Visit Distribution Task Scheduler
Executive Summary
Visit Distribution Task Scheduler keeps a list of master facilities whose visits are to be distributed automatically onto their chairs. Coordinators add facilities, mark each as active or not, and use Process Selected to run the distribution immediately for chosen facilities. Each run looks at the next 30 days of visits (starting today, in the facility time zone), assigns each visit to the first chair that is free, taking the chairs' availability and closure dates into account, and writes the chair onto the visit in AlayaCare. Each run also creates a session that can be reviewed on the Visit Distribution screen. Settings on this screen control the automated service and its email notifications.
Key Features
- Add, edit and delete the facilities on the distribution list, each with an Active flag
- Process one or several selected facilities on demand
- See when each facility was last processed
- Configure the automated service (on or off, interval) and its status and failure emails
Typical Workflow
- Click Add Facility, choose the Source Facility, tick Active if wanted, and click Save.
- Tick one or more rows and click Process Selected. A progress panel shows while the visits are distributed.
- Check Last Run on each facility, and review the session created for the run on the Visit Distribution screen (Rule AutoTask).
- Open Edit Settings (when permitted) to configure the automated service and its emails.
Configurable Settings
Open View Settings or Edit Settings from this screen (when permitted) to change these options.
| Group | Setting | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| General | Service Active | Yes/No | Turns the automated visit-distribution scheduler on or off. |
| General | Service Interval | Text | How often (in minutes) the scheduler runs. |
| Status | Service Running Email | Yes/No | Sends status email while the scheduler is running. |
| Status | Service Running Email Interval | Text | How frequently the status emails are sent. |
| Status | Notification To Email Address | Text | Address that receives the status emails. |
| Status | Email Account To Use For Sending | Dropdown | Email account used to send the status emails. |
| Status | Chair Assignment Failed Email | Yes/No | Sends an email when a chair assignment fails. |
| Status | Notification To Email Address | Text | Address that receives the failure emails. |
| Status | Email Account To Use For Sending | Dropdown | Email account used to send the failure emails. |
Available Permissions
The following permissions are available to be assigned to AlayaCare Roles:
| Attribute | What It Controls |
|---|---|
| View | Open the page, add, edit and delete facilities, and process selected facilities |
| Settings View | Open View Settings to see the page configuration |
| Settings Edit | Open Edit Settings and change the page configuration |
Main Grid
Lists the facilities on the distribution list (14 rows per page). Use the check box in the first column to select rows.
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Id | Job number. |
| Facility ID | AlayaCare facility ID. |
| Facility Name | Facility name. |
| Active | Checked when the facility is included in the automated runs. |
| Added | When the facility was added. |
| Added By | User who added it. |
| Last Run | When the facility was last processed. |
| Manage Records | Edit and delete icons for the row. |
Actions
| Button | Description |
|---|---|
| Add Facility | Opens the Recurring Visit Distribution dialog. |
| Process Selected | Runs the distribution now for the ticked facilities (see Processing Overviews). Nothing happens if no row is ticked. The Active flag is not checked, so inactive facilities are processed too when ticked. |
| View Settings | Opens the page settings read-only (when settings view is permitted). |
| Edit Settings | Opens the page settings for editing (when settings edit is permitted). |
| Edit (row icon, or right-click a row) | Opens the Recurring Visit Distribution dialog for that row. |
| Delete (row icon, or right-click a row) | Deletes the facility from the list after you confirm "Are you sure you want to delete this job?". |
Dialog Components
Recurring Visit Distribution
Opens from Add Facility or Edit. Click Save or Cancel.
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Source Facility | Master facility whose visits are distributed to its chairs. Only master facilities are offered. Required ("Source Facility is required"). |
| Active | Tick to include the facility in the automated runs. |
When a facility is added, the system records the user and date added.
Dependencies
The following tables must be configured for lookups on this view to work:
| Table | Description |
|---|---|
| Closure Groups | Closure dates of the facility, which make chairs unavailable on those days. |
| Email Accounts | Accounts offered for sending the status and failure emails. |
| Facilities | Source facilities, their chairs and time zones. Also covers its facility availabilities: opening hours of the master facility and each chair. |
Processing Overviews
This section describes what happens after you confirm a processing action.
Process Selected
- A Distributing Visits progress panel opens. The following is repeated for each ticked facility.
- A new session is created for the facility with the rule AutoTask. It covers today through 30 days ahead, in the facility time zone, and the facility is both the source and the target master. The session can be reviewed on the Visit Distribution screen.
- For each day, the visits of the facility are read from AlayaCare (unavailability entries are ignored) and a record of each visit is saved (client, employee, service code, times, status, approval status, current facility and whether it is recurring or single).
- For each chair of the facility, the times when the chair is closed or unavailable (from the facility availability and closure dates) and the chair's existing visits for the day are collected. Cancelled visits do not block a chair.
- Each saved visit is given to the first chair that has no overlapping visit or unavailable time. A visit with no free chair is counted as failed.
- For every visit that received a chair, the visit is read again from AlayaCare. A single visit (or a recurring visit that was individually modified) is updated with the new facility, with all AlayaCare override checks switched on (overlapping visit, service instructions, reason code, locked visit, blocked employee, unavailable employee, blocked facility and authorization). A recurring visit is updated by changing the facility on its recurring schedule.
- Each visit is marked Ok, or Failed with the reason ("No Available Facility Found" or the AlayaCare message), and the counts for the session are refreshed.
- The session's processing start, end and duration are saved and Last Run is updated on the facility row. The grid then reloads. No completion message is shown.