Battle Creek Health System

Several information systems, one transparent workflow

Battle Creek Health System (BCHS) is a multi-campus healthcare provider serving approximately 200,000 people in south central Michigan. BCHS was formed through the 1988 merger of Battle Creek's two acute care hospitals - Leila Y. Post Montgomery Hospital and Community Hospital. Ever since they started working with MedRite DOS 13 years ago, Transcriptionists at Battle Creek Health System were so impressed with the features and functionality that they kept it ever since, only upgrading to its Microsoft Windows-based version (MedRite-XL) in 2004. "Transcription-friendly is what describes MedRite-XL best, and at no cost would we switch to another technology." explains Ginny Kent, Transcription Manager.

Beyond the powerful transcription features offered by MedRite-XL, and because most of BCHS's transcription jobs are outsourced, the hospital also uses Crescendo for its powerful workflow management and systems integration technology. Let's see how Crescendo makes the various software systems involved in BCHS's document creation process communicate with each other and streamline the entire document workflow accordingly.

Building a truly integrated workflow environment

"The Crescendo technology proved incredibly useful in making our transcription outsourcing process smooth and efficient." says Kent. "When you have different vendors providing dictation, transcription, electronic chart, etc., you need to find a way to make all these systems interoperate. And this is exactly what the Crescendo technology has allowed us to do thanks to its renowned system interfaces." The following diagram shows the pivotal role played by MedRouter in the overall document creation process; from file distribution to the import of finalized reports into the Electronic Chart for electronic signature and storage. "The process is entirely smooth and transparent to us. Not only does it save us valuable time, it also increases the reliability of data by eliminating manual entries." comments Kent.

Efficient distribution

"In the old days, we used to distribute reports by batch as opposed to the automated, continuous workflow we are now experiencing site-wide thanks to MedRouter. Reports are now delivered exactly where and when they need to be, day and night. We can also sort copies by physician and set schedules so that batch reports are sent to all referring physicians on a regular basis. As a result of the new workflow efficiency MedRouter has brought into our hospital, we have managed to reduce the turnaround of reports significantly." insists Kent.

Advanced monitoring

Thanks to the advanced monitoring capabilities offered by the MedRite-XL Console, Mrs. Kent can easily monitor the turnaround of work while tracking potential issues. "When I log on the system, I can tell right away if the work is not flowing properly. I can also view the status of each job and choose to activate the automation on certain routing groups, depending on the peak of activity at certain periods of the year." explains Ginny Kent. "Aside from a few minor problems, the system works well. We couldn't dream of a system more user-friendly and adapted to our specific needs." concludes Kent.