There is just ONE step you can take TODAY that will almost certainly guarantee the successful implementation of an EHR in your IDD service business. This way is to the fastest and broadest rollout possible. Read our blog to find out what it is!
THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT SERIES #I
UNDERSTANDING THE NEED FOR CHANGE IN IDD SERVICES
Table of Contents
Why Change At All?
Welcome to the first in our four part series on Change Management! Change is an essential characteristic of any living thing – that includes your business. Instead of railing against it, why not embrace change as the positive process it can be? As this series unfolds our hope is that you become eager to identify opportunities for change at your company and as a result become more efficient, reduce errors and increase productivity and value. Remember without change, there can be no growth, no improvement, no progress. Businesses that choose not to accommodate change are doomed to the inescapable process of their own death. In today’s fast-moving environment anyone looking for the pace of change to slow down is likely to be sorely disappointed. You know that change is the only constant in the IDD/Special Needs service provider world. HHS has imposed or made adjustments to multiple advisory/regulatory expectations for HCS and TxHmL in the last year alone. These changes have significantly impacted the way IDD service professionals document service provision, get approved for payment, and — here’s an ugly reminder— incur administrative penalties and recoupments.
Jack Welch, legendary former CEO of General Electric, says “If the rate of change on the outside (of your business)
exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.”
Change is GOOD for Your IDD Service Business!
As a leader burying your head in the sand is not an option here! Without change, businesses will eventually lose their competitive edge and fail to meet the needs of people served, regulators and even staff. Sooner rather than later these businesses start losing money too. Business owners, administrators and front line staff (including direct support professionals) should and can learn to embrace change. The effort you invest in teaching yourself and your staff to embrace change today will pave the way to a smarter, more efficient, sustainable business tomorrow.
Voluntary vs. Involuntary Change
So what kind of change are we talking about here? Even though there are many reasons for change to occur – introduction of state-of-the-art technology, identification of new opportunities, performance gaps/customer demands, regulatory requirements, quality improvements and more. These many reasons for change ultimately result in two types of change: voluntary and involuntary. In the business environment, the ‘best’ change is voluntary (controlled) change. Introducing Focused Software into your workplace is a voluntary, proactive change. Although the adoption of new technology can be challenging at first, ultimately the change tends to increase productivity and service quality, incidentally it also serves to effectively address some of the involuntary change triggers. An example would be resolving HHS requirements regarding physical receipt of service delivery logs prior to billing by using an EHR/EMR (which also saves time and improves your cashflow).
In the business environment, the ‘best’ change is voluntary, controlled and self-initiated change.
Why Change To Focused EHR?
- Your business, just like the Great State of Texas, is unique. Our e-docs allow you to create unique service delivery logs in the exact same format as the well-recognized HHS form templates. Remember, we’re the only EHR serving IDD service professionals created just for Texas programs!
- Intuitive, easy-to-use HHS logs/forms means quicker on-boarding of new staff and no explanations/stress during routine surveys! Our reports go by HHS names and the forms are replicas of the state forms so there’s no need to employ additional staff just to explain your EHR!
- Responsive and ever-improving – over 30 useful new features have been incorporated into the Focused EHR in the last 12 months alone! We’re on target for >45 new features in 2018 including QuickBooks AND Pharmacy (HL7) integrations.
- Unequalled LIVE 24/7 customer service – Real people answer your calls, no black hole email ticketing service!
- The Focused Software system is modular, which allows you to choose aspects of the EHR that work for you, your team and your pocket.
Change - You Can't Run And You Can't Hide!
Your business must adapt, innovate and evolve – or die. The right to choose is just as important for you as a leader as for the people you employ and serve. Make the right (smart, voluntary, sustainable) choice – use Focused Software!
In the next part of this series on “Change” we will go over how to plan for success as we implement change.
References
Richards, Leigh. “Why Is Change Important in an Organization?”
Photo of Newport autumn by Aaron Mello
