Correspondence FAQ

This page contains a list of questions that we are frequently asked about writing and editing letters, and electronic correspondence. If you have a query which is not covered by this article, please let our friendly Support team know. 

> I can't send a Healthlink letter - I receive an error saying the username/EDI is invalid, but I've double checked it and it appears to be correct.

If the Healthlink EDI you've entered for a recipient doesn't pass Healthlink's validation check, your letters won't send and Gentu will present you with an error message. If you have double-checked (with the recipient themselves, or via the Healthlink practitioner lookup) that the EDI is correct; the next step is to open the address book record for the recipient and ensure there are no spaces entered into the Healthlink EDI field - an extra space, at the start or end of an EDI, can cause an error where Healthlink doesn't recognise the EDI.

> Gentu won't let me preview a letter; it asks me to download the file or report instead. Why is this?

If Gentu asks you to download a report or file instead of displaying it in the preview window; it is usually because the letter was sent as an RTF file type. RTF is an older formatting standard which is no longer globally compatible with modern web browsers. To avoid formatting issues, Gentu will not display the file, but instead will prompt you to download it.

In some cases Gentu may be able to display the RTF file within the preview window, but you will still be prompted to download the original report for viewing external to Gentu.

> Can I add attachments to an electronic letter?

It is not possible to add attachments to an electronic letter in Gentu, the way you would add attachments to an email. In order for content to be sent, it needs to be included in the body of the letter itself.

> Where does the Spellcheck function come from, and how can I add to it?

Gentu does not have an inbuilt spellcheck function. The suggestions and the dictionary itself come from your internet browser. Usually, depending on your chosen browser, you are able to right-click onto a word that you have written, and select Add to Dictionary, to prevent a word from being flagged in future. This may not be the case with all browsers.

If the above mentioned option is not available to you, we would recommend having a look through your browser settings for a dictionary option. Alternatively, you might find that your browser has a dictionary or spellcheck add-on or plugin which you can download and use within Gentu.

> How can I re-address a letter?

When you create a letter for a patient, the default addressee is the patient's current active referring doctor.

To readdress a letter to a different provider, you can simply search for the alternative doctor in the Addressee field within the letter:

You can then click on the correct suggestion, and the addressee will be inserted. 

> The letters I've written in Gentu have a seemingly smaller font than those I've written in Microsoft Word, but both say size 11. Is this correct?

Gentu uses a different font scale to Microsoft Word. For example, the Gentu size 14 is approximately a size 11 in Microsoft Word. This means that you may need to choose a larger font in Gentu to achieve the desired font size that you found in Microsoft Word.

> Why can't I view/add/edit/delete letters, but my colleague can?

Your user account may not have the ability to access or edit these files due to the way that User Roles have been configured in your Gentu practice. For more information, see the User Roles article.

> Where can I add new letter templates?

You can do this via Settings > Letter Templates.

> How can I tell when a letter was printed?

You can view the details of when a letter was created, updated, and/or printed by opening the letter from the patient's Clinical tab, and scrolling down to the bottom of the letter editor. The letter metadata will display here.

You can also view this information by selecting the letter within Outgoing Correspondence. Scroll down to the bottom of the letter preview area to view this information.

> Does Gentu use macros/text shortcuts/autofill?

At the moment, it's not possible to use macros in Gentu. However it is possible to use a browser add-on (for example, Auto Text Expander for Chrome) to make macros available when writing letters.

> What is a 'third party carrier'?

'Third party carrier' refers to an external service which facilitates the sending and receiving of encrypted correspondence between healthcare practitioners, via Gentu. Healthlink and Argus are examples of a third party carrier. 

> How do I sign up to use a third party carrier service for electronic letters/correspondence?

If you wish to use a third party carrier such as Healthlink or Argus, please contact the third party company directly for assistance with subscribing. Once you have subscribed, you can enter your EDI or identifier within Settings > Practice Details. Please see the Electronic Correspondence Overview article for more information.

> Can I send an electronic letter to a patient?

Third party correspondence is intended only for doctor-to-doctor communication, so it is not possible to send an electronic letter to a patient.

> Can I send an electronic letter to a recipient who uses a different third party carrier to me?

It is generally not possible to send electronic letters to a recipient who uses a different subscription service to you. For example, if you use Healthlink exclusively, you will only be able to send and receive letters from other practitioners who use Healthlink. However, it is possible to be subscribed to multiple third party carrier services.

> How do I resend an electronic letter? Or, how do I create an electronic letter from a letter which has been printed?

Occasionally you may see an error occur in Gentu where a letter was not delivered successfully (indicated by an Error notification in the Acknowledged column of Outgoing Correspondence). When you open the letter, Gentu should provide more information as to why the letter failed to send.

If the letter has failed to send in this manner, you can re-send the letter by pressing Print and Send again. You should only re-send the letter once you have fixed any issues preventing the letter from sending, if applicable.

Otherwise, it is generally not possible to resend a letter. For instance, it is not possible to resend a letter in the following circumstances:

• If the letter has already been sent electronically and is awaiting acknowledgement.
• If the letter has already been sent electronically and has been acknowledged as received.
• If the letter has already been printed and is marked as 'Print' send type.

Therefore, if you do need to resend a letter, it is best to recreate the letter - that is, to copy/paste the contents of the original letter into a new letter.

> I have added the patient address field reference to the letter but it is not working. Why not?

The Patient Address field reference will pull the patient's postal address into the letter. If the Patient Address field reference is blank when you create a letter, ensure that the patient has their postal address entered in Patient Details - or simply tick the Use for postal checkbox under the Address details in Patient Details.