Speech and Hearing Center Reduces Therapy Documentation Turnaround Time
Since using Chart Links speech therapy documentation software, Columbus Speech & Hearing Center has virtually eliminated redundant data entry and reduced clinical documentation turnaround time from two weeks down to a few days. This increased efficiency has enabled the Center to add clinicians while decreasing its clerical staff.
Completing and filing clinical documentation posed challenges for the Center before it began using Chart Links. For proper billing, every patient encounter needs to be documented with a progress note. However, progress notes often got lost, were illegible or didn’t get completed in a timely fashion. With Chart Links, clinicians are able to easily complete the progress notes within the system, and business managers can use the system to monitor the status of progress notes before backlogs get out of control.
Similarly, evaluation and treatment documents used to be handwritten by clinicians and sent to word processors to type. The manual process used to take two to three weeks to complete and included typing the notes, clarifying illegible or unclear notes, as well incorporating one to two revisions before the document was finalized. Now, clinicians can enter their evaluation and treatment notes directly into the system, and - once again - business managers can track the status of the process along the way. “Now it’s very easy for the department director to go into the system and see who hasn’t done their evaluation reports or their treatment reports, which helps us avoid major backlogs and helps to ensure we remain compliant with our accreditation and quality standards,” says Karen Deeter, director of operations at the Center.
The increased productivity and efficiency facilitated by Chart Links has enabled the organization to add clinicians, while decreasing the size of its clerical staff.
The Center is realizing the benefits of moving away from paper-based processes. “Chart Links is helping us transition toward the use of electronic documentation throughout our practice, and has substantially reduced the hassles of tracking and filing paper-based documents,” said Dawn Gleason, president and CEO of the Center. “We are now entering electronic audiology files into the system, and we’re able to scan in the historical patient records for the patients who we see on an ongoing basis. Overall, Chart Links has helped us improve our workflow and reduce administrative tasks.”
Based in Columbus, Ohio, the Columbus Speech & Hearing Center serves nearly 10,000 people across Ohio. Center services include: audiology and hearing aid services; speech-language and occupational therapy; as well as the Comprehensive Program for the Deaf, a job placement program for adults who are hard-of-hearing or deaf. The Center collaborates with numerous other agencies and community organizations in a full-time program of education, testing, evaluation, therapy and vocational counseling at the Center, throughout Central Ohio, and across the state.
Read more about our speech therapy documentation software.
Read the full case study on Columbus Speech & Hearing Center.
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