Providence Speech and Hearing Center Implements Chart Links Electronic Therapy Documentation
Patients and Staff at Providence Speech and Hearing Center embrace and applaud the new and efficient electronic system
Chart Links, a provider of rehabilitation workflow management software, announces the implementation of its electronic therapy documentation and scheduling system by a team of 25 audiologists, speech therapists and pediatric occupational therapists at Providence Speech and Hearing Center, a not-for-profit and leading provider of services to the speech and hearing impaired of Orange County, California.
“The government is promoting the advancement of information technology to cut costs in the healthcare industry,” says Linda H. Smith, CEO of Providence Speech and Hearing Center. “By implementing Chart Links’ electronic medical record at Providence, we’re an active participant in that cost-cutting initiative. As healthcare continues to reform, Providence will be technically equipped to better service its patient population.”
Providence served over 29,000 appointments in 2009 to over 5,659 unique patients.
“The implementation has allowed Providence to gain efficiencies and see more patients, as well as to gather and monitor our clinical outcomes,” says Smith.
“The staff here at Providence has responded well to the transition and is looking forward to even more advantageous results in the coming months.”
Chart Links software streamlines all of the daily tasks associated with a patient’s physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology, or audiology visits. The software manages adult and pediatric therapy treatment by automating evaluations, flow sheets, progress notes, patient education, clinical correspondence, and plans of care. It also manages payer compliance, provider reimbursement, outcomes reporting, administrative functions, business intelligence and enterprise productivity.
About Chart Links, LLC
For over 15 years, Chart Links has developed rehabilitation software that automates workflow for referrals, insurance authorizations, cross-discipline scheduling, documentation, charges, and more. Chart Links allows medical rehabilitation facilities to be more efficient and to provide a higher quality of care by delivering results in the areas of compliance, outcomes, analytics and revenue. For more information about Chart Links, you may access their web site at: http://www.chartlinks.com
About Providence Speech and Hearing Center
Founded in 1965 by Sister Margaret Anne Inman Ph.D., Providence Speech and Hearing Center is the leading service provider to the speech and hearing impaired of Orange County, California. With over 40 years of experience, Providence has grown from a one room house to a multi-million dollar non-profit organization. Providence served over 21,000 appointments in 2008 to over 3,200 unique patients. They offer a full array of speech and hearing services for children and adults alike; and, because they believe everyone deserves the gifts of speech and hearing, they accept most major insurance companies and medical groups as well as providing grants, scholarships and financing options for patients from low-income families. http://www.pshc.org
HealthPoint Rehab Chooses Chart Links as its EHR
HealthPoint Rehab (www.healthpointplaza.com), a service of Southeast Missouri Hospital, comprises two outpatient rehabilitation centers located in Cape Girardeau and Jackson, Missouri. Combined, the centers employ 25 therapists engaged in physical, occupational, speech and specialty therapies including orthopedic, neurological, myofascial and lymphedema. The two centers handle about 33,600 total patient visits annually.
Realizing the inexorable trend toward electronic medical records, the HealthPoint management team decided to abandon its paper-based system and make a comprehensive search for an advanced electronic solution.
“We knew the need for EMR was coming,” said Andrea Marchi, PT, MBA, CSCS, HealthPoint rehab manager. “We wanted to get ahead of the curve and have plenty of time to make the right decision. That’s when we began a search that led us to Chart Links – a choice we couldn’t be happier with.”
Chart Links offered a product customizable to HealthPoint’s suite of multi-discipline therapeutic services. “We needed a system that could effectively address and document our many different specialty areas and Chart Links was the only one that had this capability.”
A Compliant Documentation Process
Chart Links Rehabilitation Software is driven by major accreditation, professional, information technology and security standards. It supports compliance with JCAHO, CARF, AOTA, APTA, HIPAA and other rehabilitation professional standards. The system’s documentation helps ensure compliance with Medicare Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) Edits, modifiers and time tracking.
Marchi feels more at ease with proper documentation compliance. “Our compliance is virtually guaranteed because, in a progress note or evaluation section, Chart Links prompts for JCAHO and Medicare documentation in a way that you cannot miss or ignore.”
Unlike paper forms unable to force standards compliance, Chart Links’ electronic forms do not accept signatures without fulfillment of all required standards.
Better Business Decisions with Analytics
Chart Links Analytics allows managers to make informed business decisions through a simple-to-use ad hoc analysis interface that can analyze practice trends, develop universal metrics, measure long-term changes, and gather operational decision-support data.
“What could be a monumental task, taking weeks to accomplish by having to manually track and assemble mountains of data now is as simple as jumping into the system, defining your parameters and – click – up comes the data,” said Marchi. “It’s easy to read and understand. You don’t need any assistance from IT to make this happen. Chart Links Analytics is simply awesome.”
HealthPoint uses Chart Links Analytics for generating statistics for its annual report and as a basis to make good business decisions. Analytics allows HealthPoint, for example, to analyze visits (by location, by therapist, by time-period, etc.), dissect referrals, or scrutinize cancellation rates. “Chart Links Analytics helps us to stay ahead of the game, so we can make better decisions and not be reactive to what has already happened,” observed Marchi.
Routine Tasks Greatly Improved
Marchi also cites the user-friendly Chart Links scheduler as a key benefit. She notes that you can see all you need to see on one screen. Users can sort information by discipline or selected providers, or take a patient and click and copy for 15 visits instead of making 15 individual appointments. “The front desk has nothing but good things to say about the Chart Links scheduler,” remarked Marchi.
Chart Links Customer Service as Outstanding as its Technology
HealthPoint has found that the Chart Links solution extends into exceptional customer service. “The customer service we have received has been fantastic,” said Marchi. “There was no sense that, once we went live, ‘you’re on your own.’ Chart Links doesn’t operate that way. They don’t put limits on customer service. We feel we can call on them anytime. Chart Links consistently delivers on all counts.”
Therapy Scheduling in Outpatient Rehab Facilities
The day begins and ends with a simple appointment. But, in outpatient rehabilitation facilities, the therapy scheduling process is not always so simple, is it?
You know what it takes — scheduling across multiple locations for multiple days with multiple providers often in multiple therapy disciplines. You need not only to book, but to double book and triple book when things get a little hectic – not to mention staggering, recurring, canceling, and re-booking missed therapy appointments.
From bump lists to wait lists – you see it all. Let’s face it, rehabilitation scheduling is complex.
The Chart Links Scheduler — complete with rehabilitation templates — is built to ensure that patients are appropriately slotted to see who they need, when they need them, with the right resources, in the right place. Scheduling activities for patients and classes/groups with providers, equipment, locations and user-defined resources are supported.
Unlike other general medical schedulers, Chart Links has designed its scheduler around the needs of medical rehabilitation facilities. Inherent in the scheduler is the ability to schedule by cross-discipline. There is also an ability to schedule the patient with multiple therapists or resources in one easy-to-use feature (i.e., PTA with PT, OTA with OT, speech therapist with audiologist, or audiologist with hearing/screening booth and with audioscope).
To learn more about therapy scheduling through Chart Links, click here.
Therapy Scheduling in Outpatient Rehab
The day begins and ends with a simple appointment. But, in outpatient rehabilitation facilities, the appointment scheduling process is not always so simple, is it?
Outpatient therapy scheduling often requires appointments across multiple locations for multiple days with multiple providers in multiple disciplines. You need not only to book, but to double book and triple book when things get a little hectic – not to mention staggering, recurring, canceling, and re-booking missed appointments.
At Chart Links, we understand rehabilitation scheduling. We’ve been there, we’ve done it, and we’ve built a tool that can manage it.
The Chart Links Scheduler — complete with rehabilitation templates — is built to ensure that patients are appropriately slotted to see who they need, when they need them, with the right resources, in the right place. Scheduling activities for patients and classes/groups with providers, equipment, locations and user-defined resources are supported.
For more information about our outpatient rehabilitation therapy scheduler, go to our scheduling feature web page.
Therapy Documentation Software Return On Investment
When it comes to automating therapy documentation, funding is one of the biggest challenges outpatient rehab facilities face.
If you’re struggling to make a compelling business case for electronic medical records to your hospital board of directors, consider all of the operational areas that will yield quantifiable results. As you build your case, marry up metrics to timeframes as a part of your formula for return on investment.
Efficiency Improvements
When you automate therapy appointments, appointment reminders, referral management, authorization tracking, evaluations, plans of care, progress notes, flow sheets, and more; information can be called up and acted on almost immediately. List out and quantify all of the administrative task time this saves. Consider improvements in communications alone as it relates to time spent on referrals, authorizations and appointment reminders. The staff productivity gained allows for major improvements in therapist work flow which, over time, allows more patients to be seen in the same amount of time.
Cost Savings
One of the greatest cost savings brought by electronic therapy documentation is the elimination of transcription costs. Because therapists enter clinical documentation directly into the system, traditional paper-based methods are greatly reduced, if not eliminated. Determine your current cost per therapist or per page for transcription. Estimate, conservatively, a reduction in transcription costs. This will likely be one of the most significant contributors to your overall cost savings with an electronic therapy documentation system. Don’t forget to consider other paper chart costs in the ROI equation:
- supplies for creating and storing charts (from folders, stickers and dividers to cabinets)
- labor expenses for managing chart pulls, filing and audits
- copying expenses for documentation to attorneys, payers and physicians
Revenue Enhancements
Electronic therapy documentation opens new doors for driving revenue that should be considered as a part of return on investment. Consider how much more compliant, complete and accurate documentation becomes when it has the checks and balances of automation. Coding levels and claim errors correlate directly to documentation of the encounter. When therapy documentation occurs electronically, therapists report greater confidence levels as it pertains to Correct Coding Initiative (CCI) Edits, Medicare time tracking (or the eight minute rule), authorization tracking, and other compliance issues that can help or inhibit proper reimbursement. Consider improvements in billing accuracy as a part of your ROI analysis.
Quality Improvements
Some of the less tangible returns of electronic therapy documentation include quality. In most cases, electronic documentation allows for quicker, more legible, better organized and more comprehensive patient documentation overall. Across the outpatient rehab facility, automation standardizes clinical documentation, reducing inconsistencies in structure, poor handwriting, and lag time in documentation and approvals. Patient education sheets are readily accessible and up to date. Plan of care reports are auto-generated from the evaluation, able to be monitored, electronically signed, and faxed from the desktop. These and many other improvements in quality should be considered in ROI.
Summary
In an outpatient setting, electronic therapy documentation impacts both the therapist and staff productivity. A good business case for return on investment should focus on
- efficiency improvements
- cost savings
- revenue enhancements
- quality improvements
If you need help putting together your Return on Investment business case for an electronic therapy documentation system, please contact us.
Ann W. Kummer to Speak about Speech Therapy Software at ASHA
We’re happy to announce that Ann Kummer, PhD, CCC-SLP, ASHA-F, will speak at the 2008 Annual American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Convention on November 22, 2008 in Chicago, IL from 8-9am. The presentation, entitled “It’s Not IF You’ll Computerize, It’s WHEN and HOW,” will cover 10 things that speech-language pathology (SLP) clinics should consider when evaluating speech therapy software to automate their documentation and administration. Dr. Kummer is the Senior Director of Speech Pathology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center.
“More than a decade ago, we embarked upon a mission to reduce the documentation and administrative demands within our organization,” says Dr. Kummer. “Today, we leverage information technology to automate our processes, streamline workflow, reduce billing errors, increase coding compliance, and improve the quality, consistency and turn-around time of our documentation.”
In 1995, Dr. Kummer chose Chart Links Rehab Software to meet the unique documentation needs of a speech pathology department that couldn’t be met with a generic clinical documentation or electronic medical records system. Within a year of launching the system, the Speech Pathology Department at Cincinnati Children’s started realizing the benefits of automation, which included:
- 1-2 hours of increased billed time per week per full-time equivalent therapist
- Increased reimbursement resulting from consistent processes
- Decreased support staff costs
- Improved net revenues
- Improved staff and patient satisfaction
The cost reductions in computerizing the documentation and administrative processes continue to deliver a financial return to the organization each year.
Dr. Kummer’s department has been computerized with Chart Links Rehab Software since 1995. She is the author of Business Practices: A Guide for Speech-Language Pathologists published by ASHA. She is also the author of Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies: Effects on Speech and Resonance published by Delmar Cengage Learning, 2 Edition (July, 2007).
To learn more about Chart Links’ Rehab Software, visit booth #962 at the American Speech-Language-Pathology Association (ASHA) Annual Convention in Chicago, Illinois on November 20-22, 2008, call 888.369.0707, or visit our website.
Appointment Reminders for Speech Therapy
ADVANCE for Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists wrote about how Chart Links Integrates Reminders into Therapy Software. This functionality will allow speech therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and audiologists to reduce patient no-shows. The software, based on patient preferences, will notify the patient of their scheduled appointment either by email, telephone, or text message (SMS).
Therapy Patient Appointment Reminders
Chart Links has partnered with mBox USA, Inc., a mobile phone application provider and maker of AutoRemind(tm), to develop an integrated appointment reminder system for Chart Links Rehabilitation Software. The solution will reduce therapy appointment no-shows by sending text message (SMS), voice call, and email reminders to patients based on their communications preferences.
“An integrated and automated solution for therapy appointment reminders will help the rehabilitation facility decrease missed appointements while eliminating the high cost of manual processes,” says Ron Miller, M.D., Chart Links President and Chief Medical Officer. “The solution will integrate seamlessly within our workflow management solution. Increased attendance rates translate into revenue, improved patient outcomes, and improved patient communication.”
Read our press release on patient appointment reminders.
Article: Carle Clinic Ahead of Schedule
Lindie Peters, a physical therapist at Carle Clinic, was recently published in ADVANCE for Directors in Rehabilitation, Vol. 17, Issue 7, Page 60, Products At Work. The article is entitled “Ahead of Schedule: Chart Links improves efficiency and accuracy for busy clinicians.”
The article covers how physical therapists at Carle Therapy Services use Chart Links Rehabilitation Software to document evaluations, treatments, and plans of care for doctor authorizations. The solution has allowed them to reduce errors and redundancy by interfacing scheduling, documentation and charge entry.
Carle Therapy Services is affiliated with 305-bed Carle Foundation Hospital. They have more than 120 clinicians generating up to 90 care plans each day.
To learn even more about Carle Therapy Services, read their Customer Case Study online.
Version 5 of Outpatient Rehabilitation Software Released
Chart Links has launched version 5 of its outpatient rehabilitation workflow management and clinical documentation product. The therapy software release includes features like flow sheet documentation, a fresh user interface, enhanced time tracking and patient appointment reminders.
“We’re proud to release technology that further enables medical rehabilitation practitioners to improve patient care, measure clinical outcomes and be more efficient,” says Ron Miller, M.D., President and Chief Medical Officer of Chart Links. “We’re committed to developing comprehensive solutions that meet the complex and cross-disciplinary workflows of outpatient rehab care.”
Chart Links Rehabilitation Software is used in charting patient progress for physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology and audiology. It handles the entire outpatient rehabilitation workflow including scheduling, insurance authorization, referral management, treatment documentation, charges, outcomes, reporting and compliance.
Read our press release about Version 5 of Chart Links Rehabilitation Software.
Version 5 to Launch in June
Chart Links is advancing its product offering. With a new management team in place and a renewed focus on software enhancement, our interface will be fresh, our workflow management capabilities broader, and our rehabilitation-specific content deeper.
The new version will better meet the demands scheduling, documenting patient care, driving revenue and reporting outcomes for multi-disciplinary therapy care in an outpatient setting.
Features of the new therapy software will include:
- flow sheet documentation
- a new user interface
- enhanced Medicare Time Tracking features
- automated patient appointment reminders
Watch for a release in the coming month.
Article: Chart Links Improves Workflow
Karen Deeter, Director of Operations at the Columbus Speech & Hearing Center, was recently published in ADVANCE for Speech-Language Pathologists & Audiologists, Vol. 18, Issue 8 in an article entitled “Chart Links Improves Workflow.”
The article covers how Columbus Speech & Hearing Center searched for and implemented a system, Chart Links Rehabilitation Software, that specifically met their needs for speech and hearing clinical documentation and workflow management.
Columbus Speech & Hearing Center serves nearly 10,000 people annually. The center provides audiology and hearing aid services, speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, a Comprehensive Program for the Deaf, and job placement for adults with disabilities, including those who are deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind.
For more information about how Chart Links creates workflow efficiencies for Columbus Speech & Hearing, read their full case study.