How to Add Metadata to Department Tags Using Naming Conventions

Overview

Department Tags in OpenFIT can be enhanced with structured naming conventions to embed organizational information directly in the tag name. This provides many benefits of metadata without requiring system changes or additional development.

How Naming Conventions Work

Instead of simple names like "Finance" or "Emergency", you can use structured formats to include multiple pieces of information separated by delimiters.

Example Formats:

• Two segments: CLIN-SUD
• Three segments: CLIN-SUD-Residential
• Four segments: CLIN-SUD-Adult-Residential
• Or any number that suits your needs

The key is using consistent delimiters (like hyphens) to separate different types of information.

Simple Example

Let's say you have various teams across different departments and locations. Instead of:

• Substance Use
• Child Services
• Crisis Team
• Social Work

You could use:

• CLIN-SUD-Residential (Clinical - Substance Use Disorder - Residential)
• CLIN-SUD-Outpatient (Clinical - Substance Use Disorder - Outpatient)
• CLIN-CAMHS-Therapy (Clinical - Child & Adolescent Mental Health - Therapy)
• CLIN-Crisis-Mobile (Clinical - Crisis - Mobile Response)
• SW-Adult-Community (Social Work - Adult - Community)
• SW-Child-Protection (Social Work - Child - Protection)
• BILL-Insurance-Medicaid (Billing - Insurance - Medicaid)
• ADMIN-Intake-Assessment (Administration - Intake - Assessment)

Benefits

Immediate Advantages

• Filtering - Filter reports by any segment (e.g., all BILL-* tags)
• Searchability - Use standard text search to find related teams
• Organization - Visual grouping in dropdown lists
• No Development Required - Start using immediately

Reporting Benefits

When filtering Statistics Reports or User Statistics Reports it will be much easier and quicker to find the correct Tags to select.

Creating Your Naming Convention

Step 1: Identify Your Information Needs

What information do you need to capture? Examples:

• Service type (Clinical, Social Work, Peer Support, Administrative)
• Population served (Adult, Child/Adolescent, Family)
• Level of care (Residential, Outpatient, Crisis, Prevention)
• Location (North, South, East, West)
• Any other dimensions relevant to your organization

Step 2: Design Your Structure

Decide how many segments you need and what each represents. Some organizations might use:

• Simple two-part: CLIN-SUD
• Detailed multi-part: CLIN-SUD-Adult-Residential-North
• Mixed approach: Some teams with 2 segments, others with 3 or 4

Step 3: Define Standard Abbreviations

Keep them short but recognizable:

• CLIN - Clinical
• SW - Social Work
• BILL - Billing
• ADMIN - Administrative
• PEER - Peer Support
• CAMHS - Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services
• SUD - Substance Use Disorder
• IOP - Intensive Outpatient
• DBT - Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Step 4: Document Your Structure

Create a simple reference showing:

• What each segment position represents (if using a consistent pattern)
• Standard abbreviations
• Examples for each department

Best Practices

Keep It Simple

• Use as many segments as you need - no more, no less
• If two segments work, use two. If you need five, use five
• Avoid special characters except hyphens

Be Consistent

• Always use the same abbreviation for the same concept
• Document standards in a shared location
• Use consistent capitalization (recommend UPPERCASE for categories)

Make It Readable

Good examples:

• CLIN-SUD-Detox
• SW-Adult-Housing
• ADMIN-Intake-Screening

Avoid:

• CL-SA-DTX-RES-FL2-A (too many segments, unclear abbreviations)

Practical Implementation

For a Behavioral Health Organization Example

A behavioral health system with clinical teams, social work teams, and administrative teams might use:

Clinical Teams:

• CLIN-SUD-Detox
• CLIN-SUD-Residential
• CLIN-SUD-IOP (Intensive Outpatient)
• CLIN-CAMHS-Assessment
• CLIN-CAMHS-FamilyTherapy
• CLIN-Adult-DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)
• CLIN-Adult-Psychosis
• CLIN-Crisis-Hotline
• CLIN-Crisis-Mobile

Social Work Teams:

• SW-Child-Protection
• SW-Child-Foster
• SW-Adult-Housing
• SW-Adult-Vocational
• SW-Discharge-Planning

Administrative/Support Teams:

• ADMIN-Intake-Screening
• ADMIN-Quality-Outcomes
• BILL-Insurance-MedicaidMCO
• BILL-Insurance-Commercial
• PEER-Adult-Recovery (Peer Support)
• PEER-Family-Support

With this structure, running reports becomes much more powerful:

Migration Strategy

1. Start with New Tags - Apply conventions to any new Department Tags
2. Update Gradually - Rename existing tags during routine maintenance
3. No Big Bang Required - Mixed old/new naming is fine during transition

Quick Reference Template

Create a simple reference for your organization:

Patterns (examples - adapt as needed):
- Simple: [CATEGORY]-[DEPARTMENT]
- Detailed: [CATEGORY]-[DEPARTMENT]-[LEVEL]
- Extended: [CATEGORY]-[DEPARTMENT]-[POPULATION]-[LEVEL]

Categories:
- CLIN = Clinical
- SW = Social Work
- BILL = Billing  
- ADMIN = Administrative
- PEER = Peer Support

Common Departments:
- SUD, CAMHS, Adult, Crisis
- Child, Adult, Discharge, Family
- Insurance, Claims, Collections
- Quality, Intake, Finance, HR

Tips for Success

• Test with Reports - Verify your naming works well with report filtering
• Get Feedback - Ask users if the names make sense
• Stay Flexible - Adjust conventions based on actual usage
• Keep a Changelog - Document any changes to naming standards

Conclusion

Using structured naming conventions for Department Tags provides immediate organizational benefits without waiting for system enhancements. Teams can start using this approach today to improve reporting, filtering, and overall organization of their Department Tags in OpenFIT.