Having the right Point of Care (POC) system in a long term care facility makes all the difference when it comes to documenting accurate resident data in a long term care EHR. There are many advantages to using nursing computer software because it eliminates illegible paper documentation, “copy-cat” or “parrot” charting, and time spent looking for missing assessments.
While using eMAR software is important for numerous facility roles, CNA POC is particularly important, as CNAs are responsible for tracking the resident’s ADLs (Activities of Daily Living).
It is essential for facilities to maintain accurate, real-time ADL records because, under the current PDPM regulations, Medicare reimbursement is assessed using the resident ADLs. Therefore, the facility’s POC documentation in its nursing home software must be precise to receive the correct reimbursement amount. This is one of many reasons why facilities decide to upgrade their long term care software.
The Essential Components of POC CNA
When facilities upgrade their nursing home EHR software, they will look to see if it has the essential components of POC CNA. Improving the facility’s efficiency is of utmost importance because facility staff are already overloaded with resident care. Therefore, any improvements, whether big or small, will reduce their administrative duties and significantly impact workflow and resident care.
There are three main components facilities examine when upgrading their care plan software:
- Upgrading Medical Devices – Unlike consumer devices, medical devices are specifically designed for the healthcare industry. Facilities must record their clinical workflows with accurate ADLs documentation. This is a challenging task because of the sheer quantity of residents and their specific needs. Therefore, upgrading POC devices must improve CNAs workflow by capturing the correct information in their long term care EHR.
- Integrated Technology – An effective POC software allows facility staff to access resident ADL data from numerous devices and locations. Tools like Experience Care’s Point of Care Charting can be accessed on various devices like wall-mounted touch screen kiosks, Windows desktops, laptops, and tablets. The software is easy to use, allowing all authorized staff to check on residents’ vitals, ADLs, and pain reports right there in their nursing home software.
- Compliance and Risk Management – Facilities are required to follow the 1996 federal regulations included in HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). This act ensures the national protection of all sensitive resident data, protecting them with privacy filters ensuring that data is not disclosed unless otherwise stated. This is particularly important for CNA POC because CNAs often access resident data in various locations around the facility, including hallways and common areas. Therefore, facilities need to ensure the POC devices they use as part of their long term care software have the relevant privacy filters to prevent third parties from accessing the data. Failure to comply can result in legal issues.
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How CNA Charting POC Can Elevate Care
An ideal working scenario for a CNA shift will involve less scrolling through the SNF software, better resident care, and more accurate documentation in the long term care EHR. Facilities like St. Mary’s Home for the Aged had to upgrade their CNA charting POC software because their previous system was inefficient and time-consuming. This resulted in the team spending too much time documenting care but still not accessing the correct information when needed.
When the facility switched to Experience Care’s CNA POC software, the St. Mary’s team found significant improvements to their workflow while maintaining their high quality of care standards. Time-consuming tasks like charting were substantially faster, allowing their CNAs to spend more time on resident care.
Read more about how St. Mary’s upgraded its POC software here.
“When I’m on the floor as a CNA, I know for a fact that [Experience Care’s CNA POC software] goes faster than the previous software I used, like CareTracker,” said Mary Burkart, an RN RAC-CTA at St. Mary’s. “My nurses save upwards of 30 minutes a day on their documentation because there’s so much less scrolling involved.”
Burkart mentioned the value of a Kardex tool that allows her team to personalize care with an alert system, keeping the nurses and CNAs updated with important resident information that is all conveniently located on the POC CNA screen. This handy tool streamlines workflow documentation, saving the staff time spent caring for the residents.
While others, like Ayisha Bradley, an MDS nurse at Care Centers in Johnson City, Tennessee, commented that Experience Care’s point of care software is exceptionally user-friendly. This is an essential feature, as all relevant staff need to access the data to provide adequate care. “The resident gets better care, because now when a person’s losing weight, not only does the nurse know but so does dietary, the administrator, the assistant director of nursing, and the matrix clerk,” Bradley said. “Residents are getting more attention because now everybody’s alerted.”
Read more about how Bradley moved to electronic documentation here.
The Value of CNA POC
Most software upgrades fail because there is a disconnect between the facility and the software vendor. This results in software performance problems and the inability to fully integrate the LTC software system, leading to dissatisfied end-users.
The value of CNA POC lies in the usability and workflow improvements, thus enabling the staff to spend more time with the residents. There are, however, some initial challenges facilities have to overcome when upgrading their nursing software programs, like providing adequate staff training. Once the issue is addressed, facilities will vastly improve workflow efficiency and staff satisfaction. One easy solution is online training, which can now be accessed entirely free of charge at any time and in any setting.
One way long term care software providers can improve the overall end-user experience is through exceptional customer service. Experience Care offers both in-person and virtual training as well as user group meetings that allow anyone using the long term care software to offer feedback and suggestions to improve the workflow so that they can better meet their clinical and financial needs. This approach fosters closer relationships between software companies and their users and improves usability substantially.
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