August 2004 Newsletter

HARP Excels

HARP Reporting System - Spreadsheet Files

by , Manager of Quality Assurance

HARP's reporting system offers a wide range of reports to help you manage your billing activity and accounts receivables. A recent trend is to use these reports in a spreadsheet file. A spreadsheet file is simply a reproduction of the report in a file format that can be easily imported into a PC application, such as Microsoft Excel^®. The advantage of spreadsheet files is that you have more control over the data on the report. You may re-sort, filter, and sum the data to find the exact information you need. These files are especially useful for analyzing the same data in several different forms. For instance, you can first find financial information by insurance company and then use the same data to find information by physician.

Spreadsheet files are in a comma-delimited format, meaning commas separate the columns of the report. The first record in each file contains information typically seen on the first two lines of each page of the report, such as the report number, report date, and client name. The second record will contain the column headings. The rest of the file contains the data as seen on the report with the addition of sort item values for each record. There are no totals in the spreadsheet files since totals would interfere with any sorting you may do to the file. Use your spreadsheet program's sum feature to generate the totals you need.

The following are steps to perform in order to obtain and open a spreadsheet file:

1. Run the report with the Create File option set to Spreadsheet. Here is a list of all current HARP reports with a spreadsheet file option:

   Accounts Receivable Report	Aged Accounts Receivable Report
   Allowance Comparison Report	Charged in Error Reconciliation Report
   Cash Flow Analysis Report	Transaction Summary Reports

   
   
2. After the report has been created, the spreadsheet file is available for download to your PC. Save the file on your PC with a .CSV extension. This extension makes it easier for your PC application to recognize comma-delimited files. For example, name your Cash Flow Analysis report as CF01234.CSV. Downloading can be done from either HARP or the ASP Portal.
1. HARP: Select the Download Files option on the main menu. Simply find your file and download it to your PC.
2. ASP Portal: Configure a spreadsheet file to be sent to the ASP Portal when ordering a report or for a report generated from account processing (such as a Monthend process.) You must have a Quadax ASP Portal user name. After the report is created, the file will appear in the Secure File Exchange section of the ASP Portal. Click on the Download link to save the file to your PC.
   
   
3. Open the file in your spreadsheet program. Instructions using Microsoft Excel are as follows:
1. Click Open on your shortcut bar or in the File menu
2. Change the Files of type at the bottom of the Open window to Text Files
3. Locate your file and click Open
4. If your file has a .CSV extension it may open automatically. Otherwise, define your file as Delimited by Commas in the Text Import Wizard.

If you find these spreadsheet files useful, please contact your Quadax Service Consultant and let us know which other reports you would like to see in a spreadsheet file format.