Family Practice increases patient screening, improves staff satisfaction, and transforms COPD Program with Ocean

The Challenge

Their existing process for screening patients was inconsistent, billing opportunities were missed, and patient smoking status in the CPP was out of date for many. Yet adding to the workload of their already-strained nursing and administrative staff was not feasible.

The Solution

Using Ocean Tablets, CFHT, Healthcare Together Ltd and Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) designed an automated, patient-driven approach to screening that starts in the waiting room. Not only does the process not require additional staff effort, it also reduces administrative workload by allowing patients to update their contact information and complete email consent forms that automatically update the EMR.

In just the first four and a half months using Ocean, the team far exceeded their goals for screening and referrals, collected email consent from a third of its patients, and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from patients, clinic staff and physicians as patient care improved.

How It Works

• Every patient over 14 receives a touchscreen tablet in the waiting room to review their contact information, complete an email consent form, and answer a simple question about smoking habits.
• Based on a patient’s response, the tablet invites them to the smoking cessation program, and displays the Canadian Lung Health Test (CLHT), and MRC Dyspnea forms.
• Responses are automatically collected and synced directly into the EMR, allowing for a non-intrusive method of data collection without adding additional work for staff.

Ocean Outcomes

After just four months using Ocean Tablets, the screening initiative results far exceeded expectations, with over 40% of patients completing screening in that period. Beyond the screening and referral numbers, satisfaction with the solution was also better than expected.

Clinic staff, physicians, and patients all report high levels of satisfaction with the Ocean-driven process. Patient engagement is up, and physicians report more time to talk to patients than document in the EMR. Many patients have said the technology impresses them and the non-invasive screening approach. Some patients even indicated they would not have otherwise brought up smoking cessation, but the private, non-judgemental tablet approach opened the door to this conversation.

The automated screening process has led to improved accuracy in patient records, as well as an increase in E079 billing code opportunities.

For administrative staff, the Ocean Tablets save time previously spent collecting and updating demographics and collecting paper-based email consent forms. With data automatically updated in the EMR, there is no time-consuming printing or scanning required.

As a result of the significant findings, CFHT is expanding the tablet program to further identify and support individuals with other chronic diseases including creating a more robust diabetes program, and using tablet-based screenings for depression and suicidal ideation.

Results

Better care: Using the tablets, over 3000 patients were screened and 432 were identified as smokers. The CLHT form was administered to 1300 patients vs. 45 in the previous year. As a result, ~500 patients at risk for COPD with positive CLHT were identified.

Better history-taking: Enhanced understanding of patient symptoms, higher-quality documentation, and improved adherence to clinical guidelines.

Reduced work load: Patients independently completed screening questionnaires, updated demographics, and provided email consent on the tablets, without staff intervention.