PS Suite: How to Send Encounters to Alberta Netcare

Participating in the Community Encounter Digest (CED) is optional for specialists.

• What is the Community Encounter Digest (CED)

PS Suite Data Mapping

Data that Maps to Alberta Netcare CED and the Healthcare Data Repository

In the CII project, there are two places that information will be pulled to within Alberta Health:

Alberta Netcare (CED) and Healthcare Data Repository- Information is securely shared with other providers can see this information as it is published in the CII Community Encounter Digest (CED) report and copied to the Healthcare Data Repository.

Healthcare Data Repository- Information uploaded to the Health Care Data Repository is not visible or published. 

Provider Information

Recording Vitals in PS Suite for CED

Netcare Encounters can only display one value for any given vital that is recorded during the Encounter. CII/CPAR will look for vitals recorded using the official PS Suite vitals format (e.g., BP:132/83). Entering multiple vitals of the same type using the PS Suite vitals format may result in inconsistent values being sent to Netcare. Clinicians should decide which measurement is most appropriate to send to Netcare, and record only that value in the correct PS Suite vitals format. For example, in the screenshot below, the clinician has correctly recorded only a single blood pressure (outlined in red) in the PS Suite vitals format, so this blood pressure will correctly flow to Netcare as part of the Encounter.

Conditions that allow for Encounter information to flow to the CED in Alberta Netcare

PS Suite determines that an encounter should be sent to Netcare if the patient's chart is not set to private, and the chart entry is:

• NOT marked private, and
• NOT marked as unfinished (i.e., there is no yellow bar showing), and
• The provider that is listed in the "Patient's MD/NP" field in the patient's demographics is live on CII/CPAR.
• The provider that started the chart entry is live on CII/CPAR.
  • A staff member that was logged in under the "Supervising MD" of a provider that is live will also generate a valid Encounter.

Note: a previously created visit note that is updated, will also be updated in Alberta Netcare.

Keeping Encounters Confidential

Option One

You can prevent health information from being sent to Alberta Netcare by entering the information in a field or format that will not be sent to Alberta Netcare. For example:

• Vitals entered in a visit note without the proper syntax will not flow to Alberta Netcare.
• Problems without an attached ICD-9 code will not flow to Alberta Netcare.

Option Two

You can prevent health information entered into a mapped field from being sent to Alberta Netcare by making patient data private or confidential:

1. An entire patient’s chart may be masked. In the patient record, choose Patient > Set Privacy Level for This Patient.
2. A specific encounter note or profile item. In the patient chart, click in the note or profile item and choose Patient > Modify Note Privacy or Modify <profile item> Privacy.

Workflow Tips

Details Field

• ‘Details’ field = Reason for the Visit.
  • Alberta Netcare, PS Suite Searches, and HQCA Reports all pull the Reason for the Visit from this field.
• TIP: Use a standardized list of appointment reasons to populate this field.
  • Create a standardized list as a clinic.
  • Save the list on each computer desktop.
  • Copy and paste appointment reasons directly from the list into the ‘Details’ field.

Comments Field

• Use the ‘Comments’ field to track patient information that does not change over time.
  • E.g., step parent/foster parent names or reason for initial consult

Appointment Alerts

• Use this field for alerts about a specific appointment.
  • E.g., ‘will be late’ or exam room number.
• Appointments with an alert have (!!) before the patient’s name and can be seen by:
  • Hovering over the appointment to show the alert message in a pop up.
  • Right-clicking on the appointment – the alert will be in the second line of the box that pops up.

If not all of your providers in the clinic are live on CII/CPAR, review Information Sharing in Partially Onboarded Clinics for additional information to learn what encounter information will be sent to Alberta Netcare.