This guide provides a walkthrough for getting started with the TeleTracking API. Whether you’re sending patient attributes, capacity updates, or other types of external data, the steps below outline the core setup and authentication flow you’ll use across all API endpoints.

Prerequisites

Requirements

Capacity Management Suite® v2024.02+ or Capacity IQ®

Setup Dependencies

External data sources must be configured
Inbound and outbound sources must be defined per facility
Dictionaries must be configured to receive incoming data

Auth Methods

Understand Bearer Authentication

Walkthrough

This example walks through how to send Braden Scale scores into TeleTracking using the External Custom Data API. Braden scores help assess pressure injury risk and are often collected outside of the EMR, making it ideal for external submission.

Each step builds on the same example: submitting a score of 14 for a test patient currently in Room 301 at facility FAC001.

Determine Use Case

Start by identifying the type of external data you want to send into the system. Is it patient volume metrics? Staffing data? This use case determines which identifiers and payload structures you’ll need later.

In this example, we’re sending a Braden Scale score of 14 for a patient currently admitted. This value might be collected through a nursing tool or manual rounding form, and needs to be pushed into the platform for visibility.

If you’re unsure what qualifies as custom data, refer to the Custom Data Schema for supported formats and fields.

Create a Key

Before you can send any data,, you’ll need a secure access key that allows you to authenticate. This key is tied to your tenant and user, and it’s used to retrieve an access token for authentication.

For example, if you’re sending Braden Scale scores from a system named NursingAssessmentTool, your API key will be used to authenticate that system as a valid sender.

Follow the steps in the Generating a Key to create your key. Be sure to save it securely, it’s required to retrieve your access token.

Setup and Gather Identifiers

To ensure your Braden Scale data is attributed to the correct patient, location, and facility, you’ll need to gather or configure the following:

External Source Configuration: Register the system sending the data (e.g., NursingAssessmentTool) as an external inbound source in the platform.
External Source IDs: Map the external facility ID (e.g., FAC001) to TeleTracking’s configuration so it’s recognized during ingestion.
Visit and Patient Identifiers: Collect a current visitExternalId and patientExternalId. In our example, we’ll use VN123456 for the visit and MRN123456 for the patient.
Patient Attribute Setup: Ensure that a patient attribute for BRADENSCALE is configured in Capacity Management. This enables the score to be accepted and displayed.

For these steps, see both the External Source Configuration and External Source IDs documentation.

Construct the Payload

Use your selected use case to build the appropriate payload format. Match your custom fields to those accepted by the API schema.

Below is a complete example of sending a Braden Scale score of 14 for MRN123456, located in Room 301 at facility FAC001, tied to visit VN123456. We have mapped FAC001 in the facility Dictionary and NursingAssessmentTool is the ID for our inbound service in external source configuration.

{
  "header": {
    "id": "d10a4c9a-52f4-4cc2-b0b9-123456789abc",
    "schemaUri": "https://sv.telesv.com/schemas/CreateExternalCustomData_v1.001.json",
    "version": "1.001",
    "command": "CreateExternalCustomData",
    "sourceId": "15a8671a-7716-4d53-9798-6716aff7f9af",
    "correlationId": "1f9cbe61-9de3-4ab0-b6e6-81cf7b4c35d8",
    "tenantId": "75de8cfd-40af-427a-9279-cae6ea33248e",
    "dateTime": "2025-04-08T15:10:00Z",
    "userId": "f69489bc-e6d3-42a6-86d8-acf4012f3ee9",
    "ttl": 10000
  },
  "body": {
    "externalSource": "NursingAssessmentTool",
    "facilityExternalId": "FAC001",
    "visitExternalId": "VN123456",
    "locationExternalId": "Room301",
    "patientExternalId": "MRN123456",
    "externalDataCategory": "PatientAttribute",
    "externalDataId": "BRADENSCALE",
    "externalDataValue": "14"
  }
}

Reference the Schema article for examples of required fields, types, and nested structures.

Keep your payload clean—only send what is needed, and ensure fields are named exactly as expected by the schema.

Send the Request

Now you’re ready to send the request:

Use your access key to retrieve an access token.
POST the payload using your token in the Authorization header.

curl -X POST https://teletracking.app/api/customdatareceiver/externalcustomdata \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -d @braden_payload.json

You can find sample curl commands and step-by-step Python examples in the Authentication, Examples, and Sending Data articles.

Confirm and Troubleshoot

Watch for any errors, which typically relate to incorrect identifiers or missing required fields.

If your Braden Scale score doesn’t show in Capacity Management:

Double-check your externalDataId (must match the configured Patient Attribute).
Ensure your facilityExternalId, visitExternalId, and patientExternalId are mapped and active.

Quickstart