Matrix and Matrix Point of Care Case Study

Utilizing the powerful integration between Matrix and Point of Care, Eskaton realized improved accuracy of ADL documentation, improved staff efficiency and quality of care to residents

With Eskaton's DOS-based software system becoming obsolete and lacking technical support, a new software system was needed for its four care centers. Eskaton started using Matrix, a Web-based clinical electronic health record (EHR) and financial software system, in 2007 making it one of the first skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in the Northern California area to implement an electronic health record. In addition to Matrix, Eskaton chose to use Matrix Point of Care (POC), mobile charting technology.

"One of the improvements we noticed when using Matrix was during the admission process," says Teri Tift, Eskaton's Director of Quality and Compliance. "Prior to a resident's arrival, our Admission Center can begin adding resident face sheet information, including demographic information, contacts, allergies, diagnoses, advanced directives, alerts, payer information, and history. Once the resident arrives at our facility, the bed is assigned and the resident is admitted which is a much smoother process than we were used to." The information entered into the resident's face sheet flows into other areas of Matrix including the MDS. "The ability to run real-time Census and Admit/Discharge reports from Matrix will become even more valuable because the California Department of Health Services is requiring all SNFs to report this information on an hour-to-hour basis," adds Tift.

Real-time access to documentation is more efficient

"The fact that Matrix is web-based and can provide this real-time information was a major factor for us when choosing the system," says Tift. "Our physicians and nurse consultants remotely access medical records 24/7 for review or documentation which saves time and unnecessary travel. There is no more waiting to get into a locked Medical Records office to access a discharged chart or wait until another team member is finished with the paper chart. We feel this has made team documentation more efficient."

This access becomes even more valuable with Matrix Point of Care, as clinical staff can capture MDS and Vitals data as care is given and is automatically updated in Matrix. This allows nurses, MDS coordinators, dieticians, care planning team and administrators to have real-time data to incorporate better care. "One of the challenges we faced with our old system was that often times when a CNA left for the day, there would be holes in the ADL charting," states Tift. "We use laptops as our mobile device for POC, and charting has improved from the past when paper ADLs were used. The risk of "copy-cat charting" found with paper ADLs is gone since CNAs can provide documentation as they administer care and not wait until the end of a shift to try and remember what they did throughout the day. We now have more complete and accurate documentation with POC resulting in better reimbursement rates."

Improved patient care with Point of Care

Not only does POC help the bottom line, but it allows for improved patient care. Caregivers receive clear communication of resident needs and the tools to organize their time, documentation and data through Matrix observations and events. This information helps POC users make more informed decisions about resident care. "Many of the Matrix clinical reports have assisted us in our quality improvement activities," says Tift. "Fall events are tracked and trended for time of events, medication issues and staffing during these events. One of our communities decreased the number of falls over a quarter by using the reports from Matrix. The reports were studied during our QA meetings and interventions put into action to identify potential causes of falls and develop personalized care plans to decrease falls." Tift adds, "Dietitians find the weight logs useful as they can pull them in from each facility into Matrix and determine how they can streamline the time they spend in each community."

The clear functionality and ease-of-use was also very attractive to the Eskaton staff. "Matrix and POC are very user-friendly which decreases training time for our new staff," states Tift. "We have found it to be a great selling point for new hires as well." Tift describes an example of how easily staff members acclimated to the web-based system and how natural it became after implementation. "We had a power outage in one of our facilities that lasted longer than 24 hours. Staff was at a loss of what to do because they had gotten so used to doing everything online. They almost forgot how to revert to paper documentation."

"Since our implementation four years ago, MDI Achieve has assigned us great support and client representatives. We have 24/7 support when we need it and we were pleased and satisfied with MDI Achieve's readiness for MDS 3.0 by the October deadline," expresses Tift. "Our staff is very satisfied using the Matrix system and is proud to work for an organization that is a leading adopter in our area of an electronic health record."