Keeping it Simple – Implementing Patient Status Orders
Written by Kristel Hladky
I had the opportunity to spend much of the last year working closely with SparkChange clients on the implementation of Cerner's Patient Status Orders (PSO) functionality. While some of the workflows, systems, and client stakeholders were new, the takeaways and lessons learned resonate with my experiences in the industry from the past decade.
As I reflect on the experience, it is crucial to highlight our clients' good work every day and challenge the ongoing obstacles presented to healthcare entities that drive our mission at SparkChange.
Complexity in Healthcare
We set out to spark a change in the industry because we have seen how complexity in healthcare impacts lives daily. The healthcare revenue cycle is like a puzzle with many pieces. It starts when a patient makes an appointment and goes on until their bill is settled. But it's not just about patients and doctors – insurance companies, rules, and regulations are also involved. We know that independently managing that process is nearly impossible for our clients.
Clients are Eager for Answers
Our clients know better than anyone the challenges in this complex industry. One of the highlights of working alongside our clients is our front-row seat to their efforts toward improvement. It is a daily consideration of finding access to the right data, optimizing processes, and leveraging technology to its fullest potential.
Solutions Exist, But It's Still Too Hard
Patient Status Orders provide an excellent case study for our clients' efforts toward improvement.
PSO drives a clinically driven Revenue Cycle, an ideal in the world of EHRs. But, for most clients, PSO implementations still require several month or year project timelines, the dedication of countless valuable clinical and operational resources, and more.
Clients consistently feel the burden of implementing new technologies, it is significant. The ROI needs to be there, and when it’s not, priorities shift. SparkChange exists to alleviate that burden and allow our clients to focus on what is going to move their business forward.
SparkChange Can Help
We want to make things easier for our clients and reduce the human dependency necessary for our clients to operate successfully. We have brought this mission to all areas of our business but it is especially seen in our SparkServices approach for implementing Cerner’s Patient Status Orders.
How We Help
SparkServices resources are available to engage on your timeline.
We design a process with your needs in mind.
We value your time and people, allowing them to continue to focus on their roles, responsibilities, and most importantly, patients.
Our experts across clinical and revenue cycle solutions, mitigate the need to engage multiple resources from different teams/organizations to accomplish our goals.
Above all, we allow automation to take the lead.
SparkChange Automation Takes Action
SparkChange streamlines the transition process with its automated cutover system, eradicating the requirement for numerous project resources to dedicate overnight hours during the go-live event. By creating new Patient Status Orders for all in-house patients, this approach translates into a significant time-saving of 5-10 minutes per patient. Additionally, our proactive audits ensure a smooth start, identifying effective processes and pinpointing areas for potential workflow, education, or configuration enhancements. This proactive approach underscores SparkChange's commitment to efficiency and continual improvement in healthcare systems.
As we begin this new year, I'd love to connect on these experiences and how SparkChange can help your organization focus on what matters. I'd love to share the partnership, momentum, and results from our SparkServices approach to Patient Status Orders with every client. But, whatever area of the healthcare revenue cycle you want to improve, our SparkChange team can help.
