Interventions and Referrals

Can I enter past interventions and referrals into Vasc-Alert?

You can enter past interventions or referrals into Vasc-Alert by using the link on the Patient Detail Report or from the link by the patient name on the Patient Data tab.  The process is the same as  creating a current intervention or referral except that you will need to select the correct historical date from the calendar which appears when you click in the date box. Once you have entered your information and saved it, the data will populate on the Patient Detail Report chronologically as it would if you were entering a current event.  If you enter past interventions they will also appear in the intervention list below the data table.  This is beneficial in helping to create a historical tracker for your review of a patient's access history.

How do I add Access Centers so that they will appear in the dropdown list when I enter referrals and interventions?

If you have a list of access centers that you use regularly and would like to have them available in the dropdown list within the referral and intervention for easier data entry, please let Vasc-Alert Customer Service know what the name, address, phone number, and fax number for the center are. Since access centers typically serve multiple dialysis facilities, we will link the access center information to all of the facilities that need it. 

As a reminder, if the access center does not appear in the dropdown list, you can manually enter the information. 

Why can't I print a referral?

The "referral package" is a PDF (Portable Document Format) file containing a cover sheet, the referral form itself and a copy of the patient detail report. Often times we see issues with a browser either not having a current version of the Adobe PDF plugin or having a plugin that is throwing errors. 

Go to https://get.adobe.com/reader/ and download a more current version of Adobe Reader for your computer and current level of operating system. Consult with your IT department if they have placed restrictions on downloading applications.

Why can't the data we put in our EMR about interventions transfer to Vasc-Alert like the hemodialysis orders do?

To move data from your EMR system into Vasc-Alert, an interface has to be created to transfer the data on a periodic basis. We know intervention data is an important component in vascular access management and can in many cases build an interface that will import intervention data into Vasc-Alert . Ask your administrator to contact your EMR vendor to request that they contact Vasc-Alert to assist in making this possible.