FAD/EDI Information for FADD’s
There are several
links on the EMRS Download page and directly within EMRS to access helpful
information but for your convenience I have included some others here!
EMRS USER SUPPORT
Currently all states should be fully utilizing EMRS for all Routine
FAD/EDI investigations. The steps necessary to accomplish this are demonstrated
within this document and the Q & A’s
should answer most questions. Anyone having additional questions dealing with
passwords should contact EMRS_Registration_Approvers@aphis.usda.gov
or other server or access issues should contact the EMRS support staff team
leader Robert T Carr @Robert.T.Carr@aphis.usda.gov
in
USER NAMES & PASSWORDS
Who can Access the system and how do you get a user name and password?
The system has been
designed so that it can be accessed by any authorized person using Internet
Explorer version 5.5 or greater from any computer having Internet access. You
do not need to have Lotus Notes installed on the computer or have a Lotus notes
ID. You do not need RLD or to be on a secure network. This is very different
from the previous version of the FAD/EDI system that required the use of Lotus
Notes on your computer to access the system through the Client side interface
which is no longer needed. THIS IS STRICKLY WEB BASED THROUGH
INTERNET EXPLORER ONLY –DO NOT USE NETSCAPE!
The method to use for general access to the system will depend on the category you are in:
USDA Lotus Notes Users
If you are a federal employee or a State employee
and you get e-mail through the USDA Lotus Notes system then you have a short
user name (usually the same user name you use when you log into Lotus Notes)
and you will utilize your short
user name and your Internet
password . If you do not know what your short user name and Internet
password please refer to the Appendix
A; Setting Internet passwords and obtaining short user names for Notes
users.
Non Lotus Notes Users
If you are not a USDA Lotus Notes user you will need
to apply for a Web
User Name and password through the web page referenced in Appendix
B.
See
Appendix B; Obtaining EMRS User names and Passwords for Non-Notes users.
How do I actually get into the system once I have a user name and password?
Start Internet Explorer by double
clicking the Internet Explorer icon on your computer that looks like the one
below:
Navigate to page below; select the link to the
Routine FAD/EDI Reporting system; this currently resides on EMRS 03 and EMRS 02
and links will be added for EMRS 04 which is a faster server. I have placed a
direct link in this web page for your convenience which can be used and then
added to your favorites in Internet explorer so you may quickly return to the
Access page for Routine FAD database in the future.
http://emrs.aphis.usda.gov/emrslogin.html
When
you click the link for the Routine FAD/EDI Reporting you will be prompted to enter your user name and
password as below:
If
you would like to try creating forms and looking at views without worrying
about what you create you may want to try the Training Version of EMRS as it appears essentially the same as the FAD/EDI.
When
you click the link you will be prompted to enter your user name and password as
below:
For user name:
USDA
Lotus Notes Users - you will use your short user name; for more info refer to Appendix A.
Non-Notes
Users- use the user name you selected when you registered for Web Access; for
more info refer to Appendix B.
For password:
USDA Lotus Notes Users- your
Internet Password which you initially set in your USDA Address Book profile;
for more info refer to Appendix
A.
Non-Notes Users- the
password you set when you registered for Web Access; for more info refer to Appendix B
Once
you have entered your short user name and your Internet password and single
click the 
button you should arrive at the Main Menu page
for the Routine FAD/EDI database.
IMPORTANT
– Please wait until the little Internet Explorer Icon at the bottom says done
which means all of the look-up information has loaded. If you try to go to
other parts of the program too quickly it will fail to load all of the needed
information. This will cause problems with your drop down boxes for choices. If
you find that you do not have any choices in a drop down box you may need to
refresh the look-up by clicking in the spot indicated by the arrow in the top
header and doing a right mouse click then choosing refresh. This will reload
all look-up information (Notes Quirk!)
DOCUMENTING FAD INVESTIGATIONS IN EMRS.
Who will initiate the New Investigation Summaries?
The person actually creating new Investigation
Summaries in each state may vary but the AVIC or their designee will be the
responsible party for creation of the Investigation Summary, when they are
notified of a request for a New Investigation. To be able to create new
Investigation Summaries you will need to have at least author access. This will
generally be granted to most users. In truth an Area Office secretary that has
been properly trained may be the best person for initiating new investigations
with oversight from the Area Epi or the AVIC.
What are the
specific steps that need to be accomplished in EMRS to properly document and
track FAD Investigations:
Step
2 –Create EMRS Investigation Summary
Step
3: Create Assigned Herd Exam, E-Mail it.
Step
5: On-Farm Investigation by FADD!
Step
6: Send Samples, complete Follow-up forms.
Step
7: Record lab Results and further findings or history in EMRS.
Step
9: Consultation of all parties to determine disposition of case.
Step 10: Close case if not FAD and no further action needed.
Step 1:
Create Premises ID.
Responsible Party in VS 580.4: AVIC or their
designee.
If you have a good address for the producer for which
this investigation will be conducted you should first create a Premises ID or
retrieve an existing Premises ID for this producer. This would be accomplished
by selecting the button on the Welcome
page.
This will bring you to the Prem ID allocation system.
If you are unfamiliar with how this system operates then you may find detailed
instructions in Appendix C: Using the EMRS Premises ID System.
If you are successful in creating or retrieving an
existing Premises ID then you will be able to create a New Investigation from
the screen where you have received the Premises ID, by clicking 
which
will populate the address and Prem ID fields automatically for you from the
information obtained for the Prem ID.
The FAD Referral Control number tracking system that
has been used in the past will continue but the number generated should be
placed in the Referral Control Number field. This system is explained in Veterinary
Services Memorandum 580.4 attachment
II.
If you do not have a accurate address for the
producer then follow the alternate Step 1 below:
Alternate Step 1
If you have limited information or have had to
request a Prem ID exception, then you will be allowed to create a New
Investigation Summary directly from the Welcome Page by clicking 
although
this should be the exception since the Prem ID will be important for all
Investigations. You will need to enter the address and other information
manually and should use the FAD tracking number in both the Referral Control
number field and the Prem ID field until you obtain a Prem ID.
Step 2 –Create
EMRS Investigation Summary
Responsible Party in VS 580.4: AVIC or their designee.
With either method you will have to complete a number
of fields on the Investigation Summary.
Investigation Summary Header
Section
Incident Name – Should be “Routine FAD/EDI”.
Incident Site – should be your home state.
Access Group: this should be your State- this field limits
documents you create to be viewed by only those in your state group or at the
regional level. If you are not a member of the EMRS group for your state and
you save a document with the group entered you may not be able to see the
investigation.
Referral Control Number: this would be the number
assigned with the FAD numbering system using the Year/State/number format.
Local ID Number – may be used for alternate Premises numbering
systems.
Prem ID – if the summary was created using the Prem ID
system this will be filled in for you if using the alternate method then repeat
the local control number entry.
Most
of the fields in the Header of the Investigation Summary will be inherited from
other fields completed in following Sections:
Prem Info Section
Prem ID – inherited if enter thru Prem ID System,
otherwise enter
Premises Operation Type- select appropriate, eg Farm
or Ranch
Primary Species on Premises- main species present even
if it is not involved in Investigation- judgment call as to what is primary, eg
– a Dairy with a few chickens, primary species would be Bovine
Purpose of Animals – select
Estimated # of Primary Species- enter #
Prem Owner Last & First- Enter if appropriate
Prem Name- Farm or Company Name, eg Heavenly Acres, this
should be the unique facility name not the name of a large company owning
multiple farms.
Organization Association- Any group association-
CoOp, Broiler Company, etc , can be used to query for all farms associated with
one organization or company.
Contact Information- enter as appropriate for
Prem location
Physical Prem Address- this is the address
associated with the unique Prem ID, this will be inherited if the prem id
system was used to create a prem id before creating the Investigation Summary.
Front Gate Lat & Long- should be entered as
determined, set source for coordinates and record person obtaining coordinates.
Geo-code values section- will be calculated by
agent. Some fields are available for data entry if you have GIS role allowing
you to override values.
Primary Contact person- this should be set to the
person who will be the primary contact for the prem, for example an Animal
Owner living off-site may be the primary contact instead of the Prem Owner.
Investigation Reasons/Details Section
Initiation Reason – self explanatory, follow-up fields will vary
depending on selection but most are self-explanatory.
Reason Details – This is where you fill in all of the History gathered in the initial
phone interview.
Species Initiating Investigation- may be different than
primary species on premises.
Purpose, Estimated #- fill as appropriate
Referring Contact Section
-Note: This section only appears if the
initiation reason is Complaint since the other reasons would not have a
referring contact associated with the initiation of the case!
If
it is a practitioner or county agent then the name and contact information
would need to be entered. If the referring contact was the premises owner then
the click the button “Copy from Animal Location “and the information will be
copied from that already entered above. These fields should be completed at the
time the investigation is initiated if known.
Animal Owner Information Section
Many
times this is the same as the Premises owner and you can use the button “Copy
from Animal Location”. If different enter as appropriate.
Case Coordinator Section- assign case coordinator if known:
How
to assign a Case Coordinator: Just start typing the last name of the person
responsible and if they have a profile entered then their name will eventually
be in the list to select from.
A
Case Coordinator is the person that will be responsible to be sure that all
parts of the FAD Investigation are completed. This is not necessarily the FADD
but will usually be someone at the Area Office level such as the Area
Epidemiologist. The FADD assigned to do the Investigation is assigned to the
Herd Exam.
Note:
If
you cannot find the person you are looking for then they do not have a
completed profile in the FAD database and one needs to be entered before they
can be assigned the case. See comments below about profiles:
How do you get profiles for the Investigators into
the Routine FAD/EDI database?
The system should have already been loaded with the profiles of all of the VS employees within each state. Profiles of all the state VMO’s that will be utilizing the system should be created by the person designated in each Area Office to maintain the profiles. This person will need to be assigned the Admin role to have the ability to create profiles. Instructions on creating profiles can be found in the following document EMRS Administrative Module Instructions
Once all of this information is complete you can 
and then review if all data entered is
correct.
Step 3: Create Assigned Herd Exam, E-Mail it.
Responsible Party in VS 580.4: AVIC or their designee.
Once
you have created an Investigation Summary assigned to a case coordinator to
oversee the investigation at the area level you should create a herd exam with and
assign the herd exam to an investigator to make a visit to the premises.
Note About Follow up Forms:
All
follow up forms now contain a header section which inherits details from the
Investigation Summary to clearly identify these forms as part of a specific
Prem. This section can be collapsed when working to free up screen space:
As
well all action follow-up forms contain a section for animal owner to clearly
identify which animal owner this particular form is addressing when operating
on prems with multiple animal owners. This section can also be collapsed if not
needed.
To create a new Herd Exam:
Herd Exam
The
herd exam form is completed for every premises visit to status the visit and to
record any and all findings associated with animals that were examined or to
record reasons animals were not examined. The Area Office will create the
initial herd exam but follow-up exams will usually be created by the person
scheduling the re-visit.
Fields
to be completed include:
Animal
Owner Section- if different from Inherited values from Investigation Summary.
Exam
Reason – entered when created.
-usually Sick Call
Assigned
Investigator-entered when created.
-enter name of FADD or VMO to actually make the farm
visit.
Date
Assigned- entered when created, defaults to today’s date.
-the
date you notify the investigator about assignment
All of the remaining fields should be completed by
the Investigator so you would now click .
Once
you have assigned an Investigator to the Herd Exam,you Save it and you can send
a link to this Investigation directly to the investigator and any other parties
you wish by selecting the 
button while you are in the herd exam.
This
will bring up a new memo in Lotus Notes if your Internet Explorer has Lotus
notes as the default e-mail program and you will need to address it to the
proper investigator. Other e-mail programs can be used if you choose. If you
want to use Lotus Notes for e-mail you can get further details on setting the
default e-mail of Internet Explorer in Appendix D;
You
can add further comments and then choose send. When the investigator receives
the message they only need to click on the link and Internet Explorer will
start automatically and prompt them for their user name and password then take
them directly to this investigation
A phone call to the assigned Investigator is still
required to notify them that you have assigned them a new investigation since
they may not have a chance to view their e-mail.
Step 4: Notify by
Phone
Emergency Programs, Ames &
FADDL, and the Regional Offices will be notified by an automatic agent every
time a new Investigation Summary is created so it will not be necessary for you
to e-mail anyone outside of your state that a New Investigation has been
started. The AVIC should still notify Region and EP by
phone when dealing with a high profile or highly suspicious case. Also remember
to call the FADD in case they do not have ready access to e-mail.
Step 5:
On-Farm Investigation by FADD!
Responsible Party in VS 580.4: FADD.
The
assigned Investigator will proceed to investigate the case and will apply appropriate
diagnostic techniques. The FADD is responsible to collect and submit any
samples to the appropriate laboratory along with a properly prepared lab
submission that is shipped with the samples. The FADD should also notify
the
appropriate lab by phone that the samples are shipped. The appropriate groups
to notify are identified in VS Memo 580.4.
Step 6: Send
Samples, complete Follow-up forms.
Responsible Party in VS 580.4: FADD.
The
FADD is responsible for completing any assigned Herd Exam, and will need to
create a Lab submission in EMRS for any samples submitted, also quarantine
status forms if the premises received a quarantine. The FADD should also add
any additional information to the Investigation Summary such as GPS coordinates
or address and contact information that was collected or corrected during the
visit.
We
eventually have the capability to replicate the Investigation Summary to a
tablet PC and complete all of these follow-up forms in the field, to print the
Lab submission form specific to whatever lab you are using, complete with bar
coding for premises ID. Then any findings would be replicated back up to the
master FAD database. Until an FADD has the equipment and software to make this
possible they must take written findings and complete the following follow-up
forms.
The
following is a complete list of follow-up forms to the Investigation Summary.
These forms are created by
clicking the button 
at
the top of the Investigation Summary, then selecting the type of follow-up form
from the list. Most of these forms will only apply in special circumstances or
during an outbreak. The statuses for Diagnosis would be available only to those
with the DRO ( Disease Reporting Officer) role which would generally be the
Area Epidemiologist or other designated
persons.
The follow-up forms that would usually be completed by
the FADD would be:
Herd
Exam
The
herd exam form is completed for every premises visit to status the visit and to
record any and all findings associated with animals that were examined or to
record reasons animals were not examined. The Area Office will usually create
the initial herd exam but follow-up exams will usually be created by the person
scheduling the re-visit.
A
herd exam that had been assigned to you would be located by following the link
sent to you or by using one of the views or the search features to locate the
Investigation Summary for this case. The link is just for Viewing the document
quickly, if you wish to make edits to the document you should open the FAD/EDI
database and search for the case so that all parts of the Look-up database are
operational. Once you have the
Investigation Summary open you would click the 
tab and scroll to the bottom to find any
existing herd exams, then click on 
to open it.
The
Herd Exam will open in the view mode and must be placed in the edit mode to
make changes by clicking the 
button
Fields to
be completed include:
Exam Reason – when created.
Assigned Investigator- when created.
Date Assigned- when created.
Exam Date- by Investigator-this is the
trigger for Completion.
Clinical
History- The
FADD will include any clinical history obtained.
Date of
Onset – when
did owner think the first signs appeared.
Date of
First Death –if any animals died, when.
Primary
Species Affected
#sick,
dead, unaffected
Breed
Secondary
Species
Same as above
Other
Species
Physical
Exam Findings
Multiple fields by system
Note: Exam Findings can be by
individual or by group, to detail findings by individual if more than one
examined you would create a new herd exam for each individual or list group and
detail in comments which individuals were showing signs. Same can be done for
necropsy results.
Differential Diagnosis –both domestic and foreign
Probable
Diagnosis-both
domestic and foreign,
Confidence
of Diagnosis-both domestic and foreign
Sample
Collection- yes or no
Comments-comments about samples
When
all fields are complete then you will click the button
Laboratory Submission
A lab submission
needs to be filled in for each day that lab samples are submitted. Several
samples collected the same day going to the same lab may be included on one
submission but detailed on several follow-up Lab Sample/report forms. It is recommended that if a Herd Exam is
completed the Lab Submission Form be created from the button within the Herd
Exam form which will then keep the Lab Submission associated with the herd exam
for that visit.
Sections/Fields to be completed:
Animal Owner Section
-only if different
from inherited, can be edited, opens collapsed
Collector/
Submitter Section
Collected by- defaults to Herd Exam Investigator
Submitter- defaults to collector
Lab
Information Section
Purpose of
Submission- usually FAD/EP
Diagnostic
Priority of
Submission-enter appropriate See Attachment 111 on Page
10 0f VS580.4 –
Lab Submitted to: Select
Field Tracking Number- if unique id used
Lab Accession number-entered later by lab
Date Shipped
Courier Name/
Delivered by:
Air Bill #/ Delivered
by-depends on prior selection if
Hand Delivered then Delivered by:
Shipping Container
Packing- this is the outside
container not the primary sample container
Specimen Herd/Flock
Information
Species
Number sick,
dead, unaffected, total-inherited
from herd exam
Purpose of
animals-inherited
Country of Origin-defaulted to US
Sample
Preservation Method-no dry ice
Submitters
Name
Date Submitted
Number of Specimens Submitted - #
Containers, # Animals-all
calculated from specimen forms
Disease to test for: select appropriate,
not required
After Saving this
form you add sample detail forms to detail type and amount of samples.
Lab Work Completed Date – Leave Blank until all results are received!
To create a sample form from a Lab Submission form select the Create Sample Button at the top of the form
This will create a lab sample form where individual samples can be detailed. One sample form should be filled out for each sample. Prem Info, Collection Date, Field Tracking Number for the Submission Container and Species will be inherited from the Lab Submission.
Fields to be completed
Sample ID – this should be a unique identifier for this sample
Sample Type- drop down
Sample Preservation- this is in the container for this sample not the shipping container.
Examinations Requested- radio buttons
Primary Container- this is the inner most container for this sample not any additional packaging.
# of Containers used for this sample- usually 1
# of Animals per container- uually1 unless a pooled sample
ID Type- radio buttons to detai the id units for the ID field
ID- this is the unique identifier for the animal or group sampled
Breed- pick
Color- enter
Age –enter
Age qualifier- what does the previous number mean?
Sex- radio button, intact or not?
Status- necropsy sample or live animal sample?
All fields applicable should be completed and then the sample form Saved. Once a completed sample form is saved then it appears as a single line on the Lab Submission form in the Sample View Section.
To create additional samples on a Lab Submission you would create the first sample then after saving if you would like to create additional samples, which share some of the same information you have several options available. While viewing the Sample Detail form you would click on the Copy Sample button.
This would open a pop-up giving you several options for quickly creating sample using some of the information already entered. This allows the “canned” samples on the left or you can choose any and all fields that you wish to be inherited by clicking the choices on the right.
Clicking the Same Animal(s) Different Test will result in a form that copies the animal ID and type already entered but not the rest of the sample information. Other variations follow the same pattern to allow you to quickly create many different samples for the same animal, many like samples for different animals or any variations of such. This allows you to quickly create a form for each individual sample so that results can be detailed down to the unique sample and animal from which they came.
Copy Sample: Same Animal(s) Different Test button:
Statuses
This would be used to
set a Quarantine status in place if the Investigation resulted in an individual
premises quarantine which would be the responsibility of the FADD.
To create a Quarantine
Status you would click the button labeled
then select statuses
from the pop-up menu 
and once the document
below opens select
Status type -Quarantine
Start Date –date quarantined
End Date-leave empty until released
Reasons & Comments- Details, Quarantine #, etc
Step 7:
Record lab Results and further findings or history in EMRS.
Responsible Party in VS 580.4: AVIC or their designee.
The Area
Epidemiologist or his designee would enter the results of any lab submissions
on the Lab Sample/Lab report usually at the Area level. The FADD would be
consulted for any further input. This is done by first locating the existing
Investigation Summary using one of several methods.
Search by Prem ID
List All Investigation Summaries and pick
from list
Or using Views that sort by person or
location
Once a sample is submitted to the lab and a result is received then a new Test Result is entered for that sample by clicking on the New Test button shown above in the Sample View Section of the Lab Submission. Thi9s will create a new Test Result form for this sample, which allows you to enter one test result for the sample. Each new test result should have a new test result form created.
Once a completed Test Result form is saved it will be visible as a single line in the Test Results Section of the Sample form from which it was created:
After Multiple Samples are created and test results are entered they can be viewed together in the Sample View Section of the Lab Submission. New Test Results can also be entered from this view by clicking the New Test button.
:
When all lab reports have been received and entered
then you will need to reflect that in the Lab Submission by entering a Lab
Complete Date.
the
Lab Submission and enter a LabWork Complete Date and 
.
Step 8: Make Diagnosis
Responsible Party in VS 580.4: AVIC or their designee.
In consultation with
the FADD and the AVIC or any other interested parties the Area Epidemiologist
would make a case diagnosis.
This would be done
by opening the Investigation Summary,
To create a Diagnosis Status you would click the button labeled 
then select statuses
from the pop-up menu
and once the document
below opens select
Status type – Diagnosis –Negative or Positive
Start Date –date Diagnosis made
End Date -leave empty until case closed
Reasons & Comments-
Details
Then select the 
button
and a pop-up will give you the choices to
define the Diagnosis.
and when you select the definition it will
appear in the status document..
Step 9:
Consultation of all parties to determine disposition of case.
Responsible Party in VS 580.4: AVIC or their designee.
Are any further
examinations needed or any further action to be taken is decided by the Area
Epidemiologist, AVIC and FADD in consultation with state Veterinarian.
Step 10:
Close case if not FAD and no further action needed.
Responsible Party in VS 580.4: AVIC or their designee.
First make sure all
follow-up forms are complete and statuses have been closed.
Remember! Each case should have:
1) Investigation
Summary
2) A
minimum of one completed herd exam
3) A
minimum of one completed lab submission with a minimum of one Sample and one
Result form if samples were taken.
4) A
Diagnosis status.
Edit the
Investigation Summary and enter a date in the field Investigation Close Date
and a Closing Reason.
and this will
complete the case and will place a red banner across top of Investigation
Summary stating that case has been closed.