Alverno Health Care
Clinton, Iowa

Background
The Alverno Health Care Facility is a 135-bed facility in Clinton, Iowa.  With nearly 90 years of history, The Alverno is a landmark institution in eastern Iowa.

The administration, led by Sister Ruth Cox, seeks constant improvement and an unwavering commitment to quality of care.

Challenge
Prior to September 2001, The Alverno’s caregivers completed a multi page assessment form for each resident at the end of each shift. Management felt there was a lot of copying. “If one person marked one thing then the next shift would mark the same thing.” Explained Carla Tuisl, RHIA. “When we completed the MDS, we knew much of the information was incorrect because it just didn’t fit the resident.”

Solution
When management first heard about CareTracker they were concerned about training everyone how to use it. “We built excitement in advance starting about six weeks before without the staff even knowing what it was. By the time it arrived, everyone was pretty excited because they didn’t care for the paper flow sheets.” Explained Kim Zickau-Quick, IT manager at The Alverno.

The Alverno took advantage of the customizability of CareTracker by adding many new series and questions to the standard set up.

Results
“We are getting much more accurate information on the night and afternoon shifts” explained Sister Ruth. “As a result the care plan is more accurate which improves the quality of care.”

While The Alverno concentrates its attention on quality of care first, the reimbursement impact could not go unnoticed. During the initial nine month period, The Alverno’s annualized Medicaid reimbursement increased $133,000.

Using CareTracker for tracking therapy minutes has been helpful as well. “Before, we just went by charges. Now therapists use CareTracker to record time, the kind of exercise, and other aspects.” Said Carla.

The Alverno has gone through survey while using CareTracker. Management indicates the surveyors were very impressed with the system.

Staff members sense their position is valuable because they know management is reviewing and using the information.

The Alverno continues to customize the system to fit its needs. It’s a very easy system to work with and to make it work for your individual facility.” Concluded Kim.