Home Health CareOffice Software
INF 566 Technology Assessment
David P. Salley
Gerland Home Health Care
The company provides in-home medical staffing (nurses, physical therapists, home health aides, housekeeping, companionship aides, etc.) and also provides staff for nursing homes and other medical facilities.
The company has recently decided to acquire office productivity software for processing documents, scheduling, patient tracking, sales presentations, physician referrals, patient forms, etc.
Gerland Home Health Care
New York Offices
Niagara Falls Buffalo -- Headquarters Hamburg Dunkirk Olean Hudson Valley
Ohio Offices
Akron Cleveland
Employee Statistics
300 Employees total
1 Chief Executive Officer 1 Chief Technical Officer – System Administrator 5 Sales Staff – 1 V.P. & 4 Associates 3 IT – Web projects, Database & Desktop Support
Managers, no specialized training 8 Liaisons – 1 in each office 8 Data Entry Personnel – 1 in each office The remainder -- nurses, physical
therapists, home health care aides, physician's office staff
Employee Statistics
High turnover of field staff Low turnover of office staff
Corporate growth is approx. 10% annually
Field staff allowed to view patient data Office staff allowed to view patient data Sales staff not allowed to view patient data
Current system
VPN connection to central HQ (virtual private network)
AS400 iServer from IBM Software 8+ yrs old, purchased from vendor 1 GB memory 75 GB hard disk Windows 2003 OS Databases: MySQL, MSSQL, DB2 Linux email Employees use dial-up, ISDN, DSL, cable,
modem Employees use any/all browsers, email systems
Virtual Private Network(courtesy of http://howstuffworks.com)
Virtual Private Network Security(courtesy of http://www.positivenetworks.com)
Office Productivity Software needs:
processing documents scheduling patient tracking sales marketing presentations physicians' referral letters patient forms (records, etc.) up and running within 12 weeks of decision HIPAA compliant
HIPAA -- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
In brief:
1. Improved efficiency in healthcare delivery by standardization of electronic data
2. Protecting confidentiality and security of health data by setting and enforcing standards.
In-House Development
Advantages Greater data privacy Better security Custom fit to needs Can sell software
packages to recoup development costs
Disadvantages No IT on staff – hire! Time consuming High ownership cost 1st Gen software : errors HIPAA compliant? No company experience
In-House Development Costs
According to Salary.com, a Level III Programmer in Buffalo, NY earns $49,815 annually. Round off to $50K = $25/hr
Optimistically:
12 wks x 40 hrs/wk x $25/hr x 4 programmers = 480 hrs x $100/hr = $48,000
Open Source Software
Advantages Cheap Customizable Greater data privacy
Disadvantages No tech support May not be suitable Hire programmer to
customize code Less secure – hackable HIPAA compliant? No company experience
Reviewed and Rejected
2K Medical Records (www.2kmedicalrecords.com)
AdvancedMD (www.advancedmd.com) Ajexus (www.ajexus.com) EdgeMed (www.edgemed.com) LeonardoMD (www.leonardomd.com) Med2020 (www.med2020.ca)
Reviewed and Rejected (cont’d)
Medical Software DB Systems (www.medicineau.net.au)
Medi-notes (www.medinotes.com) PatientSoft (www.patientsoft.com) SpectraSoft (http://appts32.co.uk) Surgical Information Systems
(www.orsoftware.com) Televox (www.televox.com)
Plexis Healthcare – 4th Choice
HIPAA compliant Windows 2000 or better MySQL or MSSQL database User-friendly interface 50 standard customizable reports System security allows nurses, not sales. 3 day training course available Phone and e-mail support available
American Health Care – 3rd Choice
HIPAA compliant Designed for an AS400 IBM computer Can purchase only the modules you need. User-friendly screen entry Patient & Prescription tracking Staffing schedules and training needs Data security Automated Billing Multiple customizable reports
MediSoft – 2nd Choice
HIPAA compliant Patient tracking Scheduling modules Doctor direct entry – no data entry needed Claims tracking Billing & Medicare Report generator Interactive training (7 CDs) + online Phone and online support -- $900/yr
Medservices – 1st Choice
HIPAA compliant Windows NT or Windows 2003 128MB RAM, 500MB hard disk 30 standard reports, customization available maintenance contract includes patches, minor
upgrades leased, 5 user licenses, $135/mo on 2 year
contract ($3,240) Additional user licenses available, ownership
after 2 years without additional payment
Medservices (cont’d)
Volunteer/Physician module Inventory module Donor module Prescription module Patient Assistance Program module Bill Tracking module Patient Imaging module Scheduling module Query / Report Writer module
Bibliography – Notes
http://www.hipaa.org http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/hipaa
(U.S. Health & Human Services Dept.) http://www.positivenetworks.com
(VPN security diagram) http://computer.howstuffworks.com
(VPN diagram) http://www.salary.com INF566 Discussion board notes
Bibliography – Accepted
American Health Co (www.ahconline.com) MediSoft (www.medisoft.com) MedServices (www.datanetsolutions.org) PlexisWeb (www.plexisweb.com)
Bibliography – Rejected
2K Medical Records (www.2kmedicalrecords.com)
Ajexus (www.ajexus.com) Advanced MD (www.advancedmd.com) EdgeMed (www.edgemed.com) LeonardoMD (www.leonardomd.com) Med2020 (www.med2020.ca)
Bibliography – Rejected
Medical Software DB Systems (www.medicineau.net.au)
Medi-notes (www.medinotes.com) PatientSoft (www.patientsoft.com) SpectraSoft (http://appts32.co.uk) Surgical Information Systems
(www.orsoftware.com) Televox (www.televox.com)