Help Archives - The HCI Solution

5 Reasons Why Hospitals Partner with The HCI Solution

Today people rely upon customer reviews and testimonies to decide which vendor to take their business to. Naturally, people want to work with a business that they can trust to get the job done effectively and efficiently within their time constraints. The HCI Solution relies on customer testimonies and references in gaining new customers. Our customers are eager to share their experiences in partnering with us and utilizing our products and services. To present a clear picture, we’ve come up with the following 5 Reasons Why Hospitals Partner with The HCI Solution.

1. Response Time/Communication

It can be frustrating when dealing with an unresponsive vendor, support team, or partner. The HCI Solution knows the impact unresponsiveness and lack of communication can have on productivity and the ability to meet critical deadlines. At The HCI Solution we strive for 1 hour response times, because time is valuable and so are our customer’s needs. We want to ensure that any inquiries, requests, and other correspondence are met with a timely response. Although we may not have an answer within the hour every time, we will do everything we can to acknowledge requests in a timely manner.

2. Reputation

The HCI Solution has a mission to deliver reliable and cost-effective software solutions and services that reduce costs and improve healthcare efficiency for our customers so that they can provide better patient care. We value our customers and their opinions of us, because when our customers share positive testimonies of their experience working with us it means we’ve done our job right.

3. Deeply Integrated Solutions

When we develop and enhance solutions at The HCI Solution, our main priority is that they seamlessly integrate with the other relevant tools and customers’ specific workflows for which they were created. Our applications are easy to use and deeply integrate with MEDITECH, allowing for easy staff adoption. We want customers to feel comfortable using all of our solutions on a regular basis. Our main goal with our applications is to increase workflow efficiency, saving facilities time and money.

4. Competitive Pricing

The HCI Solution offers all products and services with hospital budgets in mind. We strive to meet customer’s needs with a price point that’s fair and affordable. We offer discounts when customers are interested in multiple products and services, or are interested in products or services for multiple facilities. With our Engineering Concierge Services plan, hospitals have saved thousands of dollars and know that no matter how many of their contracted hours are used in a month or what services they are used for, they will continue to pay their contracted monthly rate for the hours used.

5. Filling and Bridging the Gaps

It can be difficult finding the right staff to meet all technical needs – they may possess skills to meet certain employment needs, but it is getting more difficult to find well-rounded individuals that cover all of a facility’s needs. Recruiting, vetting, hiring, onboarding, and training individuals can be an arduous task that takes time and money. The HCI Solution is staffed with individuals that can fill those technical gaps facilities may face. With our highly experienced, well-rounded team, it’s safe to say we have our customers covered. They consider us their “one stop shop.”

It’s for all of these reasons that we know customers can take comfort in the decision of choosing The HCI Solution as their credible industry partner. We are committed to carry out our mission, company values, and focus on our vision.

OUR MISSION

To deliver reliable and cost-effective software solutions and services that reduce costs and improve healthcare efficiency for our customers so that they can provide better patient care.

COMPANY VALUES

Trust is the foundation of any good relationship, and that is why we work hard to build trust with all of our customers. We hold ourselves accountable to our customers, shareholders, partners and employees by honoring our commitments, providing results and striving for the highest quality. We also believe strongly in maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction, which is why all of our products come with a satisfaction guarantee.

OUR VISION

To become the leader in software solutions to the healthcare industry by providing cost-effective and reliable products that lead to better patient care by:
• Enhancing patient safety
• Streamlining workflows
• Improving clinical efficiency
• Increasing IT efficiency
• Reducing costs
• Decreasing waste

When you choose The HCI Solution, you choose peace of mind.

5 Ways to Improve Clinician/Staff Satisfaction

One of the most valuable assets a hospital has is its clinicians and staff. Keeping your employees engaged and satisfied in their roles is essential to optimal performance and staff retention. By safeguarding your employee fulfillment you can reduce the high cost and resource demands of staff attrition.

So how do you ensure staff satisfaction? There are countless things employers can do to boost moral and job satisfaction. The HCI Solution aims to help their employees sustain a passion for their work while helping minimize effort and wasted time for our customers. Simple initiatives and minimal effort can go a long way towards keeping your clinicians and staff happy.

Empower Staff

Without empowering your staff with trust to make decisions and take action employees can not reach their full potential. To have a dream team where the employees take initiative, use their talent to problem solve and are innovative they must have the authority to use those skills. Delegating responsibilities with the intent to further develop and stretch your staff with clearly defined expectations and autonomy is the best way to provide structured staff empowerment. At The HCI Solution it is encouraged to continuously learn, grow and develop. With many of our Solutions for our customers being unique problems that have proved difficult to solve, HCI employees use creativity and their vast experience to overcome complicated tasks. Allowing the staff to enhance and steer their own job development ensures a mutually beneficial support system between staff and employer.

Reduce Workflow Interruption

Interruption of workflow with delayed system launches can put a damper on process turnover. Laggy launches to required systems is an example of wasted time that can be streamlined. The use of dynamic launches that can open in the background eliminating lag time or that can pass necessary information automatically from one program to another saves time and re-entering data. The HCI Solution achieves this through the use of LaunchIT for our customers. LaunchIT provides an intuitive solution that aims to eliminate unnecessary wait time to open another system and/or auto populating to the desired content. While a laggy launch might seem like an inconsequential nuisance, the time adds up quickly with multiple uses. When regulatory documentation is needed, keeping the time it takes to accomplish that task is a good idea to maintain compliance.

Support Staff With Needed Resources

Supporting your staff with the tools needed to achieve makes the clinical staff operations easier for everyone. Downtime can be one of the occasions when a good solution can make an enormous difference in the amount of work and frustration that is thrust upon the staff. Having a solution that mimics your current EHR and allows you to view all the necessary patient data to safely care for your patients while your system is down can prove invaluable. ContinuITy™ Downtime Portal was created with these factors in mind. Having an effective solution helps the clinical teams to continue to focus on their patients instead of the downtime obstacle leaving everyone with added peace of mind.

Automate Processes

Time-consuming manual tasks that can be automated are another source of grievance for clinicians and staff. There are many ways to automate tasks in a hospital and The HCI Solution has come up with a few. The HCI Solution’s Data Services team uses scripting and other tools to automate compiles and/or processes. One example is providing batch processing for numerous workflow initiatives. Some tasks are extremely time-consuming but necessary. Batch processing eliminates the arduous effort and minimizes the burden.

Cut Down on Menial Tasks

It is frustrating and inefficient for high value resources to be tasked with menial objectives that eat up their time. SyncSolve® is an application designed to limit time on such tasks while encouraging ongoing dictionary management. Many internal initiatives are made easier or are dependent on the accuracy of dictionaries. This efficiency eliminates unnecessary manual entry and double keying. Keeping the LIVE and TEST synchronized is not only useful for best practice purposes but also saves extensive amounts of time during any system upgrade. By converting a time consuming strenuous task into a quick and easy duty it lightens the resource load and saves resources for critical purposes.

There are many ways to improve clinician/staff satisfaction. These listed suggestions just scratch the surface of actions that can be taken for this objective. When thinking about the strain on staff sometimes streamlining their workflows and providing helpful tools can be enough; allowing for autonomy and growth while providing tools is even better. The HCI Solution is committed to building relationships and going the extra mile. Let The HCI Solution take some of the burdens and provide peace of mind.

Be Prepared for the Expected and Unexpected

You may have noticed more and more hospitals are making the decision to upgrade systems. Nowadays updates and upgrades are important; they offer more advanced security, ease of use, and enhanced integration and workflow features. Hospitals have found themselves in a push to keep up with technological advances over the years and increase their interoperability and efficiency like never before. It’s time to be prepared for the expected and unexpected and avoid delaying initiatives and upgrades.

With this enhanced and forever advancing technology comes the need of highly knowledgeable, well-rounded IT staff to keep systems running smoothly and efficiently. Hospitals cannot possibly acquire staff for every technical need they will face. New initiatives add to the demand of current staff and many hospitals do not have all the technical resources necessary when it comes time to prepare for and execute all tasks, especially unforeseeable issues, upgrading may involve.

When the decision is made to upgrade systems there are many things to consider. Do you have the resources necessary for any report writing, conversions, or extracts that may be required? Will you have scripting, custom integration, interface engine, and/or software development needs, and do you have the staffing necessary to accommodate those needs while still maintaining daily operations? Are you prepared for the testing and any other adjustments required to go LIVE?

When the need arises to augment technical resources, the vendor search then begins. How much time is spent trying to find the right vendor to meet your needs? Do they offer all the services and products that your initiatives require? If the answer is no, are you then stuck searching for multiple vendors to make sure you are covered in every area? How much time, money, and effort is involved in searching, vetting, and negotiating with the vendors under consideration?

Working with multiple vendors can be challenging. The time and resources involved with coordinating projects requiring multiple areas of expertise can be very costly and taxing to any facility. Certain vendors can cause delays leaving all parties involved at a standstill, which can be inefficient and stressful. Wouldn’t it be nice to have one well rounded, technical resource at your disposal when you require assistance? One vendor to call on any time help is needed with the heavy lifting while you continue to focus on day-to-day operations.

These are the very reasons The HCI Solution developed a plan to help facilities augment their technical resources. Engineering Concierge Services is a revolutionary concept rolling all the different services that The HCI Solution offers into one customizable plan for the same monthly rate. Utilize hours when and where you need extra resources the most. Avoid delaying Go-LIVE by having a credible industry council partner at your disposal through the entire process.

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We have multiple customers that have utilized Engineering Concierge Service plans when preparing for upgrade. Peterson Health has and continues to utilize a number of our services under Engineering Concierge, through their MEDITECH Expanse upgrade and beyond to ensure cost effective project completion. Engineering Concierge even allowed them to replace 4 vendors with a single point of contact saving them time, money, and the headache of coordinating with multiple vendors. Read PETERSON HEALTH’S TESTIMONIAL about their experience utilizing The HCI Solution’s Engineering Concierge Services.

Engineering Concierge Services is a versatile plan designed to fit any hospital’s budget. Sign on for as many or as few hours as you desire, lock in that competitive hourly rate, and split the cost into the same monthly payment for a year. Use your hours when and where you need the extra assistance, those hours are yours until they are used up with no expiration. Be prepared for the expected as well as the unexpected with Engineering Concierge Services.

Detailed look of how Engineering Concierge Services work.

Learn more about Engineering Concierge Services.

Data Definitions – Finding Where the Data Lives

What is this term “Data Definition” that everyone is always talking about? Okay, I admit maybe not everyone is talking about data definitions, but it is a common term thrown around for us folks that work in the MEDITECH space. Especially for those involved with requesting, designing, or creating reports.

A Data Definition is MEDITECH’s Term for a Data Schema.

Simply put a data definition or data schema is just a description of how data is organized and stored in a database. The terms data definition and data schema refer to the same thing. Data Definitions and data schemas are like words in a dictionary. Every field or key in a database has a definition. Except in this case, instead of a description of what the word means the definition describes in technical terms how the field is organized in a database and what its attributes are.

Keys, Records, Fields, and Attributes – Oh My!

A field is simply the smallest element of data in a database. Fields are defined by attributes like name, size, data type, length, and required. Attributes describe the behavior of a field or record. In addition to attributes fields also have values. However, when we are discussing data definitions or data schemas, we are generally referring to the attributes of the fields and what records they belong to, rather than their values. The data definition is created when designing the database and the field and key values are put in place when the database is being used.

A record is simply a group of related fields. For instance, in MEDITECH the RegAcct.Providers record contains fields like IsPrimaryCareProv and IsAttendProv. This record has two keys. The first key is the patient identifier. In MEDITECH the patient identifier is referred to as the OID or Object Identifier. The second key is the Provider, which points to the person dictionary. This would be the physician’s user ID or user mnemonic.

Keys are used to identify a specific instance of a record. To illustrate this concept, think about this simple real-world example: Lets design a database schema to keep track of library books. You might design a record called Book, that contains fields such as: book title, author, publish date, and type of book (paperback, hardcover, digital), ETC. A good key value for the book record may be the book’s ISBN number. It is often the case though that the library will have multiple copies for a particular book. In that case you may want a separate record to track each physical book in the library. The record to track this might be called BookInventory and contains fields like ISBN number (points to the Book record), book status (in/out), and the library user that has the book checked out. The key for this record could be a system generated number that uniquely identifies each physical book in the library.

Why are Data Definitions Important?

Reports are an important part of the modern Electronic Health Record (EHR). The first step in designing any report or SQL query is determining what specific data is needed to meet the report requirements. Then you need to determine where the data is stored in the database. The data definitions are what you need to determine where the data is stored and how it is organized. To add fields to your report, you need to know how the fields are identified (what record keys are needed). There is no way to write a report without understanding the relationships of the fields that are needed for your report. The data definitions clearly spell this out for you.

Viewing Data

When working on reports or SQL queries it can be extremely valuable to view data in its raw form. Viewing the data definitions is helpful but looking at the raw data after reviewing the data definitions can really help you understand the relationships between the different fields and records. MEDITECH has a very powerful tool called Object Viewer that can be used to view MEDITECH data in its raw form. However, this tool is only available to MEDITECH staff. For those of you that are familiar with C/S and MAGIC NPR, this is akin to viewing MEDITECH data from the “G” get function at the MEDITECH front end.

We are all bound to protect patient data and should only be allowed to view data that we are granted access to view. It would be extremely useful for folks writing reports to be able to use a data viewer tool that only provides access to the data that the user has permission to view. When working on SQL reports or queries, typically the person writing the report can easily view all the data in the database he/she is working on. Keep in mind though that a MEDITECH SQL database (livefdb, lvendb) contains ALL of the MEDITECH applications for the designated platform (M-AT or NPR). Access to view specific data can be controlled at the table level in SQL. However, often access is granted to an entire database. This type of access does make sense for someone that is writing a report.

Viewing Data Definitions

Fortunately, there are a lot of great tools for viewing data definitions. I put this table together in order to outline all of the different tools that are available and some of their pros and cons.

Data Definition Viewer	Description	Pros/Cons
Object Explorer	MEDITECH’s tool that is built into the MEDITECH system that can be found on the Report Designer Menu. There is also a link to it directly inside Report Designer.	Pros: Built right into MEDITECH. Can be used for either M-AT or NPR applications. Has a very useful search feature built into it. Can follow links to other objects on pointer type fields. Cons: Does not allow you to view field values. The search feature can be slow. Does not show SQL table or column names.
Object Viewer	This tool is also built into the MEDITECH system. It allows you to view the data definitions and the raw data. This is a very powerful, extremely useful tool for browsing the database and viewing data in the database.	Pros: The most powerful, useful tool for viewing MEDITECH data. Built into the MEDITECH system. Cons: No user access restrictions. MEDITECH staff use only. Does not show SQL table or column names. Data access is not logged
The HCI Solution Data Definition Tool	Web based tool that is free for everyone to use. You just need to submit a simple form with us to get access.	Pros: View MEDITECH data definitions in the browser. Displays SQL table and column names. Very quick to navigate. Contains data definitions for ALL MEDITECH platforms. Can use Ctrl+F to quickly search through data definitions. Can follow links to other objects on pointer type fields. Cons: Does not allow you to view field values (of course!). SQL key names for keys are not listed (yet). We are working on adding this.
MEDITECH Online Data Definitions	Web based tool on MEDITECH’s web site that is only available for NPR applications.	Pros: View MEDITECH data definitions in the browser. Quick to navigate. Can use Ctrl+F to quickly search through data definitions. Can follow links to other objects on pointer type fields. Cons: Only NPR data definitions! Does not show SQL table or column names. Cannot view field values.
MEDITECH Online DR Data Schema	MEDITECH’s SQL Data Repository Database Layout. This tool is very helpful for browsing/viewing the SQL database layout for DR. However, this tool does not show you the MEDITECH database layout for the MEDITECH transactional EHR.	Pros: View MEDITECH data definitions in the browser. Quick to navigate. Can use Ctrl+F to quickly search through data definitions. Can follow links to other tables for keys and fields that point to other tables. Includes both M-AT and NPR data schema. Can download schema data files. Useful for comparing system schemas. Cons: Very useful for SQL but does not include the MEDITCH EHR data definitions.
Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS)	This is the Microsoft tool that is used to manage Microsoft SQL Server databases and to write and execute SQL queries. Built into this tool is the ability to view the database schema.	Pros: The most powerful, useful tool for viewing MEDITECH data in an SQL database. Easy to restrict user access to specific SQL databases. However, all MEDITECH applications are lumped under the same SQL database. Cons: Tables can be very slow to load if you don’t filter them out. Not easy to restrict user access by MEDITECH application. Data access is not logged. For SQL data only.

Click here to view The HCI Solution’s Data Definitions Tool. The HCI Solution Data Services team also provides advanced report writing and report conversion assistance, Click here to check out our services. The HCI Solution gives back to the MEDITECH community by providing complimentary beginner to advanced Report Designer Educational Sessions each month. View our upcoming RD Ed Sessions.

7 Ways to Limit the Work From Home Struggle

During these difficult times we have seen a rise in traditional office goers working from home in an effort to “flatten the curve”. Working from home can be challenging, especially in an uncontrolled environment that may include stir-crazy kids, significant others, and/or pets that aren’t used to you being home 24/7. Working remotely takes great discipline and organization to be successful and productive, but it is achievable. The HCI Solution was ahead of the working from home trend with 100% remote employees from the start of our incorporation. Because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, working remotely has quickly become the “new normal” so we felt inspired to offer these 7 ways to limit the work from home struggle.

1) Designate your office space

If you don’t have an office try to designate a quiet area with minimal distractions and traffic as your “office”. Communicate to other members of your household that this is where you’ll be working and to try and avoid that area if possible.

2) Keep regular working hours

Yes you are working from home, and working from home offers more flexibility in many ways. However, sticking to a daily schedule and setting normal work hours not only helps you but also your family. If they know you are working 8-4 or 9-5 then they know when to expect you. This way you also know you’re putting in the hours your workplace requires.

3) Set rules and boundaries

Once you have your office space and hours established make sure to communicate your plan to the other members of your household and set necessary boundaries. Explain to them that noise should be limited in that area during those times.

4) Stick to a daily routine

Obviously, parts of your daily routine have changed if you’ve transitioned from office to home. However, sticking to a routine as close to your normal routine as possible will help, especially if/when the time comes to head back into the office. Whether you start your day with coffee, a shower, whatever it may be; continue to start your days the same way as before. You might use what would normally be your drive time to do things around the house so you aren’t distracted during the day or offer that time to your family and/or pets so they are less likely to interrupt while you are working.

5) Stretch regularly throughout your day

Even if you normally work a desk job, when working from home you are less active than you would be if you were going into the office. Try to stretch periodically throughout the day to invigorate and refocus while also preventing soreness from sitting too long.

6) Invest in your technology and know how to use it

You may not have much say in the equipment that is provided to you but one item we highly recommend investing in is a quality headset. One that limits background noise and has a muting option. We use phone conferencing with screen share and having high quality head sets helps tremendously. Also, make sure you familiarize yourself with the technology you’re using. Prepare for meetings early and make sure everything is functioning properly and that you know how to use the tools at your disposal.

7) Keep it clean

Last but certainly not least, keep it clean! Good hygiene is about more than just who sees or smells you, it’s about being healthy and just feeling better all around. Also, keep your workspace clean and clutter free. Organization is key to working from home and if you have a cluttered desk it can be a major distraction.

We’ve all had the worries of noisy family in the background and distractions while working remotely. These things are going to happen at times. No one knows exactly what the future holds, but if we had to guess, remote jobs are only going to increase in popularity and we truly believe by following the 7 tips provided, you too can be successful in a work from home environment.

To learn about The HCI Solution CLICK HERE