VNSNY Rolls Out Integrated Complaint and Incident Management System
New software platform allows VNSNY clinicians and managers to resolve patient incidents more quickly and efficiently.
With the launch earlier this year of VNSNY’s new, state-of-the-art incident management system, VNSNY clinicians and managers are now able to record, track and address all patient complaints and incidents through a single, integrated digital platform. The new system, developed in collaboration with the healthcare software vendor RL Solutions and rolled out in May, includes a dashboard component that gives managers a comprehensive overview of all reported events for a given time period, and also lets them drill down to review and augment specific cases.
“Previously we were using several systems that stored data in different places, with complaints and incidents compiled separately,” notes Robert Plaszcz, VNSNY’s Chief Information Officer. “Our new system has a single repository for all this data, which makes our compliance reporting more efficient and also makes it easier to manage any incidents and complaints as they occur.”
The new system has been implemented across VNSNY’s Provider Operations, including its Home Care, Hospice and Partners in Care divisions, Community Mental Health Services (CMHS), Clinical Support Services (CSS), and VNSNY’s Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) programs. To ensure HIPAA compliance, each division can only see information about its own patient population. Within each division, managers have access to the data they need to address a given complaint or incident, with the ticket staying open until the investigation is completed and the issue is resolved.
“This tool brings all incident-related information together in one place,” explains Angela Barody, Vice President for Quality and Customer Experience. “If a patient has a fall or develops an infection, for example, our clinicians can input all relevant information into a single online document, which our managers can then access as needed to follow up. As the manager reviews the event and adds documentation, the full report gets passed along. Since no one has to hunt for information, the resolution process can move forward more quickly and efficiently.” In addition, says Angela, “The high-level dashboard lets our leadership see how all the pieces are connected—so if something needs to be changed, we can work together across all business lines to improve our service recovery and customer experience.”
VNSNY’s staff has received extensive training on the incident management platform, and user guides are also built into the software for quick review by any of the system’s 2,700-plus users. The software will also be seamlessly integrated with VNSNY’s new HomeCare HomeBase electronic health records system, allowing clinicians and customer service representatives to quickly import key patient data when creating individual reports. “The new platform is working extremely well,” says Angela. “We’re very happy with it.”
“We were already doing a good job on reporting and resolving complaints and incidents,” adds Robert, “but this new integrated system has taken the process to a whole new level. It’s been a real home run.”
