HomeCare & Hospice, a division of Community Care of Western New York, has received two grants totaling $27,311 to support a major technology initiative designed to strengthen communication, documentation and access to patient information for staff providing care throughout Western New York.
The organization received a $10,000 ACOR grant from Allegany Franciscan Ministries and a $17,311 grant from the Greater Rochester Health Foundation. The funding will support HomeCare & Hospice’s transition to the Netsmart myUnity electronic health record system, staff training and the purchase of 13 tablets for clinicians providing care in the field.
HomeCare & Hospice provides care across Allegany, Cattaraugus, Genesee and Wyoming counties, where staff routinely travel significant distances to reach patients in their homes and other residential settings. In rural communities, those distances, coupled with inconsistent broadband access and limited access to specialty care, can create additional challenges for timely communication and coordination among members of a patient’s care team.
The transition to myUnity will provide a more integrated electronic health record platform for clinical and administrative staff. Combined with mobile technology for employees working in the field, the initiative will help staff access and document current patient information more efficiently, improve communication among interdisciplinary team members and support timely responses when a patient’s condition changes.
“This project is about much more than implementing a new electronic health record or purchasing new technology,” said Melissa Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of Community Care of Western New York and HomeCare & Hospice. “Our nurses and other members of the care team are providing care in homes across a large, rural geographic area. Equipping our field staff with tablets and giving them timely access to accurate patient information wherever they are will strengthen communication, support better decision-making and ultimately allow our staff to spend more time focused on what matters most: the patient and family in front of them.”
The Greater Rochester Health Foundation funding will support the project in Genesee and Wyoming counties, while the Allegany Franciscan Ministries ACOR grant will support implementation and training for staff serving Allegany and Cattaraugus counties, allowing the technology initiative to reach HomeCare & Hospice staff throughout its primary four-county service area.
The project is expected to improve access to real-time patient information, streamline clinical documentation and workflows, reduce delays and documentation errors, and strengthen communication among members of the interdisciplinary care team. The organization will also evaluate staff proficiency and confidence with the new system as implementation moves forward.
For more than 50 years, HomeCare & Hospice has provided compassionate, patient-centered care to individuals and families throughout Western New York. Its interdisciplinary teams include nurses, aides, social workers and spiritual care professionals who provide services in patients’ homes, nursing facilities and other residential settings.
For more information about HomeCare & Hospice and its services, call 716-372-2106 or visit homecare-hospice.org.
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