Homecare Homebase Software

Medical social worker viewpoint

Pros

My hospice company switchrd to Homecare Homebase (HCHB) earlier this year and after learning how to use it, documentation is a breeze as a social worker.

The goals and interventions come with company selected wording that you can modify for each visit and you can revise them at any time, even in the visit. Using the software with a tablet that allows for commonly used words and phrases in documentation further allows for quick and easy notes.

Cons

The software is directed more towards nursing so within each visit I have to select a few things to opt out of, like patient temperature. Setting up follow up appointments also defaults to nursing visits first. Those are just minor things that I have gotten use to over time.

Overall learning how to use HCHB was a bit of a learning curve with the staff, including myself, but that was to be expected.

Like with any software, sometimes it glitches, maybe once every one to two months. I have lost an entire freeform note a few times due to software glitches.

The Ripple Effect

In my opinion, as the biller I saw that this software caused this company to lose a lot of money.

Pros

Having used a handful of different software programs in the healthcare field I found using this particular one taught me to appreciate the others in a big way.

Cons

This software is marketed as a “workflow” driven program that is supposed to seamlessly keep users on top of tasks to insure the ball keeps rolling without interruption. The workflow is from referral stage (accepted or not), to insurance verification (which should be done first), to scheduling start of care visit and so on. Each step has several “workflow” sections that need to be cleared. These workflow items can only be cleared from the “workflow” section of the software. In other words, it cannot be cleared simply by doing the task from other sections of the software or the patients chart.
Insurance authorizations are tricky. A SOC visit cannot be scheduled without an authorization being entered, even for Medicare payors which do not require an auth. Authorizations require a "bypass" to be entered first which is only a partial auth allowing a scheduler to only plot a few visits, explained to employees that it forces auths be requested and followed up on so that the remaining visits can be scheduled. However this wasn't the case, as a turnover in employees occurred repeatedly, orders weren’t being approved in a timely manner so new employees were told to add to these bypasses to be able to schedule further visits. If bypass extensions weren’t entered, visits were not scheduled in a timely manner and ordered frequency was not honored and in the end MANY missed visits had to be entered, which happened frequently. Auth requests fell behind as well because orders hadn’t been approved and not all Ins companies allow back dating of auth requests which costed this company dearly. Also the auth workflow has many sections, Enter initial auth bypass, Request initial auth, Follow up on auth request, Enter auth upon approval, all for each patient and each auth..so much reworking on the same subject, a huge time waster and messy. Each workflow item requires coordination note to be entered (more to weed through when searching notes).
To explain untimely verbal order approval, they understandably need to be approved as do many other things, usually by the Director of Nursing. As the DON rules many facets of this kind of business, her “workflow” is overwhelming, as is every assigned workflow item with this program, hence the turnover. Every employee has an overwhelming workflow that drives them to seek other employment. I saw 3 DON’s come and go in the few short months I was with this company. This in my opinion is what causes a ripple effect. If only one user in this “workflow” process cannot keep up it will and does cause every step thereafter to be off because the task does not move to the next step until the one before is complete.
A couple of other things outside the workflow that cause issues: There is no visit management for looking into if visits were completed or not in the patient chart. Users have to exit the chart to go to the scheduling console that is many clicks and searches to get to. Actual visit notes are found in coordination notes that are mixed with all certification periods for that patient and there is no indication of what kind of visit it is, a follow up or oasis etc. This information is only available in the scheduler. All documents that are scanned into a patients chart are mixed as well with all cert periods so in turn users spend too much time weeding out, another big time waster. Also only one user can be in a patient chart at a time, very odd.

Hospice amy

It has been very helpful keeping g my visits and orders scheduled and timely. I can find all patient information quickly from other client providers within our hospice team.

Pros

I can quickly and easily find clients demographic information, medical information, orders, plans, billing, etc

Cons

There are many options and paths you can take so you have to take some time familiarizing yourself with the product in order to navigate quickly.

NOT suitable for hospice inpatient units

You sold management a bill of goods. Pretty sure they paid too much for this terrible system.

Pros

Nothing.totally inappropriate fo. TIME consuming. So much repetition for so little information. Set up for intermittant visits. Too much back office requirement that impedes flow of information. Does not interact with hospice pharmacy so all meds have to put in twice. Calls for answers to questions before you can move on where there is no appropriate answer available

Cons

Soc is too time consuming. Hard to retrieve information that is useable for continued pt care.too complicated but not flexible. This has been a nightmare to use.

Top billing software but has some downfalls....

Pros

They have been great to add programs to the software so that we can keep everything in house. We have multiple lines of business and in that respect they are very accommodating. We have been with them for years so most of our staff is familiar with the software and how it operates.

Cons

It can become super costly. They charge enormous amounts for each add-on you purchase. Also, customer service has always and still is very slow to respond at times. There are times we will wait 2-3 days for a response to what seems like a simple fix. Also not fond of a lot of the updates they do (which is often) They seem to change the look and feel of the site far too much.

Great Homehealth software

Pros

Homecare Homebase allows all of your field clinicians a digital process to enter time worked and patient notes instead of shuffling paperwork back and forth to the office.

Cons

Training for this software could be streamlined more.

Worst home care software, Period.

Stay a way from it as much as u can!!!

Pros

Clinicians can't lie about the actual in home time. Less paperwork to take home once u get in the flow of it.

Cons

Every regular visit is almost like an initial assessment. Lot of redundancy in different sections. Documenting Vitals is like going back and forth hundred times. If u check some sections, it will force u through thousands of questions which are mostly unnecessary. Can't do visits if u haven't completed the last visit. And on and on and on and on and on.......... Patients think we are playing video game on the tablet.

Great Product!

Our company uses this software all day, every day. We could not provide the high level of care we do without a robust software like HCHB.

Pros

Great all in one software for a growing hospice company. Without this I don't know how we could function as a company, this is great!

Cons

They roll out quite a few updates the system can go down from time to time but if you can be patient and plan for it you'll be fine.

Data Driven

We are fairly new to the system - the key to success is to follow the HCHB processes as they are like a well oiled machine, and seriously consider changing agency process to work effectively within the system

Pros

Real Time Data Analytics, ease of clinical use. Our field clinicians are now completing 80% of documentation in the home!

Cons

very workflow oriented so there is not alot of leeway for real time process issues or changes. System is authorization driven which if not processed quickly can hold up patient care

Powerful home care and hospice automation software

Pros

HCHB has a multitude of integrations for supporting our nurses including integrations with patient data, physician office integration, payroll, and others. The scanning features have drastically reduced the administrative hours nurses spend allowing them more quality time with patients.

Cons

HCHB is growing fast and has some of the biggest home health and hospice agencies. Sometimes they seem over stretched, but it usually happens in phases. They are constantly getting better and more reliable with compliance needs.

Many ways to get the job done.

Pros

On a desktop, the software is easy to use and has many different ways of getting the same task done.

Cons

If on a tablet, it gets hung up and is impossible to resolve until log on with desktop and un-hang yourself.

Great with integrations

Pros

Provides many benefits with integration. Integrated with Worldview for document scanning and fax tracking.

Cons

Needs to focus on enhancing scanning to be more efficient with barcode scanning. Support can be lacking.

like wrestling a 500lb gorilla every morning

Pros

Ease of going thru the routine visit assessment'
Sync is easy and quik.
Speed is adequate.
Voice recognition is skechy at best

Cons

might be just the organization I work for but
: changes in dr orders that need to be authed prior to scheduling visit. Make for missed visits.
: too time consuming to change a routine visit to a dischange or discharge to routine visit.

Home Health RN

They really need to higher RN's to help them improve the Language utilized, cut down double charting within the system, improve wound care charting which is completely and utterly useless as it stands. SOC with Allscripts 1hr... SOC with HCHB 3hrs minimum.

Pros

Medications are easy to enter.There is an available drug reference guide within the library. Integrated map for client locations.

Cons

Too many to count! Charting a SOC takes about two hours longer to chart than all scripts. scheduling issues related to case management and crossing over of care. Supply ordering is a nightmare. Honestly, I could go on and on.

You've got options.

You've got options. Explore them before settling on Homecare Homebase.

Pros

I used this software daily for a number of months and, after being with another company offering a superior Home Health Care software, I understand why my colleagues were all frustrated with it. The only pro about this software is the customer service staff, who did what they could to help me when I needed them.

Cons

The interface is extremely outdated and not remotely user-friendly. I felt as though I was using a program made in the late 90's. And the so-called Phone App, which was was still relatively new when I was utilizing the software, crashed often and was never easy to use when it worked. Customer service, however, was fantastic in my experience. They seemed to understand the frustrations of their software and tried their best to ease the burden. I hope to never use this software again.

Data Drive System

Pros

Good product to help track visit time, documentation and travel. End user able to document at home where care provided.

Cons

Dependent on back office staff to "push" workflow, so clinicians have access to patient information and visit documentation

Benefits of Homecare Homebase

easily used on tablets

Pros

Intuitive, less time consuming, ability to compare answers to OASIS questions prior to finalizing discharge from services. Up to date with regulatory changes

Cons

agency has to pay for better utilization of various tools, otherwise can't think of anything negative.

Very specific documentation needs

Pros

Amazing ability to look up patients, and map your day. I miss this feature the most when working with my new software. Looking up patients at a touch of a button and not searching really made my evenings and mornings trying to plan for my day and caseload very easy.

Cons

Did not have a lot of ability to choose what you needed in certain sections. Sometimes would have to click an answer that didn't really fit, and then would later have to type a narrative to explain

Terrible

Time waster with 1,000's of repeated questions. Why do I need to repeat my answer 3 different times? Coworkers hate it, patients hate it because I'm in their house twice as long, just documenting. Same pay, double the work.

Pros

None whatsoever.

Cons

See above.

Not Clinically Practical or User Friendly

It does not produce a clinically functional note to communicate what is actually happening with the patient. It takes a lot of effort to get into and out of notes. You cannot have more than one window open at a time, so you cannot review patient information while trying to write clinical or CTI notes. It goes down often.

Pros

Web based

Cons

Information not easily accessible or clinically practical
System goes down and they are not responsive