Work with Merge Follow-up records

As an intake processor, you can verify the records associated with the Merge Follow-up task, then merge them with existing cases or intake records. When the system automatically matches an incoming record with an existing case, the interface displays recommendations in the Merge Viewer on which data to merge.

Opening a record that has the Merge Follow-up task from the Intake Worklist takes you to the Merge Viewer. The Merge Follow-up task is usually assigned to a record when a follow-up has already been linked to an existing case the incoming data needs to be reviewed before performing the merge.

You can also access the Merge Viewer from the Duplicate Search screen by selecting the Merge Follow-up action. For more information on Duplicate Search, see Work with Duplicate Search records.

Use the Merge Viewer

The Merge Viewer interface shows a version of the intake form where the values of the incoming, current, and previous record information are displayed to you inline so you can decide which pieces of data to keep or reject. Previous refers to the most recent intake record that was either processed into a new case or merged into the current case. Whenever a field contains an update from the incoming record, the system assesses the incoming intake record against the current and previous (if applicable) record or case and provides recommendations on which data to keep in the merge.

You can use the Quality Check panel in the navigation pane like a "to-do" list where you can click through and verify all of the fields that have system recommendations. Clicking an item in Quality Check automatically loads the relevant form section with the selected field in focus so you can verify the system recommendation or select a different data item to merge.

Resolving data in the Merge Viewer

Fields in the Merge Viewer are converted to drop-down menus when there are system recommendations available, allowing you to select which values (Incoming, Current, or Previous) to merge into the record.

Note:

The logic that is used to determine the system-recommended values is configurable by your administrator.

Sections that present as tables in the Merge Viewer (such as Products and Events) have additional manual resolution actions you can perform on the items within the table. You can access these data resolution options by clicking the Actionsicon, either available at the row-level in the section table or along the top of the display after clicking into the individual item:

Table 7-4 Merge Viewer Products and Events actions

Action	Availability	Description
Match	Available for items with the status Added.	You can perform a match of two of the items in the section. If all underlying fields within the item match within the threshold, the status is updated to Matched. If some of the underlying fields cannot be matched, the item's status changes to Updated.
Separate	Available for items with the status Updated.	Performing the Separate action splits the item into two entities: One from the current case (marked with the status Retained). One from the incoming case (marked with the status Added).
Remove	Available for items with the statuses Retained and Added.	Performing this action marks the item as Removed in the table and excludes it from the merged case.
Retain	Available for items with the status Removed.	Perform this action to restore an item to Retained or Added status. The item is included in the merged case.

The section table for fields like Products and Events display the source of the data using shorthand in the Record Source column:

• In: The item is in the incoming record.
• (Prev): The item is present in the previous intake record that was merged (applicable when merging records in succession).
• Cur: The item is present in the current case or intake record.

Large text fields (such as Narrative or Case Comments) have additional update statuses and data merge options:

• Append Incoming at End: The text from the existing or previous record is retained, the text from the incoming record is displayed after.
• Append Incoming in Beginning: The text from the incoming record is displayed above the text from the existing or previous record.
• Replace Current: The text from the incoming record replaces the text from the existing or previous record's text content for the field.
• Retain Current: The text from the existing record is retained.

Special data handling considerations

When a company study is present in either the incoming record or current/previous record or case, study values are displayed as read-only in the Merge Viewer - you are not able to overwrite the existing case or record data with incoming study value updates.

Incoming drug data for a company study are added as non-study drugs unless there is an exact match for a drug present in the current case or record.

Navigation and performing a follow-up merge:

1. Make sure you are on the Intake Worklist. For more info on navigating to the Intake Worklist, see Navigating.

   Tip:

   You may also access records from the Intake Monitor. For a list of all available views and charts, see Monitor records as a workflow manager.
2. Check the box of the record you would like to work on, select Expand Details, then select Start Work. You can also select the ID of the record you wish to work on.
3. In the Merge Viewer interface, compare the data of the incoming record with that of the existing or previous case. Fields that contain updates from the incoming record are marked with a Review Change label in the Merge Viewer and are also added as items to the Quality Check panel.
4. Perform any of the following:
   • Use the Verify button in the Quality Check panel to accept the system recommendations. Alternately, you can click the name of the field in the Quality Check or Case panel to be taken directly to the updated field where you can manually enter or select the appropriate value.
   • Select the Validate button to re-run any system validations in the form.
   • Click Merge to combine the incoming record with the current case or record. You are prompted to complete the Follow-Up Justification dialog to continue the merge with a justification.
   • Reject the record by selecting Reject Record from the Actions menu.
   • Select Duplicate Search from the Actions menu to return to the Duplicate Search screen to find other records or cases to merge.
   • You can select Reset to System Recommendation to clear any manual updates you have made in the Merge Viewer.
   • Use the Cancel option from the Actions menu to return to the Intake Worklist.

After the merge, the incoming follow-up record is joined with the current existing case or record. A new follow-up/amendment row is added to the Merge Difference report attached to the case.