Estimates millions in savings by implementing DOMA’s electronic medical record platform, iCharts.
Sentara Home Care Services is an integral division of the nationally ranked Sentara Healthcare System and has been offering distinctive home healthcare to patients since 1981. Sentara Home Care (SHC) has been ranked in the top 10 agencies in America by Home Care Magazine over the past several years. Four main departments comprise SHC: Skilled Services, Infusion Therapy, Durable Medical Equipment and Hospice. On any single day, more than 8,000 patients living in the greater Hampton Roads and Richmond areas of Virginia, as well as northeastern North Carolina, are serviced.
Sentara was facing daily challenges created by an inordinate amount of hard paper records processing, extensive file retention, inconsistent access to patient information, delinquent or inaccurate account management and over burdened accreditation preparation. Sentara faced overcrowded records storage with dedicated file rooms reaching capacity, impacting the overall access and management of patient information. With a lack of organization, invoices were often delayed, record keeping was inconsistent and financial records were wrongly documented. Retrieving medical documents was nearly impossible and continued to increase operational costs by adding heavy workloads on employees.
DOMA implemented iCharts, a secure electronic medical record repository, which allows Sentara to capture patient information electronically and manage that information through one central data storage area. Specific record requests are now administered more efficiently, insurance claims and patient billing have accelerated and become more accurate, and there has been a notable reduction in the number of lost or misfiled records. The solution also allowed Sentara to be fully prepared for its CHAPs audit and accreditation. The maintenance of paper charts with an electronic process has greatly increased the overall quality of chart management and in turn, the overall quality of patient care.
