SAMMS Update Goes Live Successfully for First OTP
By Rebecca Hardman, PMP, Director of Project Management and Clinical Informatics
I want to say a huge thank-you to Program Director, Lisa Smith, and the whole team at our Paris Treatment Center for being such a welcoming group and so willing to work through a pilot process of moving from SAMMS v5 to SAMMS v6.2. At the time of writing this, we had just gone live with our SAMMS V6 updates for an OTP Treatment Center.
As part of the updates, we completed a database conversion smoothly and on schedule. SAMMS V6.2 gives us better and more standardized data collection while carrying data forward from one point of entry to everywhere that data is used in the system. This is more efficient and will provide much better reporting. SAMMS V6.2 will also provide a streamlined workflow and a more simplified approach to making sure data flows correctly to billing. Counselors and providers are now using web-based intake forms.
We chose to start with Paris because they are a stable treatment center with high patient and staff retentions rates. They were already solid with their processes which helped them to be well prepared for this update. They have given us great feedback that will make the system even more efficient before we roll it out to additional treatment centers.
We know that a lack of technology or a cumbersome process can be a real pain, but when technology and process work, what a relief it is. What’s even more rewarding is to work with our colleagues in the field and see all the “wow” moments in real time and hear the positive feedback from patients whose experience with BHG just got better. For the IT and Informatics Teams, it is important to know we’re making a difference in your days and how that impacts patient care and outcomes.
We’re here to serve the patient.
“We’re here to serve the patient. When someone comes in sick with withdrawals, the manual paperwork can be treacherous. Now, we can cut an hour or two off with this new process. That’s just better patient care.”
Lisa Smith, Program Director, BHG Jackson Treatment Center
“A counselor can look in the system and see where the patient is,” said Lisa Smith, Program Director for BHG Paris. “Once we get a TV in the lobby, patients will be able to see where we are. Before the update, we were still printing forms and patients had to sign and upload them. Now, it’s a better use of everyone’s time because, for example, we can check insurance with the push of a button.”
“We’re here to serve the patient. When someone comes in sick with withdrawals, the manual paperwork can be treacherous. Now, we can cut an hour or two off with this new process. That’s just better patient care.”
“If our patients know it’s a smoother process in here, they are more willing to stick with their program from the beginning,” said Lisa. “It’s really hard for patients to step into our doors for the first time. They still have user friends around them and they can be a good word-of-mouth to send their friends here.”
“I can’t say enough about Rebecca and her team. They gave us the most advanced notice we’ve ever had. They’ve upgraded everything here. That helps tremendously with patients here and it’s so much more efficient. My staff have been so willing to do what the IT team needs to make this happen because they know how much better we’ll be. When issues came up, Rebecca’s team responded immediately,” said Lisa.
SAMMS V6 Update Simplifies RCM
For healthy revenue cycle management (RCM), we all know “clean information in, clean information out.” Before the update, it took about 10 days for the Paris team to manually complete their RCM process. Now, it can happen in a day or two with the click of a button. More than half of BHG Paris’ patients is on insurance. Before now, they were going into Waystar to do 225 eligibilities. Now, they just click that button and it goes into the patient’s file. If done at the beginning of the month, they can do that as a batch job versus a 10-day job.
Moving forward with other centers
Moving forward, replicating the BHG Paris model means we’ll be standardizing processes between all treatment centers. By using the same system, forms and training by the same group of people, we’re going to achieve a more standardized process with more standardized expectations from one center to another.
At a higher level, the real win is in our reporting. When we’re able to see the same data from each center, we can see trends more easily which will allow us to identify problems across bigger data sets sooner.
While talking to Lisa, she said something that I must share as a great note on which to end.
“BHG is very progressive with the way they take their data forward. I’ve always been excited that we do move forward. We create better processes, better workers. Who dreamed that we would have more patients on insurance one day and all this technology? Our people and Jay, our CEO, did dream it and now it’s here. It’s so awesome.”
