How AngelTrack can track your crew, vehicle, and station certificates, as well as custom certificates, and what reporting is available
AngelTrack automates the tracking of all of your necessary certificates -- licenses, inspections, tags, patches, annual fees. Crew members, vehicles, and stations can each have a list of certificates, and AngelTrack will remind you when any certificates are nearing expiration or expired.
AngelTrack also tracks crew members' immunizations, with expiration dates, but in a separate system.
Built-in and Custom Certificate Types
Visit the Certificate Types List to view the certificate types currently defined, and to define your own. Each certificate type can apply to crew members, to vehicles, to stations, or to all three.
If your city, county, or state has specific licenses, inspections, and/or tests, you can define new certificate types to represent them. Before you do, check to make sure that a relevant certificate name is not already defined. AngelTrack has built-in certificate names that represent most state and national requirements already; you will probably only need to define additional certificate names for city requirements.
Of the certificate types already defined, you can deactivate them if you no longer wish to keep track of them. The records of a deactivated certificate type are still maintained inside AngelTrack in case you wish to reactivate or review them later; data is never deleted from AngelTrack, it is merely hidden.
The "City Sticker" certificate class
Each certificate type has a class: normal or city sticker.
Both classes are treated similarly by AngelTrack's various certificate tracking and reporting features. City stickers are used to help dispatchers remember which vehicles are stickered for pickups in which cities. This is discussed in detail below, in the section on Vehicle Certificates.
When creating a city sticker class certificate, the name must match the city's name exactly. Upper/lower case does not matter, but spaces and dashes do. Adding the phrase "City of" to the certificate name will cause AngelTrack to misunderstand it, unless that is actually the city's legal name -- as in "City of Industry".
To learn how city stickers are used to aid the dispatchers, see the "Vehicle Certificates" section below.
Crew Member Certificates
Every employee also has a report, in their Employee Self-Edit page as well as the Employee HR Edit page, showing their certificates registered and how long each one has until expiration, as well as a link to add new ones. The Crew Certificates Expiring report shows -- for all employees -- which certificates are expired or nearly so.
To assist in the agency's task in verifying that all dispatch assignments are fully compliant with applicable law, AngelTrack requires that all ALS/BLS crew members input their ALS/BLS certificates before a dispatcher can assign an ALS/BLS call to them. Agencies can also require their employees to input their state driver's license, and all special certifications like ACLS, PALS, AED, HIPAA, and so forth.
When an employee has certificates nearing expiration or expired, he or she will be prompted by a bright yellow warning on the Crew Home page, which can be clicked to show their certificate status.
Editing certificates already on file
Crew members can input their own certificates but are not permitted to edit them afterward; HR or a supervisor must do that for them. This restriction prevents crews from accidentally changing the expiration date on an older certificate rather than inputting a new one, thereby causing a loss of certificate history.
You can enable the AngelTrack preference setting to allow crews to self-edit their own certificates, if desired.
Built-in and custom certificate types
You can create any number of custom certificate types to capture all of the licensing, training, and testing requirements of your region. AngelTrack's expiration-tracking features and reports treat your custom certificate types just like the built-in certificate types.
However, your custom crew certificate types are not checked by AngelTrack's dispatch and PCR systems. The dispatch and PCR systems check only the following built-in crew certificate types:
- EMS patches (built-in certificate type IDs between 2215001 and 2215021) such as First Responder, BLS, ALS-Intermediate, and so on;
- Non-EMS professional certifications (built-in certificate type IDs between 2215080 and 2215089) such as LVN, PA, Respiratory Therapist, and Student, if not a patched crew member (see below);
- CPR cards (built-in certificate type ID 2215039) if configured as required; see Preferences (see below);
- Wheelchair van training (built-in certificate type ID 2215000) if not a patched crew member (see below);
- Gurney van training (built-in certificate type ID 2215002) if not a patched crew member (see below);
- Rescue training (built-in certificate types between 2215060 and 2215069);
- Firefighter certifications (built-in certificate type IDs between 2215040 and 2215049);
- Hazmat responder training (built-in certificate type ID 2215050); and
- Fire inspector training (built-in certificate type ID 2215051).
CPR card requirements
You can configure which crew service levels require a valid CPR card. By default, AngelTrack requires a CPR card for the following crew service levels:
- BLS Transport including BLS-I
- ALS Transport including ALS-RN and ALS-2
- MICU Transport
If the laws in your state differ, such that you wish to cease requiring BLS/ALS crews to have CPR certificates, or you wish to begin requiring wheelchair-van or gurney-van drivers to have them, visit "Preferences" under the Settings page and adjust the CPR certificates settings meet your needs.
Wheelchair transport certificates
Most states do not yet issue licenses for wheelchair transport drivers. However, AngelTrack has a built-in "Wheelchair transport" certificate name, representing the training, testing, and signoff process that your agency may require wheelchair drivers to achieve before handling patients. AngelTrack does not consider a shift to be qualified to run a wheelchair transport call unless at least one of its crew members possesses a "Wheelchair transport" certificate, or any higher EMS patch (including Gurney transport).
This validation process can be overridden by the dispatcher when necessary. Use it to keep track of which employees have been trained in proper use of lifts, straps, manual lift operation, and so forth. Once they've demonstrated proficiency, add the "Wheelchair transport" certificate to their employee account in AngelTrack. You may choose to set an expiration date (such as two years) in order to be reminded about refresher training.
In AngelTrack, a higher EMS patch (EMT-B, EMT-I, EMT-P, gurney transport, etc.) qualifies as a wheelchair transport certificate and as a gurney transport certificate. Check your local state laws to make sure this is correct.
Gurney transport certificates
If your AngelTrack preferences are configured to show that you offer gurney van service (i.e. non-medical transport), then AngelTrack requires that your agency use the built-in certificate type in order to track who is checked-off to run a gurney transport. It works just like wheelchair van certificates. AngelTrack will not consider a crew to be qualified to perform a gurney-van transport unless they have at least one "Gurney Transport" certificate, or at least one EMS patch (FR+), onboard.
To learn more about using AngelTrack for gurney transport, read the gurney service guide.
Intermediate EMTs
For the sake of crew service level calculations, ALS - AEMT (2215009) is equivalent to ALS - Intermediate (2215011); likewise, BLS - AEMT (2215005) is equivalent to BLS - Intermediate (2215007). Make sure you consult with your billers and legal counsel to verify these service levels are being used properly.
Enable whichever intermediate certificate types best reflect those issued by your state.
When calculating a shift's capabilities, AngelTrack lumps all four intermediate-level certificate types into a single "Intermediate" category, and calls it "BLS-I". AngelTrack considers intermediate shifts qualified to respond to calls for ALS transport; you can alter this setting by visiting the Service Responses Configuration page found under the Service Levels Configuration page under Settings.
MICU service, also known as SCT or CCT
If your state issues MICU / SCT / CCT certifications, then enable the "MICU / Special Critical Care" certificate (it is off by default). You can do this from the Certificate Types List.
Once that's done, AngelTrack will begin checking crews for MICU certificates. An ALS crew onboard an MICU ambulance will not be declared as an MICU-capable shift unless at least one crew member has a current MICU certificate issued by the state in which the shift is posted.
Whereas in states that do not issue MICU / SCT / CCT certifications, make sure to disable the "MICU / Special Critical Care" certificate type in AngelTrack. Once that's done, an ALS crew onboard an MICU-capable ambulance will be automatically declared as an MICU-capable shift.
Non-EMS professional certifications
AngelTrack will track and report the following non-EMS professional certifications, which are pre-installed as certificate type IDs:
- Student
- Other Healthcare Professional
- Other Non-healthcare Professional
- Nurse Practitioner [NP]
- Respiratory Therapist [RT]
- Licensed Practical Nurse [LPN]
- Physician Assistant [PA]
These types are reportable (in eCrew.02, eProcedures.10, eMedications.10, and dPersonnel.24) to your state trauma registry, and AngelTrack will do so automatically. None of these, however, contribute to the effective service level of a shift, as that requires EMS certifications like BLS and ALS; CPR cards; and fire certifications including rescue, hazmat, and inspector.
State requirements for the second member of a BLS/ALS crew
If your state does not require the second member of a BLS transport crew does not also need to hold a full EMT-basic certificate, then visit AngelTrack's Preferences page (under Settings) and specify what certificate level -- if any -- is required for the second crew member. If no certificate is required, such as allowed by a COVID emergency rule, then choose Car service as the necessary certificate level.
Likewise, if the second member of an ALS crew does not need to hold at least a full EMT-basic certificate, then specify what certificate level is required.
The aforementioned is also the way to implement a state emergency waiver that allows you to run BLS transports with unpatched drivers.
Annual TB test requirements
If your state requires annual TB tests, use the built-in "Tuberculosis Annual Test" certificate type to keep track of which employees have taken the test.
The TB test certificate is one of the columns in the very handy Crew Certificates Overview report under HR home and Supervisor home.
Out-of-state certificates
The following crew certificate types depend on the issuing state:
- Wheelchair Van Training
- Gurney Van Training
- BLS - First Responder/EMR
- BLS - Basic/EMT
- BLS - AEMT
- BLS - Intermediate
- ALS - AEMT
- ALS - Intermediate
- ALS - Paramedic
- ALS - Community Paramedicine
- ALS - Nurse
- ALS - Physician
- MICU / Special Critical Care
- Student
- Other Healthcare Professional
- Other Non-healthcare Professional
- Nurse Practitioner [NP]
- Respiratory Therapist
- Licensed Practical Nurse [LPN]
- Physician Assistant [PA]
- Firefighter (all levels)
- Fire Officer
- Rescue (all categories)
- Hazmat Responder
- Fire Inspector
In AngelTrack, a crew member's legal patch level depends on which state he or she is posted in. Likewise the total patch level of a vehicle and its crew depends on which state has jurisdiction over the incident, which may be different than the state where the pickup or dropoff occurs. To learn how AngelTrack calculates the jurisdiction, refer to the State Trauma Registry Uploads Guide.
Most providers are confined to a single state, and AngelTrack was designed with this in mind. To avoid the single state certificate guidelines, AngelTrack allows you to record a certificate without specifying the issuing state (i.e. a "National" certificate). Certificates that do not specify an issuing state will apply to all jurisdictions.
Out-of-state pickups
AngelTrack uses a set of rules to calculates the jurisdiction state. To learn how the jurisdiction rules work, refer to the State Trauma Registry Uploads Guide. Most out-of-state pickups and dropoffs will still fall under the jurisdiction of your home state, as will any out-of-state fire interventions.
If a different state has jurisdiction, then crews must have certificates on-file for that state, or their certificates must be marked "National"; otherwise, AngelTrack will downrate their service capabilities because it doesn't believe they are legally qualified to perform at their normal level.
For example, if a Texas provider picks up a patient in Arkansas and transports them to another location in Arkansas, then Arkansas has jurisdiction. The call will be reportable to the Arkansas trauma registry, rather than the Texas trauma registry, and so the crew must have certificates issued by Arkansas.
In this example, if there is a reciprocity agreement where Arkansas agrees to honor your crew members' Texas certificates, then your crew members must record their Texas certificates a second time, as issued-by Arkansas, so that AngelTrack will include them when calculating the crew capabilities for an Arkansas->Arkansas transport. Here is how that would look:
Note that a reciprocity agreement may ask for the home-state patch numbers to be reported as-is to the other state... or the other state may issue different patch numbers. For example, an Arkansas reciprocity agreement may ask for Texas patch number "002010" to be reported to Arkansas as "TX002010".
Vehicle Certificates
The first tab of the Vehicle Edit page shows the expiration status of each of the vehicle's certificates. To add or edit the vehicle's certificates, visit the "Certificates" tab.
Two reports are available under Supervisor home to monitor your vehicle certificates:
- Vehicle Certificates Expiring shows all vehicle certificates that are expired or nearly so; and
- Vehicle Certificate Holders shows you all vehicles that hold a given certificate type.
When an existing certificate is renewed, we recommend adding it as an additional certificate, rather than modifying the existing record. This ensures that the certificate's complete history is recorded for later reference. AngelTrack analyzes all entries (expired, present, and future) for each certificate name and automatically figures out whether the certificate is still in force.
Your vehicles' city stickers are checked during call-taking
When a call-taker is booking a call, your vehicles' city stickers (if any) are checked, to indicate whether AngelTrack thinks your vehicle can legally pick up a patient in the specified city. As soon as the call-taker types in the origin city, all vehicles are checked for matching city stickers, and the answer is displayed. The answer is calculated like this:
- If the origin city name is not defined as a City Sticker certificate type in AngelTrack, then no status information is displayed:
- If the origin city name is defined as a City Sticker certificate type in AngelTrack, and at least one active vehicle of the requested type (ambulance or wheelchair van) has one on file, then a positive status is displayed:
- If the origin city name is defined as a City Sticker certificate type in AngelTrack, but no active vehicles of the requested type (ambulance or wheelchair van) has one on file, then a negative status is displayed:
The call-taker is therefore able to immediately decide whether the company can legally pick up the patient at the requested address.
Your vehicles' city stickers are also checked during dispatch assignment
The vehicles' City Sticker certificates are checked again during dispatch assignment, when a dispatcher is selecting an available shift to run a call.
As before, if the dispatch's origin address is defined as a City Sticker certificate type in AngelTrack, then all active shifts are checked to see whether their vehicle has that sticker on file:
If the dispatch's origin address is not defined as a City Sticker certificate type in AngelTrack, then the "City Cert" column shown above will not be displayed.
In this system only the origin address is checked, never the destination, because usually cities require stickers only for pickups, never for dropoffs. Of course this doesn't apply to round trips, where the destination later becomes the origin. Make sure you verify this with your local laws.
Station Certificates
The first tab of the Edit Station page shows the expiration status of each of the station's certificates. To add or edit the station's certificates, use the "Certificates" tab.
Two reports are available under Supervisor home to monitor your station certificates:
- Station Certificates Expiring shows all station certificates that are expired or nearly so; and
- Station Certificate Holders shows you all stations that hold a given certificate type.
When an existing certificate is renewed, we recommend adding it as a new certificate, rather than modifying the record of the old certificate. This ensures that the certificate's complete history is recorded for later reference. AngelTrack analyzes all entries (expired, present, and future) for each certificate type and automatically figures out whether the certificate is still in force.
There are a few built-in certificate types for stations, and of course you can add more types as you see fit.
Uses for station certificates
Station certificates are not reportable to your state trauma registry. However, they are useful for tracking any necessary inspections. See below:
- Fire inspections
- Fire extinguisher inspection tag renewals
- Insurance policy renewals
- Insurance inspections
- Lease renewals
- Signage permits
- Chamber of Commerce memberships
- DEA and DPS controlled substance registrations
Station certificates are not checked by dispatch or the PCR
You may wish to record your station certificates so that AngelTrack can warn you of upcoming expirations. However, station certificates are not checked or used by AngelTrack's dispatch and PCR systems.
Certificate Status Reports
AngelTrack provides three different ways of looking at certificate status across the company:
Certificates Overview report shows all crew members, and gives the status of each of the common certificates: driver's license, CPR, wheelchair, EMT-B, EMT-I, EMT-P, ACLS, PALS, etc. It provides a quick overview of the staff and shows any necessary renewals.
Certificates Expiring reports show registered certificates that are expired or nearing expiration. There is a report for crew members, for vehicles, and for stations.
Certificate Holders reports, by contrast, show who holds a given certificate name, versus who does not (or has forgotten to input it).
Using these reports, supervisors and HR can quickly verify that everyone at the company holds the appropriate certs and that renewals are taken care of.