Madonna Towers of Rochester, a faith-based CCRC in Rochester, Minn., is part of Benedictine Health System. BHS owns and/or manages nine acute-care hospitals and more than 50 long-term care facilities in eight states.
Madonna Towers started using Matrix in 2003 after BHS made a decision to use the Web-based clinical and financial software corporate-wide. Before implementing Matrix, Madonna Towers' clinical staff was documenting ADLs on paper during specific assessment reference dates.
"Getting nursing assistants to consistently fill out their paperwork and not have blanks in the document has been a big challenge," says Beth Redalen, assistant administrator for the 60-plus bed SNF.
Lack of an interface between charting completed by the nursing assistants and Matrix's electronic health record capabilities resulted in a monumental effort by charge nurses to monitor documentation. "Nursing assistants felt like they were the forgotten link and their documentation didn't count," notes Redalen.
The facility faced an even bigger challenge from lost revenue due to undocumented care. Inconsistencies between nursing assistant flow sheets and nursing progress notes went undiscovered.
Madonna Towers' previous system required intervention by the MDS coordinator, who managed a tracking tool that reminded her to make available the ADL sheets during the assessment period. The MDS coordinator also had to utilize the tracking tool to initiate ADL forms for nursing assistants during new admissions and hospital returns.
Moving Forward
BHS recognized the need for a system with electronic health record capabilities that incorporates all aspects of the traditional paper chart. "Madonna Towers was chosen as a pilot site and we haven't looked back since then," says Redalen.
BHS rolled out Matrix to its Midwest facilities in eight states. In addition to Matrix, BHS also used Matrix Point of Care, a resident charting technology that allows clinical staff to capture critical resident information at the bedside.
Madonna Towers mounted kiosks on the walls in their facility so nursing assistants can immediately record care with the documentation device. Madonna Towers also placed kiosks in the dining room to encourage nursing assistants to document dietary intake.
Because Matrix and POC are integrated, information documented in POC automatically updates in Matrix, giving all staff access to residents' current status. Security templates give users role-based access to specific information and documentation to ensure security of personal health information.
Simple And Effective
"What really attracted our staff to Matrix was its simplicity," says Redalen. "It is so 'user-friendly' even if you are not computer savvy." Redalen says that nursing assistants caught on to the point-and-click system faster than many of the licensed professionals. "Once they were trained, they just took it and ran with it," she adds. "
Of the several electronic records programs BHS evaluated, Matrix, with its integrated POC application, was the best choice for Madonna Towers and BHS' other facilities.
"The paper stream has substantially decreased," says Redalen.
In addition, multiple staff can simultaneously use POC to record resident information, which eliminates the wait to document or search for specific forms or missing charts.
Successful Implementation
The integration of POC and Matrix proves successful for Madonna Towers. It lets the charge nurse monitor ADL compliance from any computer, and offers additional reporting features.
Nursing assistants are now charting as they go instead of waiting until the end of their shift and trying to remember what happened throughout the day. "This has enhanced the accuracy of the documentation," Redalen adds.
"The Matrix clinical record has been a huge asset to our organization, enhancing our organizational effectiveness starting with leadership and throughout the organization," says Redalen.
"It has enabled us to deploy evidence-based care and systems to produce superior resident outcomes. It has enabled us to optimize financial results and continue to focus on exceeding customer expectations. POC offers the facility the consistent and accurate medical record documentation Madonna Towers was looking for."
For more information, call (866) 469-3766 or visit www.mdiachieve.com.
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