Supporting Public Health Delivery in a Multi-County Agency
HORIZON PUBLIC HEALTH
Alexandria, MN
As a long-time Nightingale Notes user, Horizon Public Health depends on the system to help them deliver care over a large geographic area that requires significant travel.
The Challenge
As a long-time Nightingale Notes user, Horizon Public Health depends on the system to help them deliver care over a large geographic area that requires significant travel. The agency relies on electronic health records (EHR) to help facilitate its large case management program and its diverse programming.
The Requirement
Horizon Public Health needs a flexible, configurable public health EHR that provides them:
An efficient case management tool for their nurse case managers.
Seamless integration with their payroll system.
Support for time-tracking and billing.
Customizable data collection and reports.
Real-time charting and remote accessibility for healthcare professionals working across multiple counties.
“I cannot imagine still using a paper system. “Our nurses travel far. Because Nightingale Notes is cloud-based they can do their charting between visits anywhere there’s an internet connection—and it’s secure. That’s been huge.”Nightingale Notes is intuitive for users, and easy to navigate, apply, and use.”
– Greta Siegel, Assistant Administrator, Horizon Public Health, MN
The Solution
Greta Sigel, Assistant Administrator, has used Nightingale Notes as long as she’s been at Horizon Public Health. She appreciates that the cloud-based platform allows nurse case managers to access client charts anywhere they have an internet connection.
Says Siegel, “We have nurses who travel to visit nursing homes, and they can just hop on and access client charts and enter data in real-time.”
She says in the 20 years since Horizon Public Health implemented Nightingale Notes, they’ve also benefitted from its:
Flexibility: Customizable forms, tabs, and data collection enable the agency to tailor the system to their specific needs.
Integration: The software seamlessly integrates with their payroll system, saving time and streamlining the payroll process.
Reporting and Data Management: Robust reporting capabilities and data tracking help the organization measure performance and meet grant and audit requirements.
Responsive Customer Support: The Champ team gives them quick issue resolution and the ability to request enhancements that improve workflow.
The agency uses Custom Tabs, Reports, and the File function to attach files, like immunization forms, to client charts. And the integration with their payroll system has been a huge time-saver.
Cavalier County’s transition to Nightingale Notes transformed its public health documentation processes, resulting in:
Enhanced Efficiency: Nightingale Notes significantly improved the way they handled documentation, reporting, and billing, eliminating the inefficiency of managing multiple paper-based systems.
Better Informed Decision-Making: The system’s reporting capabilities provide valuable data that the team uses for program planning, resource allocation, and justifying programming and funding to stakeholders.
Adaptability to Local Needs: Cavalier County can tailor Nightingale Notes to their specific requirements to accommodate the unique and diverse services and public health programming their population requires.
Compatibility with state systems. Nightingale Notes integrates with state immunization registries to allow for seamless immunization tracking and billing.
Interoperability and Security: The system’s cloud-based architecture ensures data security and continuity, even in emergency situations.
Choosing Nightingale Notes as its EHR has enabled this small agency to improve timekeeping, track vouchers for employees by program and cost center, and efficiently manage its programming to respond to the diverse needs of its community—without shuffling paper.
The Outcome
While the agency has periodically revisited their EHR needs, they’re sticking with Nightingale Notes. They appreciate the high level of support they receive from the Champ Software team.
As Siegel says, “Our experience just highlights how easy it is to work with Champ. They’re willing to work directly with us, and they work hard to resolve any issues we have.
We would not get this level of service from a larger company. We really appreciate the relationship we have with Champ.”
