The home health care sector has existed with very little investment in Information Technology. In 2000, that investment averaged just 0.5% of revenue.  It was recently reported that Europe and the UK are 2 or more years ahead of Canada and the US in implementation of electronic health records (EHR).  They are spending 5% of revenue on information and communications technology (ICT).

Electronic Health Record
EHR solutions conjure up stories of large investments and failed implementations.  Primary Care Physicians have been loath to adopt an EHR system, preferring to wait for someone else to fund the $30,000 - $50,000 annual investment required. And for good reason; doctors should expect a benefit from technology adoption, but the benefits are seen in other areas of the system.  For example, if a patient admits at the hospital emergency room and the staff can access disease, treatment history, diagnostic test results, drug profiles and more, utilizing the patient’s EHR …  great for the patient, great for the hospital, but no payback for the doctor. The provincial and federal governments are now providing investment funds for our doctors to purchase EHR systems.

Many public policy makers consider home care an ideal solution to the increasing demands on the healthcare system, with improved health outcomes and a significant economic benefit.  So what investment funds are available for the fastest growing sector of health care?  There is no funding for home health care ICT.  In fact, Canada Health Infoway excluded home care from the $1.2 billion fund they are investing in EHR adoption in Canada.

To the credit of many, home care has automated its scheduling, payroll and billing processes.  But clinical processes, those that are fundamentally enabled through an EHR platform, are still paper-based.

Transforming Homecare
RAND Corporation, a non-profit research group in the US, found that home care can gain 37% in administrative efficiency with implementation of a full electronic health record system.  With 31% of health care worker time being dedicated to paperwork, an organization can achieve up to a 10% overall cost saving.  An equally important benefit is the extra 4 hours per week our Nurses and Therapists will have for direct client care. 

The new EHR-based solutions for home care fundamentally transform the way our staff access information, make medical decisions and document care.  We see “point of care” devices like the personal digital assistant and Blackberry appearing in the hands of our registered health care workers.  Communication is enhanced, visit information is captured automatically, and clinical documentation is captured at source including the client’s signature (sounds like one of those high tech UPS guys!)

Benefits
An EHR solution can generate administrative savings of 10%. Health Care workers have more time for direct client care, and less paper for nurses to haul around and complete each evening.  We can create a work environment that attracts health care workers to the home care sector.  And most importantly, improved access to information means better decision making leading to improved health outcomes for our clients. 

By implementing EHR, US Veterans Affairs reduced hospital admissions, in a group of 300 home care patients with chronic diabetes, from 25 days to 18 days per year. How much would our helth care system save using an EHR system? Could these savings in the system be shared with Homecare? 

Barriers 
The major barrier to EHR implementation is cost.  Homecare is currently investing 0.5% for back-office administration and continues to use paper-based systems for clinical information.  How do we justify the upfront capital cost for full EHR adoption?

Software as a Service (SaaS)
SaaS is a new delivery model that software vendors are using to deliver value to the customer.  Rather than paying up front for a software license, the SaaS model let’s you pay as you use and benefit from the software service. 

MedShare HC pricing is based on the SaaS model. Agencies are able to “ease into” the solution, paying only for the services they need on a monthly basis. The monthly fee varies as your business volume fluctuates so that you never overpay, yet can scale up overnight when you win the next big RFP!

MedShare HC is the only home care software provided on the SaaS model.  We have to earn your business every day, by improving the software and service delivery.  Our goal is to optimize the clinical and business processes of your agency.  Our success is linked to helping you achieve reduced costs and improved clinical outcomes. 

At MedShare, we believe that the electronic health record is key to improving the health care system. We are commited to developing enhanced EHR home care software and bringing it to our clients within the realities of today's funding model.

I hope to see you in the future.

Barry Billings
President, MedShare