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With this newsletter, Net Health hopes to share innovative ways to use the WoundExpert software, and information about new features. If you have ideas for future content or questions, or wish to subscribe to ProgressNotes, please email Marketing.
In this issue:
- Direct Order Wound Care Supplies
- 4th Quarter Updates
- Client Service Our Top Priority
- WoundExpert by the Numbers
Ensuring patients have access to the medical supplies needed for in-home wound care between clinic visits is vital to the success of any wound treatment plan. New functionality in the WoundExpert software, launched this month, offers a streamlined process for clinicians to electronically complete and transmit orders to wound product supply companies.
The new Wound Product Supplier ordering module allows wound care providers to select, auto-populate, and securely send forms to a wound care supply processing center, saving the time and effort associated with the traditional paper-based ordering method.
“We are continually identifying opportunities to enhance our software to streamline workflow while improving wound healing outcomes,” explained Patrick Colletti, president of Net Health Systems. “This simplified process achieves that goal, allowing clinicians to spend more time treating patients and less time doing paperwork.”
Features of the Wound Product Supplier ordering module include:
- Seamless creation of supply order forms, pre-populated with patient data drawn from documentation in WoundExpert
- Direct transmission from WoundExpert to the supplier for approval and fulfillment
- Integration with existing clinical electronic documentation, ensuring a more complete patient record
- Orders fulfilled and shipped directly to the patient
The Wound Product Supplier ordering module is free and simple to activate. For more information about adding this to your software configuration, contact our Client Services team or call 800.411.6281, Option 2.
In response to recently announced changes from the AMA and CMS which take effect January 1, 2011, Net Health Systems will release several significant enhancements to the WoundExpert software to ensure compliance with new documentation and billing requirements effective Monday January 3, 2011.
WoundExpert users will see changes in the Excisional Debridement and Skin Substitute procedure forms as well as the CPT automation feature. The most significant changes related to the Excisional Debridement codes are the deletion of partial and full thickness codes 11040 and 11041 as well as the addition of 11045-11047 codes that come with specific rules. Software updates also include the addition of Skin Substitute application codes G0440 and G0441 for professional billing.
“Typically, annual changes from the AMA are related to the addition of new codes and the deletion of expired codes, which only require simple edits through WoundExpert’s master code table list,” said Christopher Hayes, vice president, information technology. “Our development team has been aggressively working to deliver these expanded updates to ensure our clients maintain compliance as these new requirements take effect in the new year.”
Also included with this software release are updates to Joint Commission requirements related to Patient-Centered Communication. These changes, which are addressed in the Patient Education section of WoundExpert, focus on the hospital’s need to identify the patient’s oral and written communication needs, including the patient’s preferred language for discussing health care. This update supports our clients’ goal of providing quality care to patients while maintaining compliance with Joint Commission documentation requirements.
To learn more about the latest updates to WoundExpert, click the Help link within WoundExpert and expand the “Release and Education Materials” section. Questions about the upgrade can be sent via email to feedback@woundexpert.com. Be sure to include your name and facility in the email.
WoundExpert is more than leading-edge software, it’s a collaboration between your staff and our team. Our Client Services team serves as the main connection to YOU – working to tailor the appropriate solution for your clinical situation, then serving as an ongoing resource to support use and user education needs.
Once a contract is in place, the Client Services team kicks into action. Our pre-implementation specialists work with you and your team to configure the software to meet your workflow. Then members of our training team serve as onsite advisors through the start-up and go-live process. Ongoing support and education is provided by our client advocates who are available 5 days a week, 12 hours a day for quick response to any issues.
“We are continuously reaching out to our clients to update them on advances in the software, assist with new staff training, and provide other support as needed,” explained Debby Dale, director of Client Services. “Our goal is to help our clients use WoundExpert in ways that will ultimately better serve patient care.”
Examples of support services and outreach initiatives include:
- Advanced Reporting – Clients can request individualized reports, which client advocates help to customize based on the needs of the wound center. These reports can be created to examine or provide different perspectives on the data that they record in WoundExpert.
- “Shopping with WoundExpert” – WoundExpert users were invited to “shop” the latest upgrades to the WoundExpert software, through a special webinar designed to educate them on new features.
- Conference Calls and On-site Visits – Client advocates host or participate in conference calls and sometimes travel to various clinics for personal meetings with their clients. These encounters are opportunities to learn first-had about the challenges of each individual clinic, provide refresher training, and identify ways the client services team can enhance support for that client.
“They listen to our concerns, understand our needs, and are committed to exceeding our expectations,” said Cindy Steager, RRT, MBA, manager of Wound Care and Hyperbaric Services at Grant Medical Center, part of OhioHealth, in Columbus, Ohio. “The support Net Health provides us is simply the best in the industry.”
In 2010, our team spent more than 28,800 software development hours to ensure that our clients have access to the most up-to-date clinical and financial information to improve workflow and enhance patient care.
Highlights of new features launched in 2010 include:
- Ability to electronically submit KCI V.A.C.® Therapy orders
- Direct ordering process for wound product supplies
- New Physician Dictation module to meet physicians’ work style
- Functionality to support Meaningful Use and HITECH requirements
We also reached many milestones in 2010 – from expanding our client base to more than 600 wound clinics and more than 14,000 individual users, to topping 3 million patient encounters documented in our system, the largest independent source of benchmarking data. But our biggest accomplishment in 2010 was our continued focus on client service. By year’s end, our team will have fielded nearly 22,000 calls and email contacts, resolving 95% of requests for assistance within 24 hours. This hands-on approach helped us to achieve a 97% client retention rate.
So what’s brewing for 2011? The HITECH-certified version of WoundExpert will be released at the beginning of the year. Software enhancements will include the addition of e-prescriptions and the launch of a patient portal. And we will be launching a new campaign to gauge your opinions about WoundExpert as part of our continuing efforts to enhance usability and workflow.
