Years of change and effort lead to easier, more accurate documentation for Indiana Veterans Home

The transition from paper records to a first-generation point-of-care solution was necessary for improved care efficiency at the Indiana Veterans Home. The change was initially met with resistance by staff but once implemented, MatrixCare CareAssist was fully embraced due to the solution’s expanded functionality and user-friendly interface.

Challenges

• Major culture shift when transitioning from paper to electronic health records.
• The previous point-of-care solution required two screens, multiple logins.
• No easy way to enter vital signs into the software.

Solution

• MatrixCare Skilled Nursing solution with CareAssist.

Results

• Faster, more accurate medication pass process.
• Enhanced ability to meet new CMS activity charting requirements.
• Improved auditing and reporting capabilities.

When Emily Larimer returned to her job at the Indiana Veterans Home after working at a different state agency, she had her work cut out for her. As director of communications and technology, she was responsible for the massive job of changing from paper to electronic charting for the facility, which has approximately 200 residents in four buildings. “Many of our nurses had worked long-term at our facility, so they hadn’t had to keep up with the profession as it moved into electronic charting,” she said. “We were a little behind because everyone else had already moved to an EHR, and then it became necessary with CMS documentation requirements. You can’t not have an EHR now.”