MEDITECH Monthly Customer Newsletter

New Clinical Developments in Long Term Care Software

Since introducing our long term care software nearly one year ago, we have been busy working closely with our new customers on the evolution of the product. This work has yielded additional clinical functionality scheduled for general availability in October 2000.

In order to streamline the care process, we developed a central area that launches all caregiver functions. A Plan of Care screen provides a simple, one-screen view of an entire Plan of Care as well as the ability to make changes. In addition, a Pre-Admission Assessment Qualifier predicts the needed Level of Care prior to admission. "Many of our customers had been using a pre-admission assessment on paper. With this functionality now on-line, facilities can retrospectively compare actual care provided to what they had predicted," explains Janice Burns, Director of MEDITECH's Long Term Care group.

We are also introducing new Minimum Data Sets (MDS) within the Resident Assessment Instrument. These are designed with ease of use, efficient data flow, and quality indicator reporting in mind. For example, an MDS is now accessible by multiple simultaneous users, who can maneuver the system with intuitive point and click technology. In addition, HCFA-required 802/672 forms may be edited on-line. And a new comprehensive error- checking capability alerts users of conflicting information.

To help eliminate redundancies, ICD-9 codes easily pass from Admissions to the MDS to Case Mix and Billing/Accounts Receivable applications. Query responses pass from other assessments to the MDS and from the MDS to the Plan of Care. We've also added multiple Quality Indicator Reports to provide information on industry- standard quality indicators.

We are pleased to report that there continues to be a great deal of interest in our long term care solution. Prospects range from hospitals with sub-acute and/or skilled nursing beds, to groups of skilled nursing facilities, and large, long-term care corporations. MEDITECH's long term care group will continue to develop solutions for all types of long-term care providers, regardless of size or scope. "As new industry requirements emerge, and as customers continue to give feedback, MEDITECH is committed to providing the resources needed to meet and support the needs of our diverse long-term care customers," says Burns.