously recorded check records from the disk. The screen will ask whether the current drive is all right or whether you want to select a new one. Push RETURN if the drive is correct, (you will probably use drive A), or enter a new drive. The machine then reads the disk and put the main menu on the screen. 4.3 STARTING FROM HARD DISK If you have copied INSURE.EXE to the hard disk, just enter INSURE in response to the DOS prompt <C. The program will load and will then want to read the previously recorded check records from the disk. The screen will ask whether the current drive is all right or whether you want to select a new one. Push RETURN if the drive is correct, (you will probably use drive C), or enter a new drive. The machine then reads the disk and put the main menu on the screen. 4.4 CLEARING THE INSDATA FILES FROM MEMORY OR DISK You can clear an old record out. For example, you may want to discard the sample records that were on the original diskette and start your own records. Go to mode N and use activity #2 to clear the RAM memory.. When you have cleared the memory, you can also clear disk files by storing the empty records. 4.5 STARTING A NEW RECORD (LIKE FOR A NEW YEAR) A record can hold as many as 200 entries. That should be more than enough for one year in the average household. In fact, to summaries more meaningful and to make searching and listing faster, one record should hold the transactions of exactly one year. When you have entered all transactions for the old year and want to start a new record, save the old record on one or more floppy disks using the SAVE mode. (You should have been doing that for backup all along.) Label the disks with the proper year and put them away. Clear the computer memory with mode N. Then start a new record as directed by the instructions of mode N. If claims made in the old year have not all been settled, you will have to get the old disks out of storage and use them when payments come in for these claims. 4.6 INTERCHANGING ENTRIES You might at some time want to change the order of two entries. For example, an insurance company might have responded to your claims in the opposite order in which you entered them. The computer might then have assigned a deductible to the wrong claim. You could probably live with that. But if you do want to change the order of entries, you must do it yourself. The program does not provide an automatic way to do it. Copy on paper the claims that you want to interchange and type the new data in over the old data on the computer. Re-enter every item even if it is the same in both entries. 4.7 CONTRAST Some items on the screen are made brighter than others. The main highlighted items are the items that you enter on the C and A screens. If these things do not appear brighter than the other things on your screen, it may be that the contrast and brightness controls on your terminal are not properly adjusted. They are usually located on the back. 4.8 MESSAGES Most help and error messages that are flashed on the screen are self explanatory. Sometimes, when an error occurs due to the use of a disk drive or a printer, you are given an error number. The meanings on the most common of these are shown below. SOME COMMON ERROR NUMBERS 2 File not found 3 Drive not ready or path not found 5 Invalid drive or attempt to edit protected program 8 Insufficient memory 15 Invalid drive 19 Attempt to write write-protected diskette 21 Drive not ready 23 Data error 24 Device timeout 25 Device fault 26 Unknown media type 27 Out of paper or printer not ready 29 Write fault 30 Read fault 31 General failure 57 Device I/O error 68 Device unavailable 70 Disk write-protected 71 Drive not ready 72 Disk media error 84 Disk full 85 File not found 4.9 SOUNDS A short low buzz means that a blinking error message is on the screen. A high beep means that some action has been completed. 4.10 LOCKED FILES This program comes with the files write-protected so that anything typed into an entry over number 7 is not retained by the memory. That is, it remains on the screen until the screen is changed but, when that entry is returned to the screen, the new data is gone. If you suspect that your files are locked, there is a way to be sure. Restart the INSURE program and look at the bottom left corner of the screen when the computer is loading in the disk files. (The words "loading data" are blinking in the lower right corner.) If the files are locked, the letter "L" appears briefly at the lower left. If the files are unlocked, the letter "U" appears. The write protection is intended to allow you to fully evaluate the program before paying for it. You can display the sample entries that come with the disk. You can change these entries or the background information that comes with them. If these changes are made on entries over 7, your changes will not go into memory. If you want to start with empty files and enter your own data, you can erase the sample files and the sample background information by following the instructins in mode N. Instructions for unlocking the files can be obtained from the author. rev: 4/6/89 _______________________________________________________________ OTHER PROGRAM If you find this program useful, you are invited to try the author's other program, CHEKLIST. This is a program for maintaining checkbook records. It does all that one might want to do with such records and it does nothing but keep those records. Some of the program's features are up to 1700 entries, 22 ledger accounts, bank statement reconciliation, and many convenience features to make operation easy. The program is available from the same sources that distribute INSURE. .pa