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list," says Ms. Smith. "Not only does that help them maintain their privacy, they're also able to look at the bottles of meds for exact information on what they're taking. That means we get more accurate information."
Fewer disruptions
Naturally, information that's more complete, more timely and more accurate is bound to have a positive effect on the bottom line.
"When we adopted Simple Admit, we did an ROI report that proved substantial savings," Ms. Smith recalls. "Of course the most significant was in staffing time, but there was also an improvement in cancellations caught in advance of the day of surgery. That not only saves the expense of the case being opened or the case being pre-op'd, but it also keeps the schedule open for another case to go in its place. Catching health conditions before the day of surgery has let us either have the physician reschedule in the hospital or give us ample time to order proper pre-op testing or meet needed anesthesia criteria."
By adding a new element — mobile messaging — Ms. Mentz's Elmhurst facility has also reduced the number of patients who decide to grab a quick bite to eat on the day of their procedures. "NPO non-compliance used to cause a significant amount of disruption in our schedule," says Ms. Mentz. "Our mobile-first initiative has helped reduce confusion about when patients can eat and drink."
Elmhurst's mobile messaging service, CareWire, has become an integral part of interacting with patients. Texts serve to
• confirm the date and arrival time;
• direct patients to complete their online medical histories;
• remind them to bring along on the day of surgery a picture ID, an insurance card and a responsible adult driver;
• remind them about restrictions on eating and drinking; and
• provide special prep instructions for colonoscopies.
