Cadence (Scheduling)
| Executive Sponsor | Diana Browning |
| Project Director | George Gaddie |
| Project Manager | Melissa Krieger |
Cadence's rules-based scheduling engine and one-click appointment search function make it easy for users to schedule visits or procedures from anywhere in the organization.
Its Schedule Scanner automatically color-codes and prioritized schedules based on customer-defined utilization thresholds. This helps schedulers instantly identify availability, balance worlds and find same day or next day times for Open Access scheduling.
Cadence also enhances your ability to keep appropriate slots open, take patient preferences into account, manage referrals and deliver high-quality service. Point-of-service features notify schedulers of missing referral and ABN requirements, out-of-network appointments and non-covered services based on benefit plan information.
Purpose, Outcomes, Readiness
Project Description: UTMB has had Cadence installed and operational since we brought EpicCare Ambulatory EMR. However, all patient registration and appointment functions were currently completed in our legacy system, Invision Resource Scheduling. The appointment information is interfaced to the EMR to allow for documentation and order placement.
The transition to full functionality in Epic's Cadence application will allow UTMB to utilize the full range of features available, rather than just mirroring the legacy system. Cadence is a Windows-based scheduling application that can be configured to accommodate all outpatient provider and resource appointment scheduling as well as ancillary and inpatient scheduling needs. With its one-click appointment search function, it is easy to schedule visits and procedures from anywhere within the Enterprise.
With all three applications being implemented concurrently, UTMB will be able to have consistency from the initial patient encounter at registration, through appointment scheduling, and billing for the services.
Business Problem / Clinical Need: Currently patients must provide demographic information on themselves and their families multiple times during the course of their treatment at UTMB. The implementation of these three software applications will eliminate that need. Since all the applications are fully integrated, any demographic updates will be available throughout the Epic environment. There are greatly enhanced opportunities to collect and utilize additional patient preferences and also add family linking by number assignment.
Cadence provides a solution to each of the following specific needs that existed in the legacy system:
- Unable to instantly identify all slots that are available for scheduling
- Unable to balance physician workload throughout clinic schedule
- Unable to easily take patient preferences into account during scheduling
- Unable to keep designated slots open/private
- Unable to easily identify referral and ABN requirements
- Out-of-network appointments are easily overlooked
- Non-covered services based on benefit plan information are not easily ascertained
- Limited Point of Service Warnings and Patient Flags
- No scheduling codes for procedures that allow sequencing of drugs and associated durations
- Recurring and Sequential Appointments are not possible scheduling options
- Cannot schedule all participants needed in an appointment ,as well as rooms and equipment
- Cannot only display individual resources or resource group schedules for a single day
- Limited referral information
- No scheduling reports available in the scheduling system for physicians to see their activity, let alone graph specific parameters
- Cannot run real-time reports
Objectives: Continue best practice revenue cycle management Achieve improved efficiencies and effectiveness as a result of a cutting edge scheduling system The ability for staff and management to review key indicators and metrics on a daily basis and take appropriate action
April 2013 EpicCare Newsletter This newsletter contains changes that effect the clinical EMR due to the utmbconnect project.
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