Overview
The Dazos CRM integration with Lightning Step EMR uses two different processes when pushing a patient to the EMR — depending on whether the patient already exists in Lightning Step. Understanding which process is used, and why, helps prevent mapping errors and ensures episode records sync correctly for both new patients and readmissions.
When to Use / Why It Matters
If a returning patient fails to push to Lightning Step with a mapping error related to level of care, it is likely because the system is attempting to Create Episode for an existing patient rather than Create Inquiry for a new one. These two processes have different field requirements, which can cause unexpected errors during readmissions if the required fields are not populated.
The Two Processes Explained
1. Create Inquiry (New Patients)
This process is used when no Inquiry ID exists for the patient in Lightning Step — meaning the patient is brand new and has never been pushed to the EMR before.
Triggered when the patient does not have an existing Lightning Step Inquiry ID in Dazos.
Creates a new inquiry record in Lightning Step.
The Admitting to LOC (Level of Care) field is not required for this process.
2. Create Episode for Existing Patient (Readmissions)
This process is used when an Inquiry ID already exists for the patient — meaning they were previously pushed to Lightning Step and are now being readmitted.
Triggered automatically when Dazos detects an existing Lightning Step Inquiry ID on the patient record.
Creates a new episode under the patient's existing inquiry in Lightning Step.
Historically, this endpoint required the Admitting to LOC field to be populated.
This is why a readmission can fail with a mapping error even when the same push worked for a different (new) patient — the system routes returning patients through a different API endpoint with different requirements.
Platform Update: Admitting to LOC No Longer Required
Dazos has deployed a fix so that the Admitting to LOC field is no longer required when creating an inquiry or episode through the integration. This applies to both first-time pushes and readmissions/subsequent episodes.
✅ If you previously encountered a mapping error related to Admitting to LOC when pushing a readmission to Lightning Step, this fix resolves that issue. You can retry the push without needing to populate that field.
Important: Discharge Status Updates Require a Prior EMR Push
For a patient's opportunity to receive automatic discharge status updates from Lightning Step, the record must have been previously pushed to the EMR and linked to a Lightning Step record.
If an opportunity was never pushed to Lightning Step, there is no linked EMR record, and discharge status updates will not flow back to Dazos automatically.
Only the first opportunity that was successfully pushed and linked will receive ongoing status updates from Lightning Step.
⚠️ If you notice that a patient's discharge status did not update automatically, check whether that opportunity was ever pushed to Lightning Step. If it was not, it will need to be manually updated in Dazos.
Tips & Notes
💡 Tip: When creating a new intake opportunity for a readmission, always follow the best practice of creating a new Intake Opportunity under the existing patient account — never reuse or move a previously discharged opportunity backward through the pipeline. See the related article below.
✅ Best Practice: Ensure that any patient you intend to track for discharge status updates has been successfully pushed and linked to Lightning Step on their first episode of care.
⚠️ Note: The system determines which process to use (Create Inquiry vs. Create Episode) automatically based on whether a Lightning Step Inquiry ID is present on the record in Dazos. You do not need to manually select which process is used.