IPN Data Submission Overview

A printable Exam form is also available for download to assist you with your internal workflow. However, data collected on printable forms must be submitted to the ELCDR via one of the three submission methods indicated below.

IPN Data Submission Methods

There are three options for submitting data to the ELCDR:

1. An online data entry form is available for manual data entry. Refer to Manual Data Entry Instructions for a general overview of the process and IPN Manual Entry: Register New Exam for how to start a new exam.

2. Data may be submitted for multiple exams simultaneously via flat file upload to the registry. See IPN Data File Upload for details.

3. Web-based data transmission allows you to send data directly from your software vendor or IT department, saving time and reducing the risk of errors.

Your facility is not obligated to use just one submission method. For example, you may choose to upload data as a flat file and then edit any of the uploaded exams via manual data entry.

Updating an Exam Form

Once an Exam form has been submitted to the registry, with all required data elements, its status changes to Completed and it cannot be submitted again manually. However, the Exam form can be edited at any time. For example, a follow-up procedure can be added and saved to the form in the Follow-up Data section. In the event of the patient’s passing, the Date of Death and related information can be added to the Patient Information section and saved. Updating a completed Exam form does not change its status, but it does provide you the ability to add or change information as the need arises.

To update a form, start by clicking IPN Exam Forms in the Data Management menu. 

Enter identifying information in the filter fields and click the Search button.

A table of exams appears.

Click the link in the IPN Exam # column to open a form. Then: 

1. Make the desired changes. 

2. Enter something in the "Please enter a comment giving a reason for the change" field.

3. Click the Update button.

Cancelling and Restoring an Exam Form

Exam forms can be cancelled and cancelled Exam forms can be restored.

To cancel a form, start by opening the form as described in Updating an Exam Form above.

Scroll to the bottom of the form and click the Cancel Exam button.

Enter a comment and click Yes:

Note that a Restore Exam button appears at the bottom of the form.

To review the change in status, click IPN Exam Forms in the Data Management menu to reopen the list of exams. The revised list shows the change in status to Cancelled.

To restore a cancelled exam form, select the IPN Exam # link to open the form, then scroll to the bottom of the form and click the Restore Exam button.

Patient and Physician Dictionaries

The IPN uses Patient and Physician Dictionaries to maintain databases of all IPN patients and radiologists.

The Patient Dictionary is auto-populated each time an exam is submitted for a new patient using the Register New IPN Exam page.

The Physician Dictionary maintains records for populating the Radiologist (Reading) NPI field on the exam form. Consequently, the physician record must already be in the dictionary before you begin submitting data. The Physician Dictionary is shared across registries, so you will only need to upload records once, regardless of how many registries your facility is using. See Manage Physicians to learn how to add physicians to the dictionary.

New Exams for Returning Patients

For returning patients, if the exam is a follow-up to a previously entered exam, then find the exam and update the Follow-Up Data section as described in Updating an Exam Form section above. 

If the exam is unrelated to a previous exam, then enter it as described in IPN Manual Entry: Register New Exam.