When you don’t enable automatic updates for contact details, changes made by patients (through the NHS app, for example) appear as PDS differences in EMIS Web. These differences must be manually checked and confirmed before any updates are saved in the patient’s record. Practices that handle large volumes of contact info changes may find this manual process time-consuming and at higher risk of missing or overlooking important updates.
Things to note if automatic updates are off:
- All new or updated email and mobile numbers require manual confirmation.
- Practice staff must regularly review PDS differences to keep data accurate.
- Out-of-date details can lead to missed messages or bounced communications.
“Practices with automatic updates enabled often see fewer admin overheads, because staff no longer have to manually action every single email or phone number change.”
If you’d like to switch this functionality on, select Yes in the Organisation Configuration option labelled ‘Auto-update patient details with PDS (mobile and/or email) changes?’ and re-start EMIS Web. This helps ensure address and contact details stay current with minimal intervention.
Did you know? Keeping contact details accurate also makes it easier to communicate key information. For instance, if your practice uses Hero Health to send individual and batch messages, having up-to-date patient details helps ensure everyone receives reminders and important alerts.
