Indianapolis VA Medical Center
A Savance Workplace Case Study
Organization: Indiana Veterans Affairs
Industry: Healthcare / Government
Customer Since: 2014
Product(s) Used:
Going from physical whiteboards to a fully technology-based solution is really a night and day difference.
Using the Savance system, VA staff can quickly locate patients using any device, rather than having to walk up to a physical whiteboard
After seeing the Savance system in action, one director told me how great it is, and that he could see it being used in several other VA departments.
The Indianapolis VA Medical Center Improves Organization & Efficiency with Savance Solutions
A Savance Workplace Case Study
- The most important outcome of the Savance system […] is the overall improved organization, and how clearly and easily staff can communicate on patient statuses.
Background:
The Richard L. Roudebush Indianapolis VA Medical Center has been serving Indiana Veterans since 1932. The Indianapolis VA Medical Center receives referrals from VA facilities at Ft. Wayne and Marion, IN, and from nearby Danville, IL, for primary care, mental health care, dental care as well as a wide variety of specialties.
Problem:
The biggest challenge the Indianapolis VA faced was how to keep proper tabs on their patients. Before Savance, the VA relied heavily on large whiteboards that did not provide the necessary flexibility and visibility to properly track patients, or to keep patients moving efficiently along the care path. There were far too many limitations with the whiteboard system, for example:
VA large screen status display for patient tracking. For patient privacy reasons, this is a mockup of the actual VA display board.
- Staff could only view or update the board from right in front of it.
- Only what could fit on the physical boards could be tracked and communicated, something that resulted in the use of several boards in an attempt to show different information for different patients.
- Due to space limitations, important information had to be kept small in order for other things to fit on the board to be tracked.
- Information could easily be erased by accident.
- When items were changed, there was no audit trail, meaning the VA had no history to fall back on.
Search:
Knowing there had to be a way to leverage technology to solve their problems, the Indianapolis VA turned to the Internet to search for a whiteboard replacement solution that could also act as a patient tracker. When they stumbled upon Savance, they immediately knew it would meet all their needs.
“Going from physical whiteboards to a fully technology-based solution is really a night and day difference.”
The Savance solution provided a digital way to display information on large touch screens about the same size as the VA’s current whiteboards. It also allowed them to change and view the information from anywhere, using a browser or a desktop application connected to the VA network — rather than just from right in front of the new touch screens. Additionally, the Savance solution provided a full audit trail of all patient activities, something that would give the VA the insight needed to resolve discrepancies.
Results & Benefits:
Since the implementation of the Savance system in 2014, the Indianapolis VA has seen great improvements when it comes to organization and efficiency with respect to patient tracking. The improved communication between staff on where a patient stands; what is left to do; what they may be waiting on; and so on, empower the VA to offer prompt, yet thorough care. When talking to staff, the most important outcome of the Savance system that’s mentioned is the overall improved organization, and how clearly and easily staff can communicate on patient statuses.
Using the Savance system, VA staff can quickly locate patients using any device, rather than having to walk up to a physical whiteboard. Not only does the system save VA staff time, but it also gives them a quick way to communicate with each other to find out where a patient stands. In addition, the system allows the VA to track a lot more information – to a greater level of detail – than they were able to in the past. A full audit trail of any updates made to a patient is available at all times, whether those changes were made from one of the touch screen display boards or from a different device on the VA network.
“Using the Savance system, VA staff can quickly locate patients using any device, rather than having to walk up to a physical whiteboard.”
Going from physical whiteboards to a fully technology-based solution is really a night and day difference, and the Indianapolis VA obviously understands this,” says Savance’s Steve Bardocz, who has been a part of the VA project from the very beginning. “Right from the start, the VA staff was very enthused and appreciative, and everyone has been a pleasure to work with.”
“After seeing the Savance system in action, one director told me how great it is, and that he could see it being used in several other VA departments.”
It’s clear that other VAs are facing similar challenges with patient tracking and also with patient check-in, another solution that Savance offers as an extension of its electronic Visitor Management software. “We’re seeing a lot of interest from other VAs,” says Steve Bardocz. “For example, after seeing the Savance system in action, one director told me how great it is, and that he could see it being used in several other VA departments. It’s great to know that, indirectly, we’re able to help make a positive difference for our Veterans.”