Entering a new patient or veteran

see also:


Note: VBA users should only establish a new patient within the VistA system if it is necessary to request a C&P examination for a veteran who is not a current patient within the medical facility’s database.  If the patient NAME and SSN search using CAPRI’s Patient Selector function yields no results, i.e., “Match not found,” then the user must establish the veteran as a new patient.

 

Step 1 – The user selects the Enter New Pt. button at the bottom of the Patient Selector Screen (Figure 2-7).

Figure 2-7

 

Step 2 – User enters the veteran’s SSN in the space provided, and then clicks Verify SSN is Not in Use (Figure 2-8).

Figure 2-8

 

Step 3 – If the SSN is not associated with an established patient record, CAPRI opens the Enter New Patient template (Figure 2-9).

Figure 2-9

 

When the user clicks Click to Continue, a query is run to find any existing patient with the following information similar to the new patient:

 

The query results are displayed so that the user can manually verify that the new patient does not exist in the system. The name, gender, date of birth, and SSN of the potential matches are displayed, as shown (Figure 2-10).

Figure 2-10

 

If a sensitive record is returned as a potential match for the new patient, then the DOB and SSN fields are replaced with the word *SENSITIVE*.

Figure 2-11

The user has the option to Cancel New Patient Entry or Continue With Patient Entry.

 

Step 4 – When Continue With Patient Entry is selected, the remainder of the required fields are displayed (Figure 2-12) and a stub record is created within the VistA system. Selecting Cancel at this point leaves an incomplete record.

Figure 2-12

 

If incorrect Service Entry or Separation Dates are entered, the user selects the Clear Date button to remove the incorrect data from the field and then enters the correct date. There are several fields on the template with drop-down arrows. Selecting an arrow displays a menu that shows the only valid choices for each particular field. For example, the drop down arrow for the field, Patient Type, shows the following valid selections (Figure 2-13):

Figure 2 13

 

Note: In support of the joint VA/DOD Disability Evaluation System (DES) pilot program, TRICARE' and 'SHARING AGREEMENT' have been added as available Primary Eligibility selections when entering a new patient. The addition of 'TRICARE' and 'SHARING AGREEMENT' primary eligibilities will allow the DES pilot program office to better identify the number of DES exams performed.

Figure 2-14

 

The selection list for the Claim Folder Location requires the user to select the appropriate entry and then click OK.

Figure 2-15

 

The Country field contains a dropdown list of all available countries, and defaults to UNITED STATES. This field controls the display of the ZIP+4, County, State, Province, and Postal Code fields. When the selected country is "UNITED STATES", CAPRI displays the ZIP+4, County, and State fields and hides the Province and Postal Code fields.

 

After selecting UNITED STATES in the Country field, a user entering a valid ZIP code into the Zip+4 field causes CAPRI to populate the City, County, and State fields with predetermined, uneditable values.  The City, County, and State field values may only be edited by a user who possesses the EAS GMT COUNTY EDIT security key.

Figure 2-16

 

When the selected Country is other than "UNITED STATES", CAPRI displays the Province and Postal Code fields and hides the ZIP+4, County, and State fields.

Figure 2-17

 

Step 5 – The user selects Add Patient to establish the new patient or Cancel if the user no longer wishes to add the patient (Figure 2-12).

 

Notes on adding new patients:

 

Step 6 – After the user has completed the Enter New Patient template and clicked the Add Patient button (Figure 2-12), CAPRI builds a new patient record for the veteran and automatically opens that record in the C&P Exams tab.

 

Step 7 – The new patient is established in VistA and the user may now request a C&P Examination for that patient.