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A Knowledgeable and Informed Decision
In the fall of 2001 NCH Healthcare System made the decision to
implement IMPAC’s Multi-ACCESS™ oncology management system at
the urging of Lori Smith, administrative director for oncology
services at NCH. Smith suggested the implementation of IMPAC
based on her experience as a longtime user of the software at
two other medical institutions.
An Early Pioneer
Smith’s first experience with IMPAC was in 1991 while working as
a radiation therapist at the University of Florida, Gainesville,
where she participated in the implementation of the IMPAC’s
scheduling software for their new facility. “Moving to a new
facility was a good time to introduce new processes. The IMPAC
software gave us automated scheduling and quality control. We
would also no longer have to manually setup for verify and
record which made day-to-day treatment much easier.”
Solving the Management Challenge
In 1997, Smith returned to her home state of Iowa where she was
involved with the start up of the Abben Cancer Center (ACC), a
freestanding center jointly managed by 5 different community
hospitals, each with their own management requirements and
reporting needs. Smith commented, “I immediately saw the need
for IMPAC’s integrated software to enable us to support all
aspects of radiation oncology including management and reporting
requirements specific to each of the affiliate hospitals.” Two
years following the successful implementation in radiation
oncology, ACC implemented the IMPAC software to streamline its
medical oncology department.
Third Time’s a Charm
According to Smith, the rational for purchasing the complete
IMPAC system at NCH was multi-dimensional. “We wanted to be able
to treat patients using more complex radiation procedures,
streamline our scheduling, billing and patient records, and
automate patient tracking and report generation.” Today NCH’s
radiation oncology department is running on IMPAC and they are
preparing to be filmless by the end of 2002. The medical
oncology department is scheduled for installation this fall. And
they are currently considering adding IMPAC’s registry program.
Smith added, “I am pleased that we are firmly on our way to
fully implementing each of the IMPAC oncology management
components and I feel confident they will provide us with a
solid solution for each of our objectives.”
Sound Oncology Practices
Smith’s knowledge about the benefits of the IMPAC system and how
it can streamline oncology practices is well demonstrated
through her encouraged implementation at three different
oncology centers. Smith commented, “Getting each of the oncology
departments to implement IMPAC was critical. IMPAC software
enables the best possible quality of care for patients and
provides information to make sound decisions about billing,
clinical practice and patient management.” |
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