do any of you print photos of the ultrasound assessment of the vessel, photo of vessel accessed( needle or guidewire) or print out of your measurement of vessel and vessel occupancy?
I use the Bard Site Rite Vision and have the printer, but have found the printer and ways to use not the most user friendly while PICCing as a one person team. I also see where I can take videos of the ultrasound images however, you must touch the screen to do this and once again as a one person PICC team that is not possilbe.
I know there was some talk about printing for documentation and ability to bill for use of ultrasound. I talked in the past to our person in charge of billing and coding and apparently there is only so much you can bill for ; depends on outpatients, inpatients as well as insurances etc..( most of the time we can only bill for supplies and not even the insertion of the line). so I have put this issue aside, but have a bit of time and wanted to re hash it.
Thanks in advance for any info supplied, Gina Ward
We take/print a vessel diameter image during our pre-insertion assessment to document appropriate catheter-vessel ratio, but I know there are MDs/extenders who use US for vessel access and do not , butthey include the use of US in their dictated procedure report. Unsure how billing/insurance companies are handling this.
Keely Ralston RN-BC, VA-BC, CPUI, RCIS
We save image to flash drive and import it.
I take a picture of the site of intended or approximate insertion site (mostly I am very close to that) and label it as such as it is taken with the assessment. If I choose a couple of veins because I have strong feelings about potential for issues, I will take pics of both. Our site rite 6 with 3cg has the ability to save to a flash drive. After I am done with the assessment and chose my spot(s) I will freeze and walk around the bed to save. Usually it is only one vein and I am ready to hang up my probe to move on so it is not a real issue. It would be nice if it could be done from the probe so that additional shots could be taken as needed after the probe is sterily sheathed but then again the tourniquet is now on not giving you a realistic view of the vein. After I am finished placing the PICC and get my ECG comparison for proof of placement it saves to the same flash drive and both get into the chart.
Our IVR dept also takes a view and puts it in their record. I am not sure how theirs gets there.
Mary Penn RN Vascular Access Team
St Charles MO