View FF Sept 2026 2 flipbook.
1 September 2026 Issue Frontline Focus FOS, PAS & Managers: News You Can Use Email Us: foscis@wellstar.org What is Frontline Focus (FF)? Frontline Focus is a communication tool designed to keep front office, PAS, and managers informed, engaged, and connected. It highlights key updates, shares best practices, and provides educational resources to support consistent, high-quality front office operations. Benefits of FF: • Keeps staff informed of important updates and changes • Shares tips and best practices to improve workflows • Encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing across locations • Provides learning opportunities to strengthen skills • Helps identify and address common challenges • Supports consistent, high-quality patient and staff experience • Recognition of opportunities for improvement When? • Bi-Monthly Front Office Informatic Specialists Bayley Knight Chassidy Smith - Senior Chelsie Ricks - Team Lead Cortney Harrison Diamond Clements Karen Cotman Latresa Keeton Lisa Ward Mari Beltre Torri Ramsey Cortney Montgomery- Manager M A R K Y O U R C A L E N D A R Epic Fall Release 2026 G O E S L I V E O C TO B E R 4 t h M E E T What's New A tool inside Epic that shows only the changes affecting your role and your workflows with tipsheets built right in. Look for this icon in Epic How to get ready 1 Watch for the megaphone icon in Epic. 2 Review the changes listed for your role. 3 Check back as October 4 nears. For all other Epic training, visit our education site.
2 September 2026 Issue Frontline Focus FOS, PAS & Managers: News You Can Use G O - L I V E S U P P O R T Need Epic support? SUN, OCT 4 – WED, OCT 7 Need to Submit a Front Office Informatics Service Request? If you need support from the Front Office Informatics team for front office workflow questions/concerns: Click Here 1. In Epic, click FIX IT and choose Clinical Informatics Service Request. Need To Submit an Incident? If you experience issues with the workflows in this newsletter or any other Epic-related problems: Click Here 1. In Epic, click FIX IT and choose New Epic Incident to send your request to IT. For Critical Issues affecting patient care, call the IT Service Desk at 470-956- 6000 immediately. Need To Submit an Enhancement/Optimization? If you have an idea to improve an existing workflow and want to suggest a new feature or tool in Epic: Click Here 1. Use the FIX IT Button in Epic: From your Epic toolbar, click FIX IT and Select Request an Epic Optimization. Help is close by all week in person, by phone, or by email. Look for this flyer posted in your area.
3 September 2026 Issue Frontline Focus FOS, PAS & Managers: News You Can Use November 2025 IssueNovember 2025 IssueNovember 2025 IssueNovember 2025 Issue November 2025 IssueNovember 2025 IssueNovember 2025 IssueNovember 2025 Issue FOIS Office Hours Has Launched! Following a successful pilot, the FOIS team officially launched FOIS Office Hours to provide front office teams with workflow support, Epic guidance, and real-time collaboration. What Are Office Hours? Live support sessions where front office staff can: • Ask workflow questions • Review Epic/front office processes • Discuss scheduling & referral concerns • Receive real-time guidance from FOIS No ticket required. Details • Weekly Sessions • Focused on proactive-support and workflow trends FOIS team members have been paired into regional buddy teams. Invitations will be sent based on clinic location and FOIS coverage assignments. FOIS Buddy Pair Grouped Cities and Streets Chassidy Smith and Chelsie Ricks Austell: East-West Connector, Medical Dr., 1605, 1664, 1790, 1791 Mulkey Rd., Hospital North Dr., Hospital South Dr., Medical Park Dr., Austell Rd. Douglasville: Medical Dr., Fairburn Rd., Timber Ridge Dr., Professional Pkwy., Hospital Dr., Stonebridge Blvd./Dr., The Landing Dr. Marietta: Medical Dr., Marble Mill Rd., 320, 330, 340 Kennestone Hospital Blvd., Roselane St., Nancy St., 625, 699, 818 Church St., Canton Rd., Kennesaw Ave., Technology Way, Powder Springs Rd., Dallas Hwy., Largent Way Other: Powder Springs Bayley Knight and Karen Cotman Dallas: Greystone Power Blvd., 55 and 76 East Paulding Dr., West Memorial Dr. Hiram: Medical Dr., Bill Carruth Pkwy., Charles Hardy Pkwy., Jimmy Lee Smith Pkwy., Hiram Dr. Marietta: 780 Church St. Smyrna: Medical Dr., Atlanta Rd. Other: Acworth, Canton, Cartersville, Holly Springs, Jasper, Kennesaw, Rome, Woodstock Maricela Beltre and Latresa Keeton Atlanta: Cumberland Blvd. Marietta: Johnson Ferry Rd., 100 and 103 Lacy St., Whitcher St., Parkway Pl., Windy Hill Rd., 2550 Sandy Plains Rd., Lawrence St., Delk Rd., Roswell Rd., Lower Roswell Rd. Smyrna: Atlanta Rd., North Cooper Lake Rd., South Cobb Dr., 562 Concord Rd. Other: Alpharetta, Brookhaven, Buford, Chamblee, Cumming, Decatur, Duluth, Dunwoody, Johns Creek, Lawrenceville, Loganville, Milton, Norcross, Roswell, Sandy Springs, Snellville, Suwanee Cortney Harrison and Diamond Clements Atlanta: Caria Dr., Princeton Lakes Way, Redwine Rd., Campbelltown Rd., DeKalb Ave., Emory Point Dr., Paces Ferry Rd., Peachtree Rd., Amsterdam Ave., Executive Park Dr., Brady Ave. Austell: 1790 Mulkey Rd. Dallas: GME—76 East Paulding Dr. Douglasville: Prestley Mill Rd., Hospital Dr., GME—Professional Pkwy. Hiram: Bill Carruth Pkwy. Marietta: White St., White Cir., Shallowford Rd., Wallace Rd., 3600 Sandy Plains Rd., Tower Rd., 310 Kennestone Hospital Blvd., 60 Lacy St., GME—790 Church St., Campbell Hill St. Smyrna: GME—582 Concord Rd. Other: Barnesville, College Park, Columbus, Fayetteville, Greenville, Griffin, Hampton, Hapeville, Hogansville, Jackson, LaGrange, McDonough, Morrow, Peachtree City, Pine Mountain, Riverdale, Senoia, Stockbridge, Thomaston, Tyrone, Villa Rica, West Point Lisa Ward and Torri Ramsey Albany: North Jefferson St., 13th Ave. Augusta: Chafee Ave., Moore Ave., 15th St., Harper St., West Wheeler Pkwy., Pendleton Rd., Walton Way, Wheeler Rd., Peach Orchard Rd., Saint Sebastian Way, Laney Walker Blvd., Hillcreek Dr. Grovetown: Lewiston Rd., West Robinson Ave. Martinez: Furys Ferry Rd., South Belair Rd. Savannah: Candler Dr., Reynolds St. Other: Aiken, Athens, Columbia, Dublin, Evans, Greensboro, Louisville, North Augusta, Sandersville, Thomson, Valdosta, Waynesboro Office Hours Expansion Begins This September
4 September 2026 Issue Frontline Focus FOS, PAS & Managers: News You Can Use E V E R Y I S S U E In Focus What's new, what's changed, and what to watch for this month. R E M I N D E R No-Show Button Removed from DAR / Appointment Desk (System-wide) Effective July 8, 2026, the No Show button is no longer available on the DAR or Appointment Desk for WMG, PAS, HOD, and WMCG front office users. The button followed an incorrect workflow that sometimes locked the patient's encounter and blocked further updates. What to do now: Use End of Day (EOD) to mark a patient as No Show or Left Without Being Seen. This step is optional since Epic updates unchecked appointments to No Show on its own within 3 to 5 business days. On the day of the appointment: The patient's Check-In Status stays Scheduled (Sch) and changes to Late once the appointment time passes. Patients you update through EOD appear in red on the DAR, so they are easy to track. U P D A T E In production since Aug. 26. OR schedulers: Case Entry now asks whether the patient is transferring in from an outside facility - if yes, capture the facility details. W O R K F L O W Do Not Set Advance Directives to Expire Advance Directives stay valid until the patient replaces one. These documents are not required to have an expiration date entered when adding them to the documents table. When scanning or indexing, leave the Expires On field blank. Leave this blank No date in Expires On
5 September 2026 Issue Frontline Focus FOS, PAS & Managers: News You Can Use N E W O N W E L L S O U R C E Front Office Informatics ONE PLACE FOR EVERYTHING YOU NEED Find tipsheets, quick links, and support on one Wellsource page built for front office teams. What you’ll find • Quick Access: links to the education site for tipsheets and job aids • Helpful Resources: how to get support and report an issue • FOIS Community Hub: connect with the FOIS team, stay informed on updates, and engage with colleagues across our practices Click here to visit the site and join the Community Hub
6 September 2026 Issue Frontline Focus FOS, PAS & Managers: News You Can Use Enhancing Efficiency and Streamlining Our IT Processes To all Wellstar Leaders, As part of our broader System efforts to enhance efficiency and streamline processes, we are now reviewing our technology investments and resources to ensure our priorities remain aligned with Wellstar’s long-term strategic goals. The first step in our review process includes a temporary pause on all requests for new software purchases, technology implementations, and non- essential project initiations so we can thoroughly evaluate our current systems. Why are we doing this? This initiative will help strengthen our technology foundation, improve operational efficiency, and ensure we are making the best use of the tools and platforms that support our teams, patients, and the communities we serve. Our goal is not simply to reduce the number of systems we use, but to ensure that every technology solution delivers clear value, supports our strategic priorities, and enhances the experience of those who rely on it every day. What can you expect? Over the coming weeks, IT and operational leaders will conduct a comprehensive review of our current technology landscape to identify opportunities for consolidation, standardization, and optimization. As part of this assessment, we will evaluate existing systems, applications, and platforms to determine where duplicate functionality may exist and where we can reduce complexity. We will also review all project requests currently in queue and develop a plan to reduce this backlog and expedite strategic requests. During our temporary pause on new IT projects, requests that are required for regulatory compliance, patient safety, cybersecurity, or critical business operations will continue to be evaluated through an expedited review process. Moving forward, we will also implement a streamlined governance process that provides greater visibility, accountability, and consistency in how technology decisions are made across the organization. We appreciate your partnership and patience as this work progresses. Additional information regarding governance processes, project prioritization, review timelines, and next steps will be shared as the assessment moves forward. Together, we can create a more efficient, integrated, and scalable technology environment that better supports our mission, our teams, and our patients. Theresa Meadows, RN, MS, CHCIO, FCHIME, FACHE, FHIMSS Interim Chief Information Officer
Until November, Keep Moving Forward. We’ve Got Your Back!