VistA Scheduling Enhancements: Quick Reference Guide



Frequently Asked QuestionsUse this document to view Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and their respective answers. This document should be navigated using the following table of contents, by question topic. Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Frequently Asked Questions PAGEREF _Toc455645726 \h 1Delivering Training PAGEREF _Toc455645727 \h 2Schedulers PAGEREF _Toc455645728 \h 2Test Environment PAGEREF _Toc455645729 \h 5More Information PAGEREF _Toc455645730 \h 6Hands-On Demos PAGEREF _Toc455645731 \h 7Reports PAGEREF _Toc455645732 \h 7VSE System Questions PAGEREF _Toc455645733 \h 8Data Set-Up PAGEREF _Toc455645734 \h 8CPRS PAGEREF _Toc455645735 \h 13Requests PAGEREF _Toc455645736 \h 15VistA Interactions PAGEREF _Toc455645737 \h 20Appointments PAGEREF _Toc455645738 \h 24Clinic Set up PAGEREF _Toc455645739 \h 35System Functionality PAGEREF _Toc455645740 \h 36VAR Compatibility PAGEREF _Toc455645741 \h 38Delivering TrainingSchedulersKeywordsTimeframeTrainingRoll outGo-liveTest EnvironmentQuestionAnswerIn what time frame do the schedulers need to be trained? Is the go-live date the same date for every facility or will it be staggered?Scheduler and Supervisor training should start around June 6 for the larger training effort (that which is outside of the initial 10 schedulers taught during the site visit) for these early visits. For sites whose site visit start on or after 6/6, training should start the week following the site visit. The target is to complete training in an 11-week timeframe. If this is not achievable, the site POC should be in touch with Dawn Smith and the ACAP Office during their weekly calls. Each site is also to be completing a training implementation plan that will help the sites determine what is realistically feasible for them. Guidance for this is provided in the VSE MC Implementation Plan document that Dawn provides to all of the sites during their regular meetings (may also be available from the POCs’ SharePoint site). For roll out, this is a staggered roll out that aligns with the training schedule, roughly. Currently, OI&T is only rolling out for the test environment based on some final enhancements that are being made to the software. Starting in early June, OI&T will begin the production roll out (at which time they hope to be able to push it to the work stations, rather than local OI&T installing manually). However, for each site, users should only be given access once they satisfactorily complete the Hands-on Demonstration (3 or better across the skills).Can management reports only be saved as PDFs?Yes, but audit activity reports may be exported to Excel. Will data definitions be available for some of the management reports (adjusted demand, for example)?These definitions are not currently readily available, but we can request this information be added to the User Guide or placed in the Scheduling Staff resources in some other way. What is the go-live date? Will the rollout be done in phases or will all sites go live at the same time?This is a rolling deployment. They are currently addressing some last minute defects, but the expected rollout for the earliest sites is in early June. To say updated, the site POC should attend the deployment calls. For the VSE test environment, will the data need to be refreshed/cleared out after each class?Yes, assuming they use up the data they have configured. Do all End Users need to have training completed before sites go live?Please refer to your site MC POC. The ACAP office would like 100% completion before going live but understand this could be a hard goal to meet. Sites should have a majority of the training completed. Currently sites are being instructed to keep VSE in the Test Environment until additional patches are released that will correct known defects.Where can I find Scheduling Policies?National Scheduling Policies/Memorandums can be found on the Scheduling Community Practice Site and at your facility. Directives and Handbooks can also be found on the VGA forms and publications page via the following link: 20, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointSites having are trouble with query in the test environment. Will this happen in production as well?It should not. By reducing the query options, the slowness should be eliminated.Important - sites who did not install the GUI to the desktop and instead placed them on their regional/local servers are experiencing performance issues. The software is not recommended or built to be pushed out.The systems team and HP are looking at this.Should this be triggering a “white screen of death” or does that suggest an issue with the test environment?When the “white screen of death” occurred, the recall that was up at the time became locked and you cannot access the appt. What should they do in this circumstance??? Will check into this If pre-registration flags are not showing, is that an issue with the test environment or how the system should be behaving?They should be working – it might be a result of the test environment but will check in our systems team and get back with you. Given the updated info on requiring TMS admins to mark students as having completed the courses, how long after an admin marks the student as complete is the eval available?Will the student receive a notification to complete the evaluation?If the students complete the post test on day 4 and the sheet forwarded to the TMS admin, we have requested that the completions be marked the next working day (following the final training day). It is up to the site to work out the communications and the process. Query is consistently causing problems within the Test environment. Is this a test issue or something being put in wrong at the sites?By reducing the query options, the slowness was supposed to be eliminated. Important - sites who did not install the GUI per desktop and placed them on their regional/local servers are experiencing performance issues. It was not recommended or built to be pushed outRecall would not work in the Test environment and the POC said they do not have class one software. They are still class three and RECALL won’t work.? We also could not use EWL. Is this related to that software issue?Yes, this very likely. I would ask that they contact their regional OI&T or if needed, Yoojin Lee (OI&T national implementation manager). VA OI&T will not support class 3 softwareIn the Test environment, pre- registration flags are not displaying. We understood that all flags that display in VistA will display in VSE. Is that correct?They should be working – it might be a result of the test environment.June 21, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointTest EnvironmentKeywordsQuerySimulations QuestionAnswerSuper Users are continuing to have issues with the query function in the test environment. On my site visits, it’s worked in only one or two cases. With scenarios 5 and 7 (where users are directed to use the query tool to see recalls and EWLs for clinic C), users consistently either get a message saying there are no results or the system freezes. I’ve been directing them to use the filters in the consolidated request list instead, but I thought to give you a quick heads up about the issue.Have them use all dates – in the scenario the wait time will calculate to -365. The only way to find anything with a negative wait time is to use all dates.Does TEST system look the same as simulations? Does it blink between screens the same way?No, the simulation provides the ability to view/practice in a safe environment and become familiar with VSE program; however, there are some features of the simulations that do not behave the exact same way as TEST/VSE application.When will the “glitches” all be fixed and final product available?The program will continue to evolve throughout its lifetime. Just like any software program there will be enhancements and patches. The initial go-live date is set for the first week of July barring any issues.June 24, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointMore InformationKeywordsResultsChecklistQuestionAnswerIs there somewhere that sites can go to get the feedback that the pilot sites or other sites who are live on the system?The open forum call line:Adobe Connect Link: : 1-800-767-1750 Access Code 32988How does the system address appointment status for those who are color-blind?The application was approved by 508 team.Is there one place to get all of the documentation for VSE, besides Pulse?VistA Documentation Library there business rule guidance on cancelling requests in VSE?The Business Rules are being set by the ACAP Office now.June 24, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointHave any of the sites we visited in May actually started using the production version of VSE?No, based on varied corrections being made to the system, no sites are live yet. July 15, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointHands-On DemosReportsKeywordsResultsChecklistQuestionAnswerWhere will we report our results of the hands on demonstrations?Sites need to prepare a spreadsheet that contains the Scheduler name, date class training was completed, and a check box reflecting the Scheduler passed the hands on demonstration. The document will be uploaded to a SharePoint. The ACAP office will release the name/location of the SharePoint soon.When is the hands on checklist completed with the End User?About two weeks after attending class. The End User is given time to practice on their own. ACAP is recommending 4 hours maximum however times may vary depending on the knowledge of each user. June 20, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointGrading Scale/Scoring Rules for Hands-On-Demonstration Checklist; what is the determination for pass/fail?Users should perform at a 3 or higher across skills prior to being given access to VSE in production.June 24, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointVSE System QuestionsData Set-UpKeywordsClinicData Set-UpProhibited ClinicRestricted AccessSpecial needsReportsQuestionAnswerOn the telehealth clinic…is this 3 different clinics for telehealth?The scenario is the ability to view a clinic in the provider group so they suggested that the provider from Clinic A, B or C also be the provider for a telehealth clinic.Will VSE link with the new telehealth system (Telehealth Scheduling System)?Not at this time. Will VSE at some point allow schedulers to run reports such as EWL, SH, EARs?At the current time, VSE will allow for the request list items to be printed out in a report like fashion. It does not have the functionality to run the EAR at this time; however, these reports can continue to be run outside of VSE. Can requests be printed? For example, in the call center when a patient experiencing breathing difficulty calls, needing one of the nurses to triage it, how do they get that request to them?Facilities should follow their established process as how to handle urgent/emergent issues. This will be no different with VSE except that the scheduler can enter an appointment request that is followed up on by the staff in the clinic. If approval is given, the scheduler can make the appointment directly. Will the “enter” key work to move through VSE when it is live?Enter does not register text entries in a field in the live system. Enter does work to select a radio button, checkbox, or button. This is a keyboard alternative to clicking.Clinic D Dental states it is prohibited. Does this mean it is restricted and if so, who should have access?Yes it should be restricted. The students in the class should have access so you can restrict users that will be trained laterCan I choose multiple clinics or only groups that are built?There are two ways to view multiple clinics. The first is by viewing a clinic group built within VSE. The second way is to view by Provider. Please note that the Provider must be listed as a Default Provider for that clinic in VistA. If a patient is requesting an appointment in multiple clinics, all in one day, will we be able to schedule those?Yes, you can schedule in multiple clinics by selecting each request in turn and scheduling. If you look up the patient, all pending requests for the patient display in the consolidated request list and appointments display in the Pending Appointments section. As you select a request, the schedule for the requested clinic or specialty displays. When you schedule the appointment, the focus will move to the next request for the patient and you can schedule subsequent appointments, while seeing the already booked appointments.Who is responsible for creating the groups? And does such information need updating upon every new clinic added?VSE only recognizes clinic groups created within the software not VistA. Facilities need to develop a written process for managing the clinic groups. This will require maintenance as clinics are activated and inactivated. In the ER, a whiteboard called EDIS shows a list of veterans waiting to be seen. Will the EDIS board update when an appointment is scheduled within VSE?If this currently occurs, it will continue to update. If there was no communication previously, this would remain the same. There were no specific adaptions for EDIS. Will providers also have access to VSE so they can view their clinics/patients?No, not currently, unless they have the appropriate keys and attend training. A view-only level access is in the works. If VSE is not used for updating demographics, is there a way the system can have sections greyed out to indicate to users that these sections are unavailable?You may only update demographic information that has not been previously entered. Any existing information is greyed out, which means it cannot be updated in VSE. Other updates to demographics should be through VistA or VetLink. The ability to update in VSE is a future enhancement on the listuy. Do staff members get an alert if a patient is Non-Veteran or Collateral?The staff will not receive a pop up alert. There are several ways to see the information. When making a selection from the Search Box, the eligibility is shown in the dropdown search selection box. After a patient is selected, the Demographics area will display the Patient Type. When creating an appointment request, the Patient’s Eligibility Information box displays showing the Primary Eligibility Code. Are all staff going to have access to entering Special Needs Notifications? If so, is there anything providing general script? What is the character limit?Yes, all staff will be able to enter special needs and preferences, unless local policy restricts it use to certain roles. The ACAP office is working on some standard language. The max character length is 120 characters. Will patients be able to add these preferences once they can request appointments electronically – VAR? (Special preferences when making an appointment, service dog, escort, etc.)There is a section where the Veteran can indicate the best times for the VA to call and a 100-character message that can be sent to the scheduler. Special needs and preferences will be updated by the scheduler when talking with the Veteran to make the appointment for future reference, as is currently done with traditional appointment scheduling. Will “Special Instructions” display the special instructions without having to click on the banner in the live version? (In the test account it only says “Special Instructions.”)No, the user will need to select the Special Instructions banner for additional information. Once the special needs data has been entered while making "one" appointment, will that special needs data save for all future?Yes, special needs data stays with the patient, so it should only be entered for those needs.Is VSE used for registering patients or are we supposed to use VistA? No, VistA will be used for registering patients.Can you have a default clinic that populates automatically?No.Once you filter a request list, can you save those preferences as a default?You will need to filter or query to limit what is displayed. The purpose of this is to ensure items are not overlooked. Can you use the space bar + enter to pull up the last clinic or patient?No.Are the fields case sensitive?The Access and Verify code fields are case sensitive. None of the other fields are. Can you use the VHIC card to bring up a patient?No, VSE uses manual entry only.Will VSE provide an alert if the veteran needs to have their insurance card scanned?No, staff will need to continue to use ICB.When searching for a clinic, can the search be done using the clinic abbreviation or the clinic name? You can only use the exact clinic name when searching for a clinic. You must enter at minimum the first 6 characters of the clinic name.How long does it take VSE to time out?15 minutes.Do the graphs auto-populate or do users have a choice of graph?The graphs auto-populate. June 20, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointIs it correct that each site will install the software on a rolling basis per the OIT information in the schedule, but individuals will be turned on per local SOP thereafter based on completion of the demo checklist?There will be a recommended patch installation window and then GUI installation dates. However, access to the system is per local SOP as you outlined.Super Users & Schedulers need to complete the two courses (documented as complete in TMS) and demonstrate a level of proficiency through the demo checklist. At that point, they will be recommended for access. This should be outlined per SOP. This is critical. With regard to the grouping of clinics will - each staff member be able to customize it to their needs for the clinics they are responsible for ?At this time there is no ad hoc option for clinic groups - all groups need to be built with guidance from your oversight group to include clerks and/or provider input.June 21, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointCurrently clinic name changes cause the recall system to have glitches. Will VSE have these same issues?VSE receives its information from Vista. The information in the recall system is sent to VSE. If there are glitches in the recall system and the clinic names are not correct it will pass the incorrect clinic names into VSE. The Recall documentation lead the users to believe that the NAMES of the clinic must match but it really is not looking at the NAME but the IEN number of the clinic.June 24, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointWhen coordinating with a VAMC that is not yet on VSE, what is the process, e.g. this location is live and an associated location they also book for is not live?The other site would continue to schedule within VistA and this would not yield an issue. There should be no issue with a Veteran who goes in between sites with and without VSE since VSE is only an overlay on VistA.July 6, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointCPRSKeywordsCPRSConsultGUIQuestionAnswerOnce a request is in VSE, does the request link to CPRS as a text order?The appointment request does not link to CPRS as a text order.?A national service request (NSR) was entered to drop the RTC order date in CPRS into VistA scheduling and is pending. This option is not available in VSE at this time but hopefully, will be added as a future enhancement down the road.Will consults link to VSE? Will a link pop up in VSE stating the consult has linked to the appointment?Yes the consult will link in VSE when the scheduler creates an appointment in a clinic that has the same Stop Code as one that is associated with that consult. The appointment will show CON- next to the date/time in the Pending Appointments section.What is the date range for pending appointments?One year (365 days) in the past and one year in the future beginning with today’s date.When the provider enters an RTC order in CPRS, will it automatically generate an appointment request in VSE?CID to Clinic Orders do not populate from CPRS to VSE. The scheduler should create the request within VSE based on the RTC.Do consults state whether the condition is service related?Each time an appointment is scheduled, the patient eligibility is displayed.?You may also view this in the patient demographics section.?The SC prompt will automatically be checked for those Veterans SC 50% or greater. For veterans less than 50% service connected the scheduler will have to use their normal process for determining if the appointment is related to that service connection.Will the same patient still populate in both VSE and CPRS when selected as they do now?No, the shortcut will not force the patient to display in VSE.How long until GUI will time out?The time out is the same as CPRS. The time out is 15 minutes.Will we be able to change the time-out amount per our MC preference? (in regards to the GUI closing out due to inactivity)It is set up on the VistA set up. I heard you can't use the VHIC cards with this GUI. Is that true?Since the patient has no direct interaction with this system, that is true.Does the same patient being viewed in the GUI automatically show in CPRS?No. Will Provider RTC orders from CPRS show in the Request List (RM Grid)?No, only Consults, Procedures, Appointment Requests, EWL Requests, and Recalls Requests.Will the appointment connect to the Consult from VSE?Yes, scheduling the appointment will update the status of the Consult in CPRS to “scheduled.”Will users be able to see the status of a Consult in VSE?The Consult status is not viewable in VSE. The scheduler can use the query tool to produce a list of Consults for a service, bout you will need to work out a local process to determine when the appointment should be scheduled and how the clerk will view the comments for these consults. June 20, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointIf a provider enters return to clinic order in CPRS does it display in VSE?No, they do not.Since recording contacts in VSE do not populate in CPRS, what are the procedures for recording contacts now?Use existing process until this functionality is updated.Will Disposition orders entered in CPRS display in VSE?No.Will pre-appointment Provider documentation in CPRS "Check out" the patient in VSE as it does in Vista?YES if the status of an appointment changes in VistA it will reflect the same in VSE.June 24, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointRequestsKeywordsEWLVCLRecallMulti-bookQuestionAnswerWill schedulers be able to create new entries for EWL, VCL & Recall from within VSE?Schedulers will have the ability to manage the EWL, Recall, Consults and future appointment requests through the VSE.?One of the nice features of VSE is that all of these future call request lists are consolidated into one which can be quickly sorted by clinic, provider, service, priority, etc.For the facilities that have veterans already in Recall in VistA, will those requests be automatically pulled in? If they change the disposition type for the recall reminders via patch, will it update in VSE?Yes, they will automatically be pulled in and included in the request list.Is there a report that shows open appointment requests?The Query Tool can be used to run a report on open appointment requests. When would you choose patient versus recall or appointment when entering the Veteran’s record?Request Types:Appointment: Choose this type to create an appointment request. Recall: Choose this type to create a Recall Reminder request.Patient: Choose this type when wanting to view appointment information. How can you check availability in another clinic?If you do not select a request, you can use the search next to the Schedules to look up a provider, a clinic or a clinic group of your choosing. Selecting Clear next to the patient search field will allow you to deselect any chosen requests and clear any current search criteria. This is essentially a reset allowing you to look at just the information of your choosing by entering search information next to the Schedules. How does multi-book affect the CID date text order? Will this hinder us somehow?Multiple appointment booking calculates from the CID established by the provider and the interval. For subsequent MRTC appointments, the system will calculate wait time from the provider interval. The patient may request an alternate date which will be honored and entered. The interval time period based on the initial appointment is what is involved in the calculation. This should not be problematic because the scheduler has within 30 days of the CID to work with.With Recall Reminder going away, will this be readjusted?The functionality will still be there, but it will be renamed so if a Veteran chooses to ask for a reminder call rather than making an appointment in that moment, we can still track that request.In VSE, when the appointment is cancelled, the information will return to the “Requested” status. Does the number of “Requested” items inflate or skew any reports?The system will correctly report the number of requests. It is important that schedulers are mindful of correctly reflecting who cancelled an appointment and cancelling both the appointment and the request is no longer needed. What is the purpose of creating an appointment request before the appointment is actually scheduled? Putting a request in place sets the patient’s spot in the queue. It lets us consolidate any waiting lists into our one consolidated request list. It also allows you to place a patient on the EWL if necessary. Further, if an appointment is cancelled, it ensures that the need for the appointment is still being tracked and worked.Can two people view the same patient at the same time?Multiple staff can view the same patient in VSE with no error or alert messages. If multiple staff attempt to open the same appointment request an alert is presented stating another user has the request locked. Multiple staff can open and act on different appointment requests. Will VAR be entered through kiosks?VAR is designed to be entered via the Veteran’s device (cell phone or PC). When contacting the Veteran, the scheduler could confirm the Veteran’s intent and disposition of the other requests. Creating appointment request for a service/specialty and multiple visits slide: MSAs don’t decide whether or not something is “service connected” so how can they check the box?You should continue to follow your local policy on service connection. If, for you, this means that they should never check the box, then you can add that to your speaking points. Service specialty pulls the information based on the VistA clinic set up.Does the request have to be reviewed by the doctor before it can be scheduled?This would likely be a matter of local policy.Is the Comment Section used to enter remarks for Nursing and Providers to view?Remarks entered in the Comment Section of the Appointment Request are only reflected in the Appointment Request. When scheduling the appointment from the Appointment Request the scheduler should enter remarks in the Notes section. The remarks entered in the Notes section will be reflected in the appointment for all staff to view.Is it possible to have the Remarks section as a required field?None of the free text entry fields (the Comment, Remark, and Notes fields) are currently required. You can make this a part of your local process though and teach to it. Will the multi-book option still require the multi-book key?No.What happens when you select the next button instead of the book button?For a multi-book request, this takes you to the following requested date in the series. For instance, if you are scheduling weekly PT appointments, and you have scheduled the first appointment and for some reason the patient wants schedule the third appointment next, you would select Next to jump over the second request. What is the reason for entering the provider’s name in the Appointment Request?To give the scheduler additional information pertaining to the appointment. In some instances the scheduler has to search through notes in CPRS to find the provider who requested the appointment.How do you cancel/remove an EWL Request?To cancel or remove an EWL Request right click on the EWL Request located in the Request Grid. Choose EWL Disposition and select the appropriate Disposition type. Will the Recall Reminders currently entered in Vista transfer to VSE or will they need to be re-entered?VSE will pull in all current Recall Reminders from VistA. Re-entering the Recall Reminder request is not needed.When you cancel an appointment, does the appointment request appear back in the consolidated list?Yes, you can see this in action in the simulation.Is the automatic Recall removal part of the Recall system or a function of VSE?Recall removals are done through a scheduled task manager nightly job that is set up by site IT departments. Confirm that your site has the recall task job scheduled, and, if it does, also confirm if it runs nightly. June 20, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointIn the mental health here they have to check each provider’s Outlook calendar to look for availability. The Outlook scheduler then communicates with Vista and schedules the appointment for the slot chosen. How will this translate in VSE?If the “Outlook scheduler” has scheduling keys in VistA, they can be set as a scheduler within VSE and complete the same actions.June 21, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointIn the Consolidated Request List one of the columns headers reads “RR No Date” what does the “No Date” mean?The date is the date upon which a request enters the system, be that from another system or entered by a scheduler.How will VCL requests be created/managed in regards to the EWL process in VSE?The process for the VCL is the same as what is currently being done in VistA . In the VSE GUI:i. Make an appointment in the desired clinic. Include in the notes section field the Choice Opt Out String: #COO#Ii. Make a second appointment request into the desired VCL clinic and transfer to the EWL. Include in the comments field: Choice Opt Out string: #COO#Will pre-appointment Provider documentation in CPRS "Check out" the patient in VSE as it does in Vista?YES if the status of an appointment changes in VistA it will reflect the same in VSE.June 24, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointDo you have to select Refresh in order to take action on the request that appears in the Consolidated Request List right after an appointment is canceled by the patient? No. The request that appears at the top of the list should already be highlighted and you can go to the clinic appointment grid and reschedule the appointment without needing to take any other steps. When you click on an appointment in the clinic grid the patient’s demographic information is displayed in the ribbon and the patient name is in the Search box but the consolidated request list isn’t for this patient. Is this a bug?This is working as designed. In order to view the specific patient’s requests, you will need to click the Search button.Why aren’t Recall appointments removed from the consolidated request list when the appointment is scheduled?VSE works the same way as VistA with regard to Recall appointments. A nightly job runs in VistA that will remove the Recall request from the list without users needing to take any action.The request doesn’t immediately appear back in the consolidated request list when a consult appointment is cancelled by clinic. Why do I have to refresh or retype the patient name in the search box and click the Search button in order for it to appear?The information doesn’t come from VSE and has to be pulled in from the Consults package.If the scheduled appointment for a Recall Request falls outside the 45-day window, and as such the nightly task does not remove it, how should those Recall Requests be dispositioned? What disposition reason should be used?The process does not change from the current process. You would use the same disposition reason that you currently use in this case. To disposition in VSE simply right click on the recall request and slide down to Recall disposition – choose the appropriate disposition reason (these are the same reasons that Vista allows) and enter an option comment then click OK.When VSE goes to production, will EWL/VCL requests from 2014 through now all be displayed in the Consolidated Request List as pending EWL requests?Yes, all EWL/VCL requests will be displayed.If there’s an appointment request in VSE, but a scheduler decided to make the appointment in Vista instead of VSE, will the appointment request still show up in VSE? Appointment requests must be scheduled in VSE to satisfy and close the appointment request.What is the appropriate action in system if a request gets entered as a duplicate (i.e. someone doesn’t know that a request already exists)? Does this need to be confirmed/clarified with the Veteran and/or provider first? What is the appropriate disposition option?To confirm an appointment request is a duplicate the scheduler would take the same steps when confirming if an RTC order is a duplicate. If the scheduler has confirmed the appointment request is a duplicate it can be dispositioned using the Entered In Error selection.If a consult is discontinued or cancelled in CPRS, does it automatically remove the associated appointment request or does it take overnight for it to disappear from the consolidated request list?The associated appointment request will be removed once the consult is discontinued. The screen would need to be refreshed to verify this. July 15, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointCan the MSA enter a request without access to a prohibited clinic?Yes, staff can enter an appointment request to a prohibited clinic without having privileges. They will not be able to schedule the appointment unless given access.July 18, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointCan Recall be added as an option on the Request box that displays after a patient is checked out?In VSE after you check out a patient the Appt Request box comes up. The Super Users believe it would be easier if they could schedule a Recall from this point.It will need to be submitted as an enhancement request. Can you edit a Request after it is made?No. You cannot edit requests after they are made to prevent manipulating information such as request dates.?However, the ability to edit special needs and preferences?has been offered as an enhancement.What does RR No Date mean from the Consolidated Request List header?It is the date upon which a request enters the system, be that from another system or entered by a scheduler. RR is an abbreviation for Recall Request.Do Procedure requests display in VSE like Consult requests?Yes, they do.What is the red bubble in the Mobile Request Pane?It is an indicator of the number of new/pending Veteran Appointment Requests coming in from VAR application.Do Special Needs always display or have to be re-entered?They always display in the Ribbon Bar for the veteran until edited/removed via APPT Request dialog.Does the cancel appointment auto-generate a new APPT Request?No, it is not creating a new APPT Request it is re-opening the original request entered.July 22, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointVistA InteractionsKeywordsSchedulingQuestionAnswerWill the scheduling portion of VistA be disabled or shut down?The appointment management menus won't be disabled within VistA. They're going to remain for "emergency" use, and also because the same menu is used for both options (SDWL).Remember that VSE just sits on top of VistA, so that core functionality needs to remain in place.Will there be a way for us to see when the schedulers are using VistA vs VSE?There are reports available that is discussed on day 4 that allow you to see numbers for those scheduling VSE. There is no comparison from the VistA end, just the Scheduler Audit Activity Report in VSE.Does VSE force you to check in an unscheduled visit?VSE does prompt for a check in, but schedulers can cancel the action and the patient will not be checked in.If we check them in in VSE, will the medical record automatically print?If you have VetLink the guidance is to continue to use that to check in patients, be they scheduled or unscheduled. Can you leave the check-in process prior to check-in in VSE?Yes, you can cancel the check-in action.If a patient is pulled up in VistA will that patient show in VSE automatically?No.Will the check-in function of VSE update VetLink?No. Facilities using kiosks will need to continue using VetLink to check in patients.Will the current EWL and RR lists in VistA populate in VSE?Yes. Can a user have more than one session of VSE open?Yes, users can have multiple sessions of VSE opened. However schedulers need to proceed cautiously if multiple sessions are open.Will disruptive behavior flags like in VistA appear in VSE?Yes, the flags will pop up in a separate dialog box. It actually looks exactly like it does in CPRS/VistA now.Do all patient flags appear in VSE?No, only National Flags will populate in VSE. Locally created flags will not present to the user. Please note the Behavioral Flag is currently not populating in VSE. This was an oversight during development and is being corrected. If a supervisor has access to multiple sites in VistA, will he or she have that same access in VSE? In VSE, the supervisor will only have access to the medical center’s instance of VistA. If they happen to be on an integrated system (where multiple sites share one VistA installation), then all sites will all be accessible.Will no-show letters/pre-appointment letters, etc. pull from what we already have stored in VistA?Yes, any letter options will pull from the letters you already have configured within VistA.Can letters be reprinted? For example, if the letter is printed and sent out, and the scheduler finds out the address has changed, can the letter be reprinted after the address is updated in VistA?Yes, if the scheduler opens the appointment in VSE there is a reprint option in the lower left corner of the window. Can an appointment several days in the past be marked as a no-show?Yes. You can mark a patient as a no-show after the appointment date, just like you can now in VistA. If you are unable to mark a patient as a no-show, contact a supervisor or ADPAC who can troubleshoot why the no-show didn’t appear. Where will the “attempt to contact” letters come from? It gives us the option to track our call attempts and mail a letter, but where is the letter coming from? Is it automatically generated by the VSE system?The letter is not coming from within the system; it is just a means to record that you have made the attempt in this case. However, because there is not a reporting function and this information is not sent back to CPRS, the recommendation is to continue to track contact attempts in CPRS until this is resolved.When you create a telephone contact for a patient in VSE, where will notation show?Currently, besides looking at the request in VSE, this information is not reflected anywhere else. Since there is not a mechanism to pull this information from VSE and we are not sure how long it will take to add this important feature, we should address the call attempts feature as being under further development and to continue using CPRS as their primary mechanism to document call attempts. We will be modifying how we speak to this functionality. When the consult appointment is made in VSE, does it send the documentation to CPRS that it is done or do they have to then go into CPRS and document that the appointment has been made? Making the appointment in VSE will update the information in VistA (and, in turn, CPRS). Similarly, with a consult, since it is provider-initiated and comes straight from CPRS, the CID is the date reflected in the system and it should stay the same. If a patient is checked in through VetLink, does it show checked in in VSE and vice versa?VetLink communicates with VSE but not the other way around. If the Veteran Checks into the kiosk, it is reflected in both VSE and VistA.When the VA starts using PIV for computer access will it also work for VSE or will Users continue to use their VistA log in information?They will still need to use their VistA log in information.June 20, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointCurrently clinic name changes cause the recall system to have glitches. ?Will VSE have these same issues?VSE receives its information from Vista. The information in the recall system is sent to VSE. If there are glitches in the recall system and the clinic names are not correct it will pass the incorrect clinic names into VSE. The Recall documentation lead the users to believe that the NAMES of the clinic must match but it really is not looking at the NAME but the IEN number of the clinic. Clinics MUST have a Recall Letter attached for the clinic to be selectable in VSE.How will implementation affect radiology check in/out procedures?Works just like VistA The radiology package still does not “talk” to Vista so it will act the same in VSE. Radiology clerks will still need to use the radiology package to complete the information for that package.Will scheduling audits require pulling data from both VSE and VistA? Is there a planned enhancement to consolidate information?All audits are in VistA as VSE is just a GUI overlay of VistAJune 24, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointIf a clinic is cancelled in VistA will it automatically show up as canceled in VSE?Yes, if a clinic is cancelled in VistA, it will be unavailable in VSE. For the request, my best guess is that the instructor was saying you cannot remove a request by cancelling the clinic in VistA. Therefore, if an appointment is no longer needed, the request would need to be cancelled.In VistA if a patient is non eligible they receive a big prompt indicating that. Will this show up in VSE and where would they see it?They do not get a large prompt as in VistA. When you go to schedule an appointment, the Patient Eligibility Information window displays alongside the New Appointment window. The Patient Eligibility Information window includes the Service Connections Percentage, Primary and Secondary Disability Codes. You can check this out in Figure 90 on page 75 of the VSE User Guide May 2016 Final.If you use VSE to check in patients will it communicate to Pyxis (used by diagnostics)?If Pyxis receives its information from VistA, then it should continue to receive the same information. All actions taken in VSE are sent to Vista and the files updated.July 15, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointIn VistA a patient can have up to 3 phone numbers listed (home, work, cell). Which one is VSE using? ?If a patient prefers to be contacted on their cell phone should the scheduler put this in the preferences section?The Contact Information shows home and work/office numbers, as labelled. The scheduler could certainly include that in the preferences. The sites could determine this is the local policy and add it as an element in the training.Will using VSE Print Letter? dialog impact the auto print letter process for appointments greater than 21 days from VistA?No, it will not. Using the Print Letter? dialog allows schedulers to print a single letter for the appointment just scheduled. It will not impact any background jobs set up to auto send letters already scheduled.Will VistA access be cut-off so that schedulers can only use VSE?As there are limits to what can be done in VSE, there is not a current plan to cut-off schedulers from VistA.Will EWLs in VSE appear on EWL Report in VistA?Yes, they will.Will VSE give an alert when a scheduler attempts to mark a nursing home patient as no show?In Vista if a patient is living in the nursing home at the medical center they are marked as in patient even though their medical visits are handled through the outpatient clinics. When a scheduler needs to mark a patient like this as a no show there is an alert that comes up that stops them from doing it.There is not an alert as this is not standard VistA functionality. This could be an enhancement request.July 22, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointAppointmentsKeywordsCheck outQuestionAnswerDo I have to complete the scheduler check-out? What if the Veteran leaves the clinic without stopping by? Do I have to track the Veteran down?It is not required, but it is designed as a useful way to ensure you have spoken with the Veterans before they leave.Can the provider complete the encounter themselves?Providers can and should complete encounters as they normally do. The check out within VSE does not replace this process.How does a user schedule variable length appointments?To begin, create the appointment request. The appointment request will populate in the request grid and the clinic grid will populate in the Schedules area. Locate the appointment slots, alternate-select to highlight the appointment slot, hold down the shift key, and alternate-select the appointment slot below the first one. Both appointment slot boxes should be highlighted now. Select on either box and select “Add Appointment.” Follow the additional steps to finalize the appointment. If you click on cancelled by patient, change the CID, and then re-click on cancelled by clinic, does the original CID reappear?The behavior when an appointment is cancelled by the patient is to cancel the appointment request Cancel by Patient” and then in the appointment request, change the CID/PD date to the Veteran’s PD and reschedule the appointment.?Appointments cancelled by the clinic must indicate such when cancelling.?When cancelled by the clinic there is not an option to reset the CID/PD date which is the way it is intended to work.?Other finagling would be considered inappropriate.?When a patient calls for an appointment, schedulers were told to ask the patient when he or she would like to be seen. If they say tomorrow, and their CID is 8/1/16, will schedulers still put 8/1/16 in the CID/Preferred date box?If the request exists already in the system with a CID because the provider requested it, that date stays the same. If the patient calls in and asks for an appointment that does not have a related provider-initiated request, then you would use the patient’s desired date. The system should be prompting you clearly for one or the other.When you hover over a scheduled appointment slot in the Schedules Section will that veterans display?Yes.Will Schedulers still have the ability to add a Lab, X-ray, or EKG to an appointment?No, schedulers will need to schedule all Lab, X-ray, and EKG appointments separately.In the Schedules section, can a site customize it so they see 7 days before and after an appointment, not just three?No, the views available are Day, week (3 days before and after requested date), month (calendar month), and timeline.Does VSE show the clerk’s name who scheduled the appointment? And is this name reported back to VistA?VSE does not show that information in the appointment details. When cancelling a multi-book appointment, the box below that says “remove appointment request”, can you click that box and it removes the request or do you have to go in and manually remove it like it makes you do in the simulation?The Close MRTC Request dialog box displays the following options: Cancel the selected appointment onlyClose the associated appointment requestCancel all pending appointments in the seriesClose all associated appointment requests in the seriesSelecting the first two will also remove the request. In the simulation, we wanted them to cancel only one appointment and then complete an APPT/Veteran Disposition to remove the request. You would need to select both of the appropriate options from the Close MRTC Request dialog box.June 20, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointWhen working with multiple appointments can you go back and print all of the appointments on one letter for the patient?No, appointment letters must be printed at the time of action. Schedulers can use VistA to print a letter with all of the appointments if their facility allows multiple appointments on one generic letter.Will Schedulers and/or managers have access to generate a real-time report of cancellations – appointments that have been cancelled by patient or by clinic?Not from VSE. Vista Fileman can be used to create real time reports for that information.Is there an easy way to view cancellations as they happen? Say, if I schedule for all PC providers, can I see when a cancellation happens in one of the clinics, so I can fill it?No. Vista Fileman can be used to create a real time report for cancellations. When no showing a veteran in VSE, will a no show post card automatically be generated and sent to the veteran like it currently does in vista?? VA has a Xerox contract where postcards in VISN 1 (and other VISNs) are automatically mailed from one centralized VAMC in the VISN.Any site using the Xerox Printing Center needs to be aware that a CrossWalk job runs each night and extracts the data from Vista. Since VSE updates VistA, this data will still be gathered by the CrossWalk job. ?Sites will have to instruct the scheduling staff to not use the printing capability within VSE. Is there a way to see the next available time slot for a clinic/provider/etc.?They can look at the calendar view, select the time reference (day, week) and take a look. At the moment, that this method to view availability.Is there going to be an enhancement that adds RTCs to the request list? If so, when is it slated to deploy?Yes, there will be an enhancement to place the RTC date (CID) directly into VSE. The ACAP office via Barb Schuster has also placed a national service request to have this done in regular VistA. It is not expected to be in VSE for at least 6 months. Will you be able to link the consult?Yes, if the consult has the same associated stop code as the clinic.Do you have to put actual date like 02/01/17 or can you still use t+6m?T+6m does not give the correct dates. -It takes the date but does not return the expected date.How do you print a list of appointments for the next day so that you can make phone call reminders?You would have to print from VistA if a printout is required, but a user could work from system instead of a printout. ?Can you print schedules for the clinics instead of just request grid?? If yes howNo, they should print the clinic schedules in VistA right now.? ACAP will check to see if this will be a future enhancement.When you need to alter the patient remarks is there a way to do this without creating a new request?Remarks are the notes tied to a patient’s special needs and preferences. There is not a way to change these without making a new request. ACAP will forward this on for future consideration of an enhancement.Is it the goal to eventually shut off VistA when we are able to do everything in VSE? And is there a target date?Not currently. This just sits on top of VistA and still requires VistA to functionHow do you make a slot temporarily not available? For example, an hour meeting for a provider. And how quick does it occur?This is not something you would do from within VSE. The schedule configuration is handled within VistA. They might opt to recommend this as an enhancement.The provider requests a Recall in 6 months. The clerk will enter this into the VSE system as a request. ?Is there a way to print all future recalls for that particular clinic? If the user queries the list to show Recalls for a given clinic. There is a Print option in the Tools section of the ribbon that will print the current version of the list.How have the sites transitioned from the VISTA Recall system to the VSE Recall system?The Recalls will come into VSE directly as they go live.Currently the VISTA system recognizes (based on Stop Codes) if an appointment is scheduled and there is a pending consult for that same service. Once the appointment is scheduled, the status on the Consult will change to SCHEDULED. If the appointment is cancelled or rescheduled, the status on the consult is tracked.Will this feature be available in VSE or will the scheduler have to change the status of the consult service?Yes, this will work the same way from VSE, so long as the appointment is within the designated time window.Will a separate appointment have to be made for lab work or x-rays?Right now they append these appointments to the patient's appointment with the doctor and they want to know how this will be handled in VSE.They will need to continue their current processes for this. This is not well integrated with VSE currently.Have you heard anything about Vista enhancements for in patient services (admitting, etc.)?? One super user said that he heard there were some enhancements coming in the Fall.The team is assembling these currently and plan to have the list published on the VSE VA Pulse in an accessible area. There will be a tool where super users can look for “known issues” as well as enter any issues they encounter (if not on the list). This is being handled by Deb Malkovich and Erin Vanderwall. Will check in with them to identify their progress. We will offer a few training calls/ sessions to the super users specific to known issues (those who have already attended the training) and share these with you as soon as the list is validated.Is the appointment request added once the consult is made active or while it is still in pending status?The Consult will appear as soon as it is signed. It must be a local policy to not schedule a pending consult as this is not a National Directive. There is no indication of the status in VSE – we may want to submit this as an enhancement request as you are not the first to point this out. You will need to follow your local policy for when to schedule an appointment. A consult list can be queried for the scheduler to work down but you will need to work out a local process for deciding if they should be scheduled or bypassed based on your local procedures.When we schedule in Vista we also have to manually go in and attach the radiology order to the appointment in the Appointment management system. It doesn't do so automatically, so does this one do so or are we still going to have to attach the Radiology order to the appointment?The radiology package does not really play too well with scheduling, so this process will need to continue at this time. You will need to determine a local process to make sure this is still being accomplished. This may be something the site considers requesting as an enhancement.Can you do bulk cancellation of clinics in VSE if a provider calls in?You cannot change a clinic’s schedule (e.g., remove all availability for the day) via VSE. This must still be done in VistA. I assume this is the person’s questions, since appointments themselves require individual attention.In the system tab, scheduling management, the “Access Groups” tab is grayed out.? What is this tab?? Does access?need to be given to open/utilize this tab?In the User Guide, Access Groups are defined as “Categories of Access Types. Assigning Access Types to Access Groups makes it easier to schedule and search for certain types of appointments.” Access Types is defined above that term as, “The variety of different appointment types available in the Legacy VistA Scheduling package. Each type of appointment, such as routine, physical, dental, walk-in, or other specific appointment type is an Access Type.”This function was disabled pre-deployment. No access needs to be provided.What is the date range of the pending appointments that show on the list?A year in the future and a year in the pastCan you link two appointments to one consult request (i.e., interventional radiology)?No, there is a one-to-one correlation between requests and appointments.Can you multi-select a few clinics then click add resources, or do you have to do each individually if you don't want to add all?Yes, you can use Ctrl or Shift to select multiple options as you might in other software.June 21, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointHow many overbook appointments can be added into each of the clinic group set up?Overbooks are dependent upon the clinic set up in VistA, which is where they define if a clinic can be overbooked at all and, if so, how many.During slide 50 Super User read from script “For example, you will see an alert if you attempt to check in a patient too early.” Question from scheduler in class: What does the alert look like? Does it prevent people from checking-in patients before it is time.Check-In cannot be completed prior to day of appointment. The option to check in is greyed out prior to day of appointment. However, on day of appointment there is no alert that says it is too early to Check-In patient if it is still prior to start of appointment time. There are no alerts or restrictions for Check-In of past date appointments. This has since been updated in the script to state “Check out a patient too early.”The schedulers are asking where they can print the appointment list for the day, especially to give to their doctors.For printing, the only print option currently is of the request list or reports. They are not the first to ask though, so I would imagine that this will be a fairly high priority enhancement.Will Svc Related checkmark auto populate in appointment request?Yes, if veteran has 50% or greater service connected percent.Why do we have to create an appointment request now?This is the design of the system that enables us to ensure that we don’t lose patients through the cracks if an appointment is cancelled without being rescheduled.What is the checkout process?This is local process, but it is likely the time when you schedule any follow-up activities with the Veteran.Which of the following fields is equal to the comments entered when booking an appointment in VistA?a. Remarks = Special Needs entered in Request dialog and stays with patient are displayed in Ribbon Bar.b. Comments = Requests entered in request dialog and stays with specific request are displayed in Comment column on Consolidated Request List.c. Notes = Appointment and stays with specific appointment are displayed in View Appointment from Clinic Schedule Grid.Will a Check – In completed in VSE update Vet Link?No, but a check in done in VetLink will update VSE.June 24, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointHow will pre-registration be completed?Pre-registration would still be completed in VistA.Will the appointment management menus be disabled?The appointment management menus won't be disabled. They're going to remain for "emergency" use, and also because the same menu is used for both options (SDWL).Will "walk-in" be used for "non-scheduled" appointments, like those currently used in the ED?Yes.Does the request have to be viewed by a provider first before it can be scheduled?This would likely be a matter of local policy. If a patient calls in now to ask for an appointment, when do you consult the provider?Do we have to make an appointment request in order to schedule an appointment?Yes, consider this as entering your search criteria for the appointment, so that the right schedule and date display.If the schedulers are unable to no-show a patient after the appointment date who will be able to do this?You can no-show a patient after the appointment date, just like you can in VistA now. If you're having issues, contact a supervisor or ADPAC who can investigate why the no-show didn't take and troubleshoot.If patients check in using the VetLink kiosk, will it turn green in VSE?Yes.Is there a way to see clinic availability without creating an appointment request in VSE?Yes, you can look up a clinic, clinic group, or provider using the search option next to the Schedules section. Use the Clear button to remove any current search criteria or selected requests/patients, then search for the preferred schedule.Telehealth appointments require two appointments for the same patient. One at the provider site and one at the patient site. These appointments are separated by 1 minute as we are unable to make 2 appointments for the same patient at the same time. How, in VSE, do we make appointments for times such at 11:01?At this time, you can only schedule appointments based on the times built on the grid. This (making appointments at alternate times) is being looked at as an enhancement. An enhancement is being looked at for telehealth clinics to allow for overlapping of appointments and the ability to manually enter an appointment time.A Super User stated that when creating an appointment request for Recall, the CID and Wait Time did not correlate. Has there been issues with this? (My understanding was that the wait time was automatically calculated based on today’s date and the CID entered).A Super User stated that when creating an appointment request for Recall, the CID and Wait Time did not correlate. Has there been issues with this? (My understanding was that the wait time was automatically calculated based on today’s date and the CID entered).Wait Time in the Request List is calculated from today to the CID date (it will show as a negative).Wait Time in the Request List is calculated from today to the CID date (it will show as a negative).Is there a way to tell who made the appointment from schedule view?Is there a way to tell who made the appointment from schedule view?Can schedulers schedule patient appointments in multiple clinics (i.e. pcp. podiatry, optometry) on the same day?Yes, you can schedule appointments in multiple clinics by selecting each request in turn and scheduling them. If you look up the patient, all pending requests for the patient display in the consolidated request list and appointments display in the Pending Appointments section. As you select a request, the schedule for the requested clinic or specialty displays. When you schedule the appointment, the focus will move to the next request for the patient and you can schedule subsequent appointments, while seeing the appointments that are already booked.For consults, will schedulers no longer ask patients when they would like to be seen? Currently, schedulers must ask this question and enter it as a desired date.Providers are to discuss return appointments with the patient while in the treatment room. Together, they decide the CID, based on clinical necessity and the patient’s availability and preference. The date used is the CID as reflected in the RTC. The process is the same for consults. Schedulers should absolutely be scheduling based on the patient’s needs. Please note that there is no fields available for the scheduler to enter the patient’s preferred date for a consult, since it is CID-driven. However, the scheduler would find a date and time as near to the CID date as possible. The scheduler has 30 days around the CID to schedule based on patient preference and clinic availability. When scheduling the appointment, the scheduler should enter the desired date in the Notes field along with an explanation as to why the date was selected. The patient’s preference is captured specifically when the patient cancels an appointment and are rescheduling and/or when an appointment is needed between the last appt and a future appointment.Is there a way to select two requests at one time, pull up a group you created, and schedule both at the same time? If not, could this option be added?Currently, you cannot schedule two requests concurrently. This would yield an error since you would be creating two appointments for one patient at the same appointment time. You can do them in quick succession though, and be able to see when you scheduled one appointment while you are scheduling the subsequent request. To clarify, schedulers will not have the ability to create their own groups.On our last simulation, you did a no-show before the actual appointment scheduled time. Can we do a no-show before the actual appointment time in real time? If so, why would you do it?You would not want to do a no-show before the appointment scheduled time. The system allows you to do a no-show anytime during that day or on past dates, but not for future dates.Do we have to click "Ok" to check in the appt? If we do check in the patient will the option to check in a patient, in VetLink, remain viable? Currently, checking a pt in using VistA prevents us from checking the same person/same appt in via VetLink.No, you don’t. When creating a walk-in, you can cancel out when the prompt displays to check in the patient so that the patient can check-in at the kiosk, or the Scheduler can check the person in using VetLInk so the information displays across all systems.Say the provider writes an order to RTC in 3 weeks, when you schedule an appointment will it complete the orders for that appointment in CPRS?No, currently the scheduler is manually entering RTC orders from CPRS into VSE and any follow-on activities upon scheduling the appointment will need to be completed manually as well. This item has been brought up as a requested enhancement.When a patient is marked as a no show – is that the only time that a letter can be printed?Letters are available at varied places throughout the process. Whenever you make an appointment, you receive a letter prompt. You can also go back into an appointment to reprint a letter if needed. You get letter prompts upon cancelling an appointment as well.Will the scheduling grid in VSE allow you to add/overbook appointments in earlier timeslot that are not open in the grid?Background: Right now in some clinics they open one time slot (for example, 11:00 a.m.) but in VistA they can schedule appointments any time before 11:00 a.m. or after 11:00 a.m. even though those slots are not open in the grid. In the test environment, it will only allow them to schedule appointments after 11:00 a.m.No, you will not be able to schedule outside of the available hours. However, the team is aware of this as something the field would like to see updated.VSE letters only print one appointment at a time. Has there been any discussion about changing this so that multiple appointments can be printed on a letter?Yes, there is discussion of that and of those who use the Xerox print service (which will continue to function as it does now and mean that sites do not need to print the letter).Will letter that prints list the number of days until the Vets appointment?Letters are defined at the local level. VSE should not cause any change in their current letters.July 6, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointIf the patient has already been checked out how can the MSA identify it as a walk-in appointment?Staff completing travel claims will have to continue to use the same method used now for determining walk-in appointments.If a Veteran is in a Mental Health Appointment and their Provider requests an EKG during the same appointment what is the VSE process?The process in VSE will be determined by your current process. If an appointment is scheduled, then the Scheduler will create an appointment request and schedule the appointment. If it is an unscheduled appointment or walk in the Scheduler will use VSE to create the appointment request and schedule the walk in appointment.If the appointment overlaps the current appointment, you will need to schedule the EKG in Vista at this time as VSE does not allow appointment overlap – this is being addressed for future enhancement.July 15, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointCan we look at the appt request history for a pt?VSE does not offer this ability.Should a Consult list the CID Date and not the urgency e.g. Routine?Staff should continue to review the Consult in CPRS before scheduling the appointmentJuly 18, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointHow can you tell if an appointment was a walk-in appointment (an unscheduled appointment) in VSE after the patient has been checked out and the color has changed from blue to green?This can be determined in VistA using EP to display details.How far in the future can you use drag and drop to change a clinic appointment?Seven days – within the week display.What is the time period for appointments to be displayed in the pending appointments box in VSE?The time period is two years (one year past and one year in the future).Can you view wait time in an appointment?No. This has been suggested for a future enhancement.July 22, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointClinic Set upKeywordsConfigureClinic LimitQuestionAnswerWhere can we point sites for guidance on how best to configure their clinics to display well in the Schedules section?The process/procedure for Creating clinics has not changed. The VSE calendar display is a great tool for seeing the availability (slots) you have set up for multiple clinics side-by-side in order to validate that you have not created too many slots for the same time for a given provider.Is there a limit to clinics in the clinic list on the supervisor tab?Clinic Groups display best if there are 7 or less clinics in the group. The application does not restrict the number – this is just an observation from the sites and is a recommended number.June 24, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointIf I select service specialty when making an appointment, what will be returned? How is VSE pulling that information?The clinics that display for the service/specialty are based on the clinic set up within VistA.Prior to scheduling an appointment, how can I display my groups or deselect a request?If you do not select a request, you can use the search next to the Schedules to look up a provider, a clinic, or a clinic group of your choosing. Selecting Clear next to the patient search field, allows you to deselect any chosen requests and clear any current search criteria. This is essentially a reset allowing you to look at just the information of your choosing by entering search information next to the schedules.July 6, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointSystem FunctionalityKeywordsFilterQuestionAnswerDo Filter choices stay between patients?Yes, but not between logins.June 24, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointCan the NEAR (New Enrollee Appointment Request) List be accessed in VSE?Not currently, but it is a planned enhancement.Can a default printer be set up in VistA for VSE by clinic name and/or location?No, the printing dialog will be the standard print dialog for the user through MS Windows.When VSE goes live will a scheduler still be able to schedule under VistA?Yes. There will still be some items that cannot be scheduled within VSE.Can you set up clinic groups in VSE?Yes. These will be set up by supervisors.Can you run Encounter Reports and Clinic Reports in VSE?No, most reports will still need to be run in VistA.Would it be possible to get a graphic or chart that shows the data flow between VSE and VistA and any other systems?The main idea to always keep in mind is that VSE is just sitting on top of VistA. Whatever items are in VistA is what should be reflected in VSE.Will comments made on a consult request in VSE display on the consult in VSE (i.e. Contact attempts, etc.)?Both of these state VSE, in which case, the answer is yes. If the question is do the contact attempts pass back to VistA/CPRS, then answer is not. Because of this and because there is not an easy reporting functionality for contact attempts, the recommendation currently is to continue entering contact attempts in CPRS.Is there any chance that the ability to update demographic information will be available in VSE in the future?Yes, demographic changes need to be updated in VistA. The ability to update in VSE is a future enhancement on the list.Where can I find Scheduling Policies?Your scheduling policies are local and would be found most likely in your local MCMs on the intranet. If not, ask a super scheduler for your local scheduling policies.If I am scheduling a new patient who has no phone number listed, can I add it in the applicable fields?We are unable to update any demographics in VSE. Users must continue to update demographics in Vista.Does this attempt info stay in the system to view later if needed when doing audits?Currently, the call attempt info is not displayed anywhere in VSE or VistA; this will be changed in a future enhancement. Please continue to teach your users how to record these attempts, for future use, but users should document the attempts using the current process.Do we know if there are any intentions of incorporating VSE to communicate with Vetlink?This is actually a VetLink limitation. It does not receive communication from VistA on appointment status, which is why an item being checked-in in VSE does not relay. The guidance being provided is to continue using VetLink for check ins.Can you use the member number on the new VA ID cards, which can be used in the current VISTA system?The member number cannot be used to search for a veteran in VSE. The only number combination accepted in VSE is the SSN.Will patients still get a recall letter?If this is an automated process within VistA currently, then it will continue. Remember that VSE just sits on top of VistA.In the Request section, why is there data already populated in this section when you first log on? This is before you search for anyone. Will it be this way in the production version of VSE?This is your consolidated request list showing all pending requests for your site with those that have the longest wait time first. This is how it will be in production.Is it possible to print schedules and clinic cancellations in VSE?It is not possible to print schedules from within VSE or clinic cancellations from VSE. However, you can still print from VistA.Will work time in VSE be longer than in VISTA (vista logs out and you lose screen quickly and must start over)?The time out for VSE is 15 minutes.Does the Patient info box show if patient is currently an inpatient?If the patient is an inpatient, there location would display next to Ward: in the patient information box.July 6, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointWhen looking at clinic availability, what does the number in the Resource ID field mean?It is a system number that is unique for each clinic.Can consults be transferred directly to the EWL?No they cannot. The person asking the question will call the VA Pulse coaching line for more information.For Consult and EWL requests made for specific clinics, is there a known incident with the schedule for the clinic not displaying with these request types?The process for scheduling a Consult has not changed. A Consult is a request to a service not to a specific clinic. When the scheduler receives a Consult they determine the appropriate clinic to link that consult to. The process is the same here. The scheduler will select the Consult request and then choose either a specific clinic or a clinic group to determine where to link the appointment.The EWL is also similar to VistA. When transferring a request to the EWL (or if it is imported from VistA) if it is to a Service instead of to a specific clinic then the scheduler will need to choose the appropriate clinic that will close out the EWL request. If the EWL is to a specific clinic, then the schedule for that clinic will be displayed when the request is selected.If a Consult is scheduled – does the wait time reset if the person no-shows? Or does it continue to accrue?The wait time is set as the earliest appropriate date in the consult. Cancelling by the patient allows the user to change the CID date in the cancellation but when the consult request reappears the earliest appropriate date will be in the CID field and will be used to calculate the wait time of subsequent appointments.Are there any plans to create any additional roles?This has been requested by numerous staff including a view only sign in. It has been placed on the Enhancement list for consideration.Is the SDECZMGR key live as ECAR option to get key assigned to supervisor?The menu options and keys are not available for selection at this time and users will need to address the appropriate way to request this access in the test environment only with their local OI&T. The menus and keys are not available in production as the patch has not been released yet.What are clinic groups?Clinic groups are collections you can create within VSE to assist schedulers in performing their job duties. The clinic groups provide a display option showing grouped clinics side-by-side. Each site can determine their own best practices for creating clinic groups. One example of a clinic group might be PACT provider clinics with panels that can handle additional patients. By grouping these clinics, a scheduler can view all of these clinics at once to determine where a new patient can be placed soonest. A different example is in areas where you are coordinating or sequencing appointments, such as dental services where a patient sees a hygienist, then a dentist.What is the clinic profile user friendly name? What stop code is used to run the clinic profiles?Patient Friendly Name is a new field located in the Set Up a Clinic option. This new field allows the clinic to be assigned a secondary name that will be available for veterans to see when the new VAR application is available. VAR will allow veterans to request an appointment with a specific clinic. The stop code for Primary Care is 323 and the main stop code for Mental Health is 502. I have attached a document showing examples of Patient Friendly Names and one for field guidance.Is Service/Specialty configured when VSE is set up?No. Will comments entered in VSE display in Visual Aid for Clinic Appts?The comments that are entered in the Request would not pass to Visual Aid.July 15, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointHow often do the flags display per patient? Every time like VistA or once like CPRS?Flags display once upon selecting the veteran.Is there a way to see if a Veteran is enrolled? We are not seeing it in the demographic information.Staff can view the demographics area and the patient’s eligibility information box when entering an appointment request. If they have concerns with the information they can contact their enrollment office.Will the system allow an MSA to schedule outside the grid?No, you will not be able to schedule outside of the available hours. However, the team is aware of this as something the field would like to see updated.Does RTC order change due to Clinic Cancellation?Neither of these are within VSE. RTC orders from CPRS do not link directly to VSE and you cannot cancel a clinic via VSE. If the question is whether a user can change the CID based on cancelling an appointment due to the clinic’s needs, not that may not be updated.When using VSE, will the appointment connect with CPRS to show a Consult status change?Yes, scheduling the appointment will update the status of the Consult in CPRS to “scheduled.”Will MSA be able to print attempt letter from VSE?No, since contact attempts are not currently recorded in VSE, this would need to be done elsewhere.Will MSA be able to search for a patient using VHIC member number?No, currently, the search options are limited to name, full SSN or last initial last 4.July 18, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointWhat is the timeout period for VSE?It is the same as the VistA timeout period.Will call attempts recorded in VSE replace CPRS scheduling and tracking notes and reports in the future?We believe this is the eventual intent, but since it does not currently allow for tracking or reporting, it cannot be used currently.How often is the data for the audit report compiled? Should results be displayed in real time, end of the day, or the next day?The audit report refreshes every 3 to 5 minutes.Why would a query indicate there are results but no result information displays?This happens because a filter is turned on in the consolidated request list. The filters are applied after the query. If the filter is removed, the results display.When setting a filter for an audit report will the filter still be in place the next time the report is run?The filter will remain in place until you clear the filter.Where is the Fixed-View Size box?Only on Provider and Clinic Group Schedule displays. This allows the grids to be expanded to the same size for easier viewing and displays a horizontal scroll bar to view those schedules that are off screen.In the call center they use a TRN (Telecare) system to update a patient's address, etc. Will TRN information show up in VSE?If TRN updates VistA’s normal #2 Patient File/fields for demographics, then VSE shouldn’t have any issues seeing the changes.July 22, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointVAR Compatibility KeywordsMobile appQuestionAnswerIf a veteran requests an appointment day and time in VAR that is available in VSE will it automatically be blocked for that patient?If the patient only requests a day and morning or afternoon, it will not automatically schedule. A scheduler will need to align the requested time and dates(s) with availability within the clinic schedule and schedule the appointment, then respond to the Veteran.Using VAR, does the Veteran have the ability to see the clinic availability?Direct Scheduling will be rolled out with the VAR for limited clinics. Prior to worrying too much about this functionality, we would recommend awaiting additional information that will be forthcoming regarding VAR.July 6, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointThe requirements for the VAR indicate that it is "Only available to Veterans who have a DS Logon Level 2, Premium Account. Is this the account through My HealtheVet?Yes, that is through My HealtheVet. There is more information available here: Account Types.Will the mobile request details window remain open while you are creating the request?Yes, the window stays open and available unless the user closes it.July 15, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this pointDoes VAR send an alert back to patients?VAR does have email functionality to alert notifications to patients. When Veterans submit a request, they can request an email when a status is changed so when it's booked or changed they’d get an email. They can log in and find out the status of their request also. They can also see a list of current apt requests and their corresponding statuses.How are schedulers alerted that a mobile VAR exists?There is not an alert. Sites will designate responsible parties for checking the requests regularly (multiple times a day).July 22, 2016Entered into VA Pulse through this point ................
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