Overview
This guide explains why Netsmart (Avatar) EMR pushes from Dazos CRM fail with EPISODE_NUMBER errors, what causes them, and how the issue is resolved. If you are seeing intermittent push rejections on some intake opportunities but not others, this article is for you.
⚠️ Important: This error is not caused by a missing custom field in Dazos CRM. Do not attempt to add EPISODE_NUMBER as a custom field to resolve this error.
Symptom / Error
When pushing a form from an Intake Opportunity to Netsmart EMR, the push fails with an error referencing EPISODE_NUMBER — for example:
A rejection message indicating EPISODE_NUMBER is missing or invalid for a specific patient ID (e.g., PATID 103860)
The push fails on some intake opportunities but succeeds on others
The calls are reaching Netsmart but are being rejected on the Netsmart/Avatar side
Cause
The root cause of this error is that the push payload sent from Dazos to Netsmart was tied to a wrong, stale, or no active episode in Netsmart/Avatar. This means:
The patient record in Avatar had no active episode at the time of the push
The episode referenced in the payload was outdated or invalid
Netsmart rejected the payload because it could not match it to a valid active episode
This is why the error appears on some intake opportunities and not others — it depends on the state of each patient's episode in Avatar at the time of the push.
Resolution
A backend fix has been deployed in Dazos. The system now validates and uses the correct active Netsmart episode before sending the form payload. This prevents Dazos from pushing a payload tied to a wrong or stale episode.
Additionally, if no active episode is available in Avatar for a given patient, Dazos will now return a clearer failure message rather than silently sending a payload that Netsmart will reject.
What You Need to Do
Before pushing a patient record from Dazos to Netsmart, confirm the following in Avatar:
Verify the patient has an active episode in Netsmart/Avatar. If no active episode exists, the push will fail — this is expected behavior and Dazos will now surface a clear error message to indicate this.
Do not attempt to add EPISODE_NUMBER as a custom field in Dazos CRM. This will not resolve the error and is not required for the integration to work.
Once an active episode is confirmed in Avatar, re-attempt the push from the Intake Opportunity in Dazos CRM.
Tips & Notes
💡 Tip: If the error is occurring on specific patients only, check those patients' records in Netsmart/Avatar to confirm they have a current, active episode before pushing again.
⚠️ Note: The EPISODE_NUMBER error originates from Netsmart rejecting the payload — the push is reaching Netsmart, but Netsmart is refusing it due to an episode validation issue on their side. This is different from a connection failure between Dazos and Netsmart.
✅ Best Practice: As part of your intake workflow, confirm that each patient has an active episode in Avatar before initiating a push from Dazos CRM. This will prevent push failures related to episode validation.
When to Contact Support
Contact Dazos Support if:
Push failures continue after confirming an active episode exists in Avatar
You receive a new or unfamiliar error message during the Netsmart push
You are unsure whether the backend fix has been applied to your instance
When contacting support, please provide:
The specific error message displayed
Screenshots of the failed push attempt
The affected patient ID(s) and intake opportunity record(s)
Your CRM instance URL
Related Resources
Troubleshooting Alleva EMR Integration Push Failures (CRM)
How to Test and Verify Patient Record Push from Dazos CRM to Sunwave
How to Handle Readmissions and Manually Link CRM Records to Existing EMR Profiles (CRM)