About
Efficient patient flow is crucial to all Procedural Areas within a hospital. These areas can quickly get backed up causing procedures to be postponed and in some circumstances even be canceled if patients are not able to move quickly and safely throughout the hospital. With the use of TeleTracking, Procedural Areas will be able to:
Efficiently enter bed requests for all admissions and internal transfers.
Use precision placement tools to ensure patients are always assigned the most appropriate beds.
Work collaboratively with Patient Placement and Nursing Units to ensure beds are available as needed.
Receive Real-Time notifications regarding bed assignment information.
This guide provides step-by-step instructions for the functionality needed to complete the designed Patient Flow processes and workflows specific to the department.
Steps
Logging In/Out
Variable User Logging In/Out
Launch TeleTracking and input your User Login ID and Password. Click the Sign In button.
From the Clinical Operations menu, click the PreAdmitTracking® 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.
To Log Out:
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.
Fixed User Logging In/Out
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.
To Log Out:
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.
The Anticipated Admits List
The Anticipated Admits list is used to populate procedural patients expected to be admitted post-procedure.
This list allows Procedural Areas, Patient Placement, and Nursing Units to better plan for bed requests to ensure beds are available when they are needed.
Click on the Patient Search Icon.
In the Search Text field, type the patient’s Visit Number and select the appropriate 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 always being used.
Click on the desired patient name to open their record.
Update and verify the appropriate fields below in the patient’s record based on your hospital’s process. Examples include:
Bed Custom Attributes
Level of Care
Isolation
Patient Custom Attributes
Origin Unit
Comments
Request Time
Save and close the record.
NOTE: Once the patient is added to the list, Patient Placement can now see the list and will Target the units that are planned to receive the patients.
Managing bed requests for procedural areas
Procedural Areas will primarily have three different bed request scenarios.
Anticipated Admissions: Planned surgical admissions
Unplanned Admissions: The Patient was not a planned admission. An example of this would be an outpatient that now required admission.
Internal Transfers: The patient is already admitted to the hospital but will need to move to a different bed after a procedure.
Although each situation will require a bed request to be entered in TeleTracking, how you enter the request will change depending on the scenario. In this section, we learn how to appropriately request for Anticipated Admits, Unplanned Admissions, and Internal Transfers.
Requesting a Bed For An Anticipated Admission
When the patient arrives in the procedure area (ex. PACU), from Capacity IQ® PreAdmit, click on the Anticipated Admits tab. Find the patient and click on their name.
Update/Verify the following data items below. Save and Close the record once completed.
Admit Diagnosis
Associated Physicians
Bed Custom Attributes
Level of Care
Isolation
Patient Custom Attributes
Origin Unit
Comments
Origin Unit
Activate the request by clicking the Red Date and Time. This will send a notification to Patient Placement that the patient is in the procedural area.
Once the request is activated, the record will disappear from the Anticipated Admits List and will now be available on the Request tab(ex. PACU, Cath Lab tab). The activated request will display a Green Date and Time and be time-stamped with the time it was activated.
NOTE: Once activated, Patient Placement receives an alert notifying them that the patient has arrived in the procedure area.
The next step in the Bed Request process is Activating the RTM once the patient is clinically ready to move which is covered later in this reference guide.
Unplanned admissions (Add-On)
Click on the Patient Search Icon.
In the Search Text field, type the patient’s Visit Number and select the appropriate 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 always being used.
Click on the desired patient name to open their record.
Update and verify the appropriate fields below in the patient’s record based on your hospital’s process. Examples include:
Bed Custom Attributes
Level of Care
Isolation
Patient Custom Attributes
Origin Unit
Comments
Request Time
Save and close the record.
IF and/or when the patient arrives in the procedural area, activate the request by clicking the Red Date and Time. This will send a notification to Patient Placement that the patient is in the procedural area.
Once the request is activated, the record will disappear from the Anticipated Admits List and will now be available on the Request tab(ex. PACU, Cath Lab tab). The activated request will display a Green Date and Time and be time-stamped with the time it was activated.
NOTE: Once activated, Patient Placement receives an alert notifying them that the patient has arrived in the procedure area.
The next step in the Bed Request process is Activating the RTM once the patient is clinically ready to move which is covered later in this reference guide.
Internal Transfers
Click on the Patient Search Icon.
In the Search Text field, type the patient’s Visit Number and select the appropriate 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 always being used.
Click on the desired patient name to open their record.
From the Patient Action Drop-Down, select Create Bed Request. Once selected, you will then see a third column appear in the patient’s record.
Update and verify the appropriate fields below in the patient’s record based on your hospital’s process. Examples include:
Bed Custom Attributes
Level of Care
Isolation
Patient Custom Attributes
Origin Unit
Comments
Request Time
Save and close the record.
NOTE:
Because the patient is already InHouse, the request does not need to be activated. As soon as the request is saved, Patient Placement will get an alert notifying them of the Bed Request.
Depending on the facility settings, the patient's current bed status will change to dirty and page housekeeping. Arrangements may need to be made to retrieve the patient's personal belongings.
The next step in the Bed Request process is Activating the RTM once the patient is clinically ready to move which is covered later in this reference guide.
RTM@ (Ready To Move)
RTM 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 until the sending area identifies the patient as ‘Clinically Ready to Move’.
Activating The RTM@ (Ready To Move)
From the Procedural (PACU, Cath Lab) 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.
NOTE:
Once the RTM is set, an Alert is sent to Patient Placement notifying them that they need to assign a bed. Once the Bed Assignment is set, the sending and receiving unit will also get a notification with the bed assignment details.
The RTM@ can be turned off by single clicking on the RTM@ field. This will send a notification to Patient Placement notifying them that the patient is not ready to move.
If the RTM@ is double-clicked instead of single-clicked it will turn on and off the RTM@ time stamp.
Activating The Projected RTM@ (Ready To Move)
From the Procedural (PACU, Cath Lab) 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 time
You will now see the time display in the RTM@ field (ex. current time is 12pm and the selection was 1 hour. The time displayed will be 1 pm)
NOTE: If you select ‘Now’, a notification is sent to Patient Placement alerting them they need to assign a bed right now. If you select a future time, Patient Placement gets 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.
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. 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. The Find a Location box will appear
In the Search Text field, type the name/room # of the location.
Click in the Check All box to select all units.
Click the Click to Search button. You will see the search results in the Location Results box.
Click on the location and it will highlight Blue. Click on the Select Location Button. You will now see your location displayed in the Origin or Destination field.
Mode of Travel
Select the appropriate Mode of Travel from the drop-down menu
Isolation Type
Verify that the Isolation is correct
NOTE: If the patient has an isolation set in their record, this field will already display an Isolation.
Job Status
Pending – 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 requirements in the Available box
Use the arrow to move to the Selected box
This can also be done in reverse to remove items
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 the Job Status you 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 a 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. (Need Image)
Canceling 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.
You will now be prompted to select a Reason Code to explain why the job needs to be canceled.
Item Transport Functionality
Request Item Transport
In Capacity IQ® Transport click on the Item Trans icon from the toolbar at the top of the screen.
The Item Transport Request box will display. 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 in a patient transport request.
Click Save. You will now see 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.
NOTES:
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, you will get a pop-up message alerting you that you are sending the message to a large group of users. This is normal application behavior and you are 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 sees 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 Message
Access the Screen Alerts dialog box by clicking on the Alerts icon at the top of the screen.
The Screen Alerts webpage opens. To 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:
NOTES:
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.