Citadel Healthcare operates eleven facilities throughout Illinois that offer skilled nursing, long-term care, psycho-social rehabilitation, memory care, and independent living services. Citadel recently moved from a paper admissions process to RESIDE’s online admissions software.
We spoke with Melissa Korey, Controller/Contract Manager at Citadel Healthcare, about why they decided to switch to RESIDE and the positive changes they’ve seen as a result.
Challenges
With their previous paper-based admissions process, the Citadel Healthcare team faced two main challenges:
- Overtaxed Time & Resources
Staff members had to print, tab, and scan all of the pages for each patient’s admissions paperwork – a process that required considerable time and resources. It was stressful for employees, especially new hires, to feel responsible for understanding and explaining a 120-page document to residents and families.
“It takes so much time – time that could be spent focusing on providing better resident care and communicating with families,” said Korey. “You have all these line items per resident, and if you’re trying to put 10 residents through the process, you can only do so much at one time.”
- Incomplete Information
With the paper admissions process, Citadel had no visibility into trends, challenges, or successes in different facilities. It was difficult to collect and analyze information from a variety of sources.
“Sometimes there isn’t enough available information to put together the whole spreadsheet,” said Korey. “You can’t easily figure out why you’re missing information. Is it from the hospital, our team, our marketing team?”
Solutions
When Citadel Healthcare began using RESIDE’s admissions software, the staff noted significant improvements in these important areas:
- Staff Morale & Productivity
Employees now follow a clear and streamlined paperless admissions process. They have access to more shared information, which lowers stress and helps them prioritize tasks and stay organized.
“There is a better team atmosphere,” said Korey. “People don’t need to wait on others to get started, and it reduces the time you spend in meetings.”
- Reporting & Analytics
RESIDE offers robust reporting and analytics with insights into changes, trends, goals, and outcomes. Citadel Healthcare’s employees can generate reports by facility that display monthly census reports from the A/R team. They can also set facility goals and track any incomplete paperwork, including OBRAs, criminal background checks, or notifications on arbitration status.
“It helps reduce monthly time reports,” said Korey. “Employees don’t have to enter the data by hand every day. Now they have these census reports that review all the payor changes and everything. This reporting can help management identify facilities that aren’t doing so well – and it can also identify specific people who are doing really well.”
Results
The RESIDE software is helping Citadel build team morale, alleviate stress, and improve admissions efficiency. As Citadel’s employees spend less time printing and processing paperwork, they have more time to dedicate to improving the resident experience.
“Customer satisfaction is so important,” said Korey. “People need to have a welcoming experience from the moment they walk into the building. A simplified admissions process contributes to this satisfaction. We show that our team is ready to answer any questions you have – and we can get this conversation started in a compassionate way.”
Learn more about the benefits of RESIDE.
