Emergency Department
Efficient patient flow is crucial to any Emergency Department. With the ED often being the main entry point of the hospital, it is imperative that admitted patients are quickly and safely provided with a bed assignment in order to accommodate the constant arrival of new patients who require care. With the use of TeleTracking, Emergency Departments will be able to:
Efficiently enter bed requests for all patients being admitted.
Use precision placement tools to ensure patients are always assigned the most appropriate beds the first time.
Work collaboratively with Patient Placement and Nursing Units to ensure beds are available as needed.
Receive Real-Time notifications regarding bed assignment information.
This Quick Reference Guide (QRG) provides step-by-step instructions for the functionality needed to complete the designed Patient Flow processes and workflows specific to the department.
Logging In/Out
Logging In as a Variable User
Launch TeleTracking and input your User Login ID and Password. Click the Sign In button.
From the Clinical Operations menu, click the PatientTracking Portal™ option.
From the Select Membership box, choose the unit you are working on. Click save.
You will now see the view for your designated unit.
Logging Out as a Variable User.
In the upper-right corner of the page, click the sign-out or end-session link.
End session - if you are signed into more than one session or workstation, select end session to end the current session.
Users with a variable membership will not be prompted to select a unit the next time they log in.
Sign out - if you are signed into multiple sessions (or multiple workstations), sign out will close all sessions on all workstations.
Users with a variable membership will be prompted to pick another unit when logging back in.
Logging In as a Fixed User
Launch TeleTracking and input your User Login ID and Password. Click the Sign In button.
From the Clinical Operations menu, click the PreAdmitTracking® option.
You will now see the view of your unit.
Logging Out as a Fixed User
In the upper-right corner of the page, click the sign-out or end-session link.
End session - if you are signed into more than one session or workstation, select end session to end the current session.
Sign out - if you are signed into multiple sessions (or multiple workstations), sign out will close all sessions on all workstations.
Bed Requests VIA Electronic Order
When an admit order is entered in the EMR it will automatically generate a Bed Request in TeleTracking.
The request needs to be updated with patient-specific information to ensure Patient Placement targets the patient to the correct Unit.
Identify the request to update and click on the patient’s name.
NOTE: You will click on the patient’s name (Test, Test)
The Patient Placement Details box will now open
Update/Verify the following data items below. Save and Close the record once completed.
Admit Diagnosis
Associated Physicians
Level of Care
Bed Custom Attributes
Isolation
Patient Custom Attributes
Comments
Origin Unit
NOTE: Some information will be automated from the order but still verified for accuracy.
Once the request is updated, Patient Placement can now target the unit the patient will be admitted to.
The next step in the Bed Request process is Activating the Ready-to-Move (RTM) Timer. Please refer to the RTM section of this guide for details.
Bed Request - Manual Creation
Left-click on the Patient Search icon.
In the Search Text field, type the patient’s Visit Number and select the Visit Number search option from the drop-down menu. Click Search to see the results.
NOTE: Visit Number is the preferred search method in order to ensure the correct patient record is utilized.
NOTE: You will click on the patient’s name (Test, Test)
Identify the correct patient from the search results and click on the patient’s name. This will open the Patient Placement Details box.
Update/Verify the following data items below. Save and Close the record once completed.
Admit Diagnosis
Associated Physicians
Level of Care
Bed Custom Attributes
Isolation
Patient Custom Attributes
Comments
Origin unit
Activate the request by clicking on the Red Date and Time.
NOTE: Activating a placement request changes the requested date and time to the current time, indicating that a bed is needed as soon as possible, and a bed search should begin
The activated request will now display a Green Date and Time.
NOTE: Once activated, Patient Placement receives an alert notifying them about the Bed Request.
The next step in the Bed Request process is Activating the Ready-to-Move (RTM) Timer.
The Ready-to-Move (RTM) Timer and Activating
The RTM Timer is an important patient flow tool that allows Patient Placement to assign ‘Ready Beds to Ready Patients’
Once bed requests are entered into the system, Patient Placement will actively start looking for the most appropriate unit for the patient based on the information provided in the bed request.
A final bed assignment will NOT be provided by Patient Placement until the sending area identifies the patient as ‘Clinically Ready to Move’.
Activating for NOW
From the bed request tab, find the correct patient record and look for the column labeled RTM@.
Single click on the field to set the timer. You will now see a time display in the field.
NOTIFICATIONS NOTE: Once the RTM is set, an Alert is sent to Patient Placement notifying them of the need to assign a bed. Once the Bed Assignment is completed by Patient Placement, the sending and receiving unit will get a notification with the bed assignment details.
Activating The Projected RTM
The Projected RTM is for selecting a future time. Patient Placement will get a notification to let them know when you will be ready, however, a bed assignment will not be provided. Once the actual RTM time arrives, Patient Placement gets a second notification to let them know to assign a bed now.
From the bed request tab, find the correct patient record and look for the column labeled RTM@.
Single click on the drop-down arrow in the field.
Select the appropriate forecasted time from the dropdown.
You will now see the time display in the RTM@ field.
Patient Transport Functionality
Requesting Patient Transport
To request Transport for a patient, find the appropriate patient and click on the Transport Status field.
NOTE: If the patient is not on your tab view, you can use Patient Search to find their record.
The Patient Transport History dialog displays. Click on the Add Patient Request button.
The Transport Request will open, and the following fields will need to be addressed:
Origin
Destination
Mode of Travel
Isolation Type
Job Status
Travel Requirements
Setting Origin or Destination
Click on the magnifying glass icon, next to each field and the “Find a Location box” will appear.
In the Search Text field, type the name/room # of the location.
Click the “Check All” box to select all units.
Click the “Click to Search” button and the results will appear in the “Location Results” section.
Click on the location and it will highlight blue.
Click on the Select Location Button and now the location will be displayed in the Origin or Destination field.
Mode Of Travel
Select the appropriate Mode of Travel for the patient from the drop-down menu.
Isolation Type
Verify the Isolation is correct for the patient.
NOTE: If the patient has an isolation set in their record, this field will already display the patient’s isolation.
Job Status
Pending – The Job will be sent to the first available transporter.
Appointment – The Job is entered for a specific time. The system will release the job prior to the scheduled time to ensure the patient arrives on time.
Possible – The Job is entered into the system but will not be an active request until the job is manually released.
Travel Requirements
To set, highlight the patient’s requirements in the Available box.
Use the arrow to move to the Selected box.
This can also be done in reverse to remove items if needed.
Now that the fields are completed, click on Save to complete the request.
At the top of the Transport Request box, you will now see the job displaying and the Job Status selected.
Other Patient Transport Functionality
Adding Jobs to Sequence
Allows you to add an additional stop in the transport request.
For example, if a patient needs to go to CT and MRI before returning to their room.
Once the request is entered, click on the “Add to Sequence” button below the Job Status.
You will now be prompted to enter the additional destination.
Once completed, the second job will remain in a Possible status until it is Released.
Adding A Return Patient Job
Allows you to add a job in the system to return the patient to the Origin location of the first job.
For example, if the patient goes to CT and they will be returning to their room once the CT is over. The second job will remain in a Possible status until it is Released.
Once the request is entered, click the “Return Patient” button.
The Return Job will now display as a Possible job.
Cancelling A Transport Job
Allows for the Transport job to be canceled and removed from the list of transport requests.
Click on the “Cancel button” in the Transport Request.
A prompt will appear to select a Reason Code for the job cancellation.
Item Transport Functionality
Requesting Item Transport
In Transport Tracking™ click on the “Item Trans” icon from the toolbar at the top of the screen.
The Item “Transport Request” box will be displayed. Complete the following fields:
Item Type (choose from the drop-down menus)
Origin
Destination
NOTE: Selecting Origins and Destinations for Items is the same as a patient transport request.
Click Save and this will display the job in a Pending Status.
Instant Notify Communication
Sending An Instant Notify
Click the “Instant Notify” icon to open the Instant Notify dialog box.
In the Search Users and Groups field, type a few letters of the User or Group to find the recipient. Repeat the process for additional recipients.
Type the contents in the Message section then click Send. You will see a notification at the top of the box that confirms the message has been sent.
Click cancel when finished to close the Instant Notify box.
NOTE:
Be careful not to hit the Send button multiple times. Each time you click the button, the message will resend.
If an Instant Notify is being sent to 25 or more users, a pop-up message alert will appear that you are sending the message to a large group of users. This is normal application behavior, and it is OK to proceed.
These messages are reportable so be mindful of the message content.
If Patient Placement covers multiple hospitals, be sure to include a campus identifier in the message so Patient Placement staff will see the correct messages. For example, if I were sending a message from General Medical Hospital, I might compose a message: ‘GMH-please block bed 408 for maintenance.
Replying to an Instant Notify
Access the Screen Alerts dialog box by clicking on the Alerts icon at the top of the screen.
The Screen Alerts webpage opens and on the right of each received message are two columns --> Reply and Reply All. Click the appropriate option.
Compose the message and click, Send.
Screen Alerts
Activating Screen Alerts
From the home screen, click on the “My Notifications” tab to display the Delivery Methods section.
In the Deliver My Notifications Via section, click the gray Disabled button. It will now show Enabled and will be Green.
Click Save.
Once saved, click Sign Out in the top right corner and Log back in.
You will now see the Alerts button at the top of your screen.
You will see the following potential Alert activity:
NOTE:
Screen Alerts only need to be enabled once per user.
Alerts will continue to display unless disabled in My Notifications.
Alerts (messages) will stay in the Alerts box until you delete them. It is best to delete your alerts (messages) once you have read them.
If an alert or message is sent to more than one person, deleting the message in your account will NOT delete the message for other users.
Location IQ® Functionality
NOTE:
If the facility has elected to include the Patient Tracking functionality for Auto Discharge this will assist the teams with instantly discharging patients.
If the facility has elected to include the Patient Tracking for Location IQ® this will assist with reducing of equipment locating time and loss rate.
Badging A Patient with Location IQ®
In the “RTLS Tag” column that corresponds to the patient, click the cell to display the menu and select Tag Patient.
The “Tag Patient” box displays and type or scan the barcode on the badge into the RTLS Tag field and click OK.
The Tag Patient confirmation dialog box appears, allowing you to verify if the patient is correct and then click close.
The patient list updates to display the patient tag number in the RTLS Tag column.
Asset Tracking and Searching for an Asset
Click on the Asset Search icon
In the search field, type in the name of the asset you are trying to locate. Click, Search
The search results will appear with the floor plan name and the location of the asset.
If you wish, you can click the Floor Plan name to open the Floor Plan map.
Navigating The Floor Plan View
You can access the Floor Plan View in two different ways.
Directly in the Asset Search shown above, by clicking in the Floor Plan Column.
Clicking on the Floor Plan Icon.
If you open the Floor Plan from the icon, you may need to select which specific Floor Plan you wish to view.
Once you open the desired Floor Plan, you can choose which information you would like to display on the Floor Plan View by clicking on View Options.
NOTE: Your health system may not be using all the available functionality shown in the screenshot.
To see additional information, click or hover on the icons within the Floor Plan.