Adopting an appropriate IT system is critical for world class performance in the home healthcare sector-By Antoine J. Onaissi

Ever since I started Home Care Lebanon in 1997, I knew that smart technology could help improve patient care and the company’s overall performance. And so, in the late 90s we developed a solution based on Microsoft Access technology, and we used to sync our Palm Pilot home nursing visits via a cable. There were no web-based platforms at the time and we had to live with it for near a decade. We have since built from scratch a web-based holistic and smart software using Filemaker technology (an Apple company) with all the necessary iOS applications to run it all.
Here is what I learned from my experience setting the development requirements and following the software’s evolution:
Patient Outcome:

  • Patient care is improved thanks to the Electronic Health Records (EHR) that we generate and share with the patient’s physician.
  • Punctuality of our nurses is monitored resulting in the patient getting his treatment on time.
  • Detailed nursing reports are mailed to the patient’s family after each home visit. (whether by a registered nurse or a home health aide), hence improving the quality of our service and therefore patient care, since our field nurses operating in patients’ homes across the country know that they are being “watched from afar” by the family and by us (the same reports land on our server).
  • Due date changes for Peripheral and PICC lines are monitored by our quality controller in the office, resulting in better patient outcome.

 
Company’s performance:
Multiple reports allow us to monitor the following key parameters in order to take on-time decisions based on actual data.

  • Profitability for each service.
  • Best referral sources.
  • Sales team performance.
  • ROI on our marketing campaigns.
  • Current stock of supplies and Durable Medical Equipment.
  • Profit/Loss per month immediately at the closing of that month.

 
In summary, adopting a smart IT system in today’s global and fast evolving world is no longer an option but a necessity to deliver superior results in terms of patient care outcome and company performance.
 

Leave a reply