I’m refining our convention to improve audit trails and reduce misfiles, considering YYYYMMDD_Client_Matter_DocType_v1.2, with signer initials when applicable. Looking for general templates or style guides that play well with retention policies and e-filing portals; for jurisdiction-specific requirements, we’ll defer to supervising counsel.
Quick win: we standardized a PA smartform with a “clinical urgency” toggle that auto-inserts required criteria and sets EHR timers (48 hours for urgent, day 5 for standard) with an escalation task; happy to share a scrubbed version if it helps, @OP. Small caveat: the “72-hour/7-day” clocks hit CMS-regulated lines first, so verify payer/product and loop in counsel for edge cases; CMS’s overview is here: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/patient-access-and-interoperability-final-rule-cms-0057-f.
We standardized a one-page request template and a payer matrix, and our “clock start” only fires on submission confirmation, not order sign, to match the 72‑hour/7‑day clocks. We also drop a chart banner and hard-stop close if “PA docs incomplete,” with auto-escalate at 36h urgent and day 6 standard. @c_martin22 are you capturing confirmation numbers in the WQ to defend timing when payers argue the start date?
Consider adding a ‘payer receipt’ timestamp from the portal/email ack to start the 72-hour/7-day clock, plus a tiny “pre-flight checklist” template (DX, CPT, clinicals, last failed therapy, payer form) that must be checked before send. That avoids starting the clock at order sign and catches missing docs; add a manual override for oddball payers and confirm the rule with compliance/legal. Curious if @dwatkins327 has receipt capture wired up or is still keying off submission?
I learned the hard way that some e‑filing portals choke on periods, so we dropped dotted versions and use v02 (not v1.2) with a single underscore delimiter, e.g., 20241018_ClientID_MatterID_DocType_v02. Our IT mantra is “no periods in filenames,” which keeps uploads smooth and makes retention scripts simpler; if a local rule truly requires something different, I’d confirm with supervising counsel before deviating.
@jameson_f54’s no-dot tip +1; we cap at 64 chars and append R7/R10.
We switched DocType to a short picklist (PLEAD, DISC, ORD, CORR) and tack a status at the end, e.g., 20241018_ACME_004512_PLEAD_FINAL_v03_ACPT12345 — saved us from the ‘Motion vs Mot’ mixups… Building on @fred_kline58, adding ACPT+portal ID sped up audits, and we keep a per‑matter manifest.csv so names can evolve without losing the trail. Minor caveat: if initials push length limits, we drop them on the e-filed copy and store signers in metadata.