Making Software Work for You
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to visit one of our clients in their office in California. They have been Visit Wizard users for almost 2 years and even I, an experienced Visit Wizard sales rep, was amazed to see how efficiently their office is run. I was able to ask questions about what made their Visit Wizard software work so well for them and heard some very good points that apply to any agency.
1. Commitment is from the top down. Once the software decision was made, everyone was expected to buy into the program. The Director was visibly involved in setting up tables and gaining full understanding of the software’s capabilities.
2. Invest planning time before implementation. This director spent planning time with her staff from all disciplines to ensure that all tables were user friendly and complete for everyone. Her staff told me she spent many hours developing the charting tables. They knew she was committed. They were told they were expected to be equally committed to making the program work. If they did not choose to accept the new technology, they could leave, but all employees would be expected to learn. She lost very few staff.
3. Adequate training. Staff was given training to fully understand the parts of Visit Wizard they were expected to use. A CD was developed to assist in training showing the processes. Classes were both informative and fun with awards and recognition for accomplishment.
4. Clear Expectations. All members of the staff understand that they are expected to use the software to maximum ability. If updates enhance the product, they want to utilize those enhancements efficiently.
5. Peer Support. This agency developed a peer accountability program to watch each other’s outcomes. They share good habits and ideas with each other. And they celebrate their achievements!
What does this software program do for their agency? Since they are able to front load their QA process, they are able to catch errors quickly and avoid problems. When the scheduler sees that a clinician is behind in charting, the scheduler doesn’t let it slide. The clinician is contacted and if charting is not caught up, another nurse will pick up their visits until they are caught up. As they are paid per visit this has a negative payday impact for the delinquent clinician. Clinicians at this agency must sign a formal agreement of job expectations that allows their pay to be held until documentation is complete.
Once the charting arrives at the office, each area has a specific QA process to check for completeness, timeliness, and accuracy of documentation. By the time it reaches the final stage, it is ready for billing. One person reported that billing speed has increased 200%. Another proudly pulled out their delayed claims notebook and pointed out that they had decreased from 25 pages to 2 and 1/3 pages. The notes in the book showed they knew what needed to be done on the remaining ones as well.
Clinicians told us they were able to work more efficiently by seeing patients in the same geographical areas and avoiding needless trips. A strong data base makes charting easy to complete with pick lists. They are able to do more visits and make more money each day. Clinicians verbalize improved job satisfaction.
Last, but certainly not least, is the fact that they were able to report that JCAHO loves their processes. So this company has a winning strategy all the way around. They are thriving as a company. They are compliant with the regulations and they have satisfied employees and clients. What more can you ask for?
