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Dispatch Setup: Field Configuration Setup

Field Configuration Setup is the best way to help expedite the dispatch data entry process and for helping to clearly outline the requirements for dispatchers. Field Configuration Setup allows for the control over most of the fields within a dispatch call.

The Field Configuration Setup page is made up of a grid determined by the Profile and Tab selections.

  • Profile dropdown determines which profile is being configured. Field Configurations are profile-specific.
    • Additional profiles, when created, copy the field configuration settings of a profile. Administrators can use this to build new profiles using existing profiles' field configurations as a template. See Dispatch Setup > Profiles Setup for more information.
  • Tab dropdown determines which section of that profile is being configured. 

The Quick Intake Page is comprised of fields located elsewhere in the dispatch call. Therefore, if you want to make field configuration changes to the Quick Intake Page, you must adjust those fields specifically on the tab they are originally-located.


Settings in Field Configuration Setup are as follows:

  • Required
    • Fields marked as 'required' are mandatory to complete in order to finish the dispatch call. The bulk of fields marked as 'required' are pre-set by AIM determined by your state. 
      • Required fields can be completed by either selecting a value from the field's dropdown, entering data within a field, or selection of a Not Value or Pertinent Negative option.
      • State-required fields will be marked as required and you will not be able to remove the required status of these fields, since the state the agency operates within requires that information. 
        • These fields' requirements can be bypassed in circumstances where they are not applicable to record. 

By default, AIM Dispatch has no requirements outside of the Date of Service and Pick Up Time (Pick Up Time is only a requirement for non-emergency-type transports). 

Users will configure their own requirements for dispatch data entry, if any, during the training processs.

      • Additional requirements not collected by the state, such as Odometer Readings for example, can be set up during Training, or at any point following Training.
  • Carry
    • Fields marked as 'Carry' are fields that will automatically carry from the last dispatch call with that patient if when a new dispatch call is created with an existing patient account, the user selects to Carry from the last trip.
      • For example, sections in the Patient Page > Specialty Care Tab are typically set to Carry Last Trip, such as the Current Medications, Specialty Care Notes, etc.
      • Only pertinent sections should be set to Carry, like the sections above. Sections that vary from trip to trip should not be set to Carry, such as the Transport Locations or Vitals.
  • Disabled
    • Fields marked as 'Disabled' still show in the data entry, but are not able to be selected or changed. 
  • Default
    • Fields with a 'Default' value will automatically answer the associated question with the default value when a new dispatch call is created under that profile.
    • Not every field has a default value option due to data entry requirements. Not every field should be defaulted, either.
  • Hidden
    • Fields marked as 'Hidden' do not show in the data entry. This setting can be used to remove irrelevant questions from the data entry of the dispatch call, such as Emergency-related fields on a Scheduled Medical Transport profile.
    • Fields marked as 'Hidden' still send to the state if they are part of the state data set.
    • Fields can be marked as 'Hidden' even if they are required as long as the field is answered (either defaulted to an answer or a Not Value or Pertinent Negative option is defaulted). 

During the Training process on AIM Dispatch, Field Configuration Setup is reviewed in its entirety during the Configuration Meeting training and should not be attempted for configurations prior to this training. There are restrictions on what configurations are allowed to prevent invalid data, prevent the defaulting/carrying of data when inappropriate, and to avoid conflicts within processes.

  1. Select a profile.
  2. Select a tab.
  3. Click Refresh.
  4. Review the fields to what is on the screen, then check the options of the appropriate configurations.
  5. Click Save. Repeat the process for the next profile or tab. 

AIM will warn you before leaving the current tab if unsaved changes exist.

Field Configuration Setup is the most intensive area of the Dispatch Setup and should take the most time for review purposes. This area should only be addressed after full review with the trainer, and when the user possesses a solid understanding of the fields and purposes of the field configurations.

 

Field Configuration Notes

  • Fields are pre-set for each profile based on expectations, state requirements, and NEMSIS guidelines, but should always be configured for company specifics. These are meant to be a starting point for all companies but are expected to be changed.
  • Keep in mind that some Field Configurations are locked in because they are required by the state or NEMSIS data expectations.
  • Always print, review, and reference the Setup Information Report(s) for the appropriate profiles, before making selections in the Field Configurations Area. This helps to avoid jumping back and forth between the setup and the dispatch call.
  • If the available profiles are not enough for the expected transport scenarios for the company, create new ones in the Profiles Area.
  • Field Configurations should be regularly revisited as crews, supervisors, management, and state export responses suggest additional configurations or changes.
  • Remember that each tab likely needs to be reviewed for each profile.
  • The more time spent with the field configurations typically means quicker data entry and better guidance on the fields being entered by the crews.