Patients receive precisely timed messages regarding the pre-surgical process without any intervention from staff
Lafayette, CA (PRWEB) October 23, 2014
HSTpathways and CareWire, Inc. released a case study today that highlights the operational and technological efficiencies achieved at Elmhurst Outpatient Surgery Center as a result of the collaborative implementation. HSTpathways is an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) clinical and financial management software system, and CareWire, Inc. is a mobile-first, patient engagement solution.
Elmhurst Outpatient Surgery Center is located in a suburb of Chicago, IL. The multi-specialty surgery center performs over 7,500 cases per year. Elmhurst was the first ASC to implement both HSTpathways and CareWire. Currently, over 75% of patients under the age of 74 participate in the CareWire program and over 90% of patients who receive CareWire messages continue to receive them to support their care.
The process for messaging patients starts with the HSTpathways interface which automatically transfers data to CareWire at the close of Elmhurst’s business each day. CareWire sends an automated series of messages to patients based on specific criteria established by Elmhurst for different types of procedures and levels of anesthesia. The text messages start going out to eligible patients 14 days prior to their procedure through two days after their procedure. Both the data transfer and messaging process requires no action by the ASC’s staff and no duplicate data entry.
The benefits realized as a result of implementing mobile messaging are impressive. Elmhurst saw a 20 percentage point improvement in patient utilization of Elmhurst’s on-line medical history portal and a 50% reduction in the average time required for nursing staff to provide pre-operative instructions for these patients. Elmhurst also states that CareWire patients are four times more likely to show for procedures and comply with NPO and bowel prep instructions. “With the HSTpathways and CareWire interface in place, the manual process and errors were finally eliminated,” states Debbie Montes, Manager of Accounting and Patient Services. This results in staff that is freed up to focus more on patient care.
Tina Mentz, Vice President of Business Development at CareWire and former administrator at Elmhurst Outpatient Surgery Center also commented on the power of the combined solution. “The automation provided by both HSTpathways and CareWire allows the entire process to run seamlessly behind the scenes. Patients receive precisely timed messages regarding the pre-surgical process without any intervention from staff.”
About HSTpathways
HSTpathways is the leading cloud-based surgery center management software providing an entire suite of applications for surgical scheduling, inventory management, clinical workflow, medical coding, insurance and patient billing, and accounts receivable collections for multi-facility corporate enterprises and freestanding ambulatory surgery centers. HSTpathways has been a pioneer in the ASC software industry since 2005 and is based in Lafayette, California.
About CareWire
CareWire takes advantage of the immediacy and simplicity of text messaging to communicate personalized, precisely timed, service specific education, instructions and alerts – before and after care. CareWire blends SMS text and secure mobile messages to extend the care delivery process and achieve significant and sustainable results for health care providers. CareWire is based in Excelsior, Minnesota.
