barb951

No worries! I was basically the IT department for hospices for five years (in IT for ten years) before I decided that I wanted to be a hospice nurse. Getting laid off felt like a sign. :) I am happy to help.

They offer options for in-house server configurations as well as managed on-line systems. The former is cheaper, but you would need to have an IT staff to maintain it. They offer modules for laptops/tablets, PDAs for HHAs, and of course workstations. The billing/accounting portion of the software is regularly updated to meet medicare requirements. There is also a bereavement module in addition to the electronic medical records. It's been a while since I reviewed the program, so I would recommend checking out the following link: http://www.millsmur.com/hospicesoftware/index.asp. I was laid off before the decision to purchase the application was made. The sales reps are very helpful and friendly. Of all the software I reviewed, they had the best reps and our clinical, billing and marketing/social services staff were very receptive at the demo. I am happy to answer any questions you have throughout the process. I had been a hospice IT specialist/administrator/analyst for the last five years.

Allscripts is a bit clunky, but not a bad system if you get proper training. Will you be using field devices? I supported Allscripts/Misys Homecare at two hospices when I was in IT. The first one I was involved with used the Point of Care module with tablets. The main issue they had was with synchronization. The database on the field devices would sometimes get messed up and need to be reset. If this happened after they charted and before they synched, they would lose their work. This may have been resolved since then...that was back on Misys versions 3.0-3.8 and when it was much more costly to have aircards and the like. I believe Allscripts did an overhaul of the system and changed the way field devices synchronize. The last system I supported did not make use of POC, but I've supported up to the latest version. If you ever need technical support, I'm happy to offer any advice I can. I was pretty much the Allscripts guru and I know the database like the back of my hand.

I used to be IT for two hospices that used Misys Homecare. Nobody liked it at the last hospice I was at, but it was mainly due to a lack of training and it's incredibly expensive. If you use field devices, the synchronization can be a PITA. We were researching A LOT of new programs to switch to before I was laid off. The one that I liked best was HPMS - Hospice Patient Management System. It was user friendly and programmed specifically for hospice clients. Just remember that no matter what system you choose, you are not going to please everyone and there will always be a learning curve. Also, if you are involved in the decision making process, make sure to ask whether they can convert your records from the current system to the new system and how much they charge to do so. HTH

It's probably after the fact for you, but I took my HESI today without studying and scored and 88%. I only had one AP question, thankfully. I'm TERRIBLE at math and scored a 78% on that portion.