A need to modernize
Koelsch Communities made the strategic decision to adopt leading edge technology in order to attract and retain top clinical talent. Says Koelsch’s Director of Education & Culture Benjamin Surmi, “We were searching for clinical systems that were well-designed and employee-friendly, making work-life as enjoyable as possible and focusing energy on responsive customer service.”
While ready for new technology, Koelsch was nevertheless highly selective in investing in a new EHR. Past systems had at times frustrated staff or not resolved manual processes — Koelsch’s new EHR needed to be remarkably adept at driving quality care, staff satisfaction, and modern operations.
After thorough evaluation, Koelsch determined that August Health’s modern EHR platform was the best solution for empowering Koelsch’s staff in its next era of caregiving.
A rapid roll-out experience
Koelsch proposed an aggressive implementation timeline for August Health: 5 months to roll out the platform to all 40 communities.
August Health’s differentiated approach to implementation was apparent from the start. Surmi, who has overseen many past software implementations, observes, “The August Health team is on it, the team is communicating, and they’re so good at shouldering a huge amount of the burden.”
Kolesch VP of Operations Michelle Baker adds, “The implementation experience we’ve had with August Health is unprecedented and exceeded our expectations.”
One key to the successful and timely roll-out? The minimal training that the August Health platform requires. The platform’s easy-to-use design allowed Koelsch to launch the platform with minimal training. Surmi notes, “Users could basically train themselves with August Health…this is now the new gold standard for me.”
By partnering closely with Koelsch’s leadership and clinical teams, August Health successfully implemented the platform in 40 communities in 93 days. Surmi describes the implementation’s impact as, “The fact that we’re able to implement so quickly is absolutely enormous in terms of unlocking the value of the product.”
Operational and recruiting benefits, with revenue gains on the horizon
The rapid implementation accelerated wide-spread user adoption across Koelsch’s communities, with the modern EHR platform being well-received by the Koelsch staff. Baker describes, “Nurses love it — they feel like they have the best system,” and believes the platform will be integral to recruiting and retaining clinical talent.
Koelsch is already experiencing operational benefits from implementing August Health. Baker notes, “We’ve been given a lot of time back and this will only continue to grow.” The team has been able to eliminate time-consuming processes thanks to the platform’s ability to streamline operations. For example, examining portfolio-wide incident trends in August Health yielded insights in seconds that previously would have required time-intensive, manual reviews.
Baker is also confident that Koelsch Communities will see revenue gains from adopting August Health within a matter of months. With a major implementation completed, related improvements in operations and recruiting already emerging, and revenue gains on the horizon, Koelsch Communities is well on its way to a transformative year with August Health.
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