Vendors offer software designed for EHS
March 1, 1997 10 minutes read
Vendors offer software designed for EHS
All promise to streamline job functions
To help employee health practitioners choose a commercial software package, Hospital Employee Health contacted vendors of all commercially available software advertised as meeting the particular needs of hospital employee health services.
Each listing below contains the software’s functions and capabilities, hardware requirements, and cost, as well as technical support and security information. Listings also include the vendor’s name, address, and phone/fax numbers, how long the company has been in business, how long the software has been marketed, the number of current installations, and a list of references you can contact. In addition, company officials were asked to comment on their system’s advantages.
All of the systems listed generate a wide variety of reports and letters and perform a range of functions too numerous to describe in detail here. If you are considering purchasing a software system, contact the vendor and references for more information. Inclusion in this list is for informational purposes only and does not imply endorsement of the software package or vendor by the editors of Hospital Employee Health.
The listings are presented in alphabetical order by company name.
1. Health Management Technologies (HMT)
1150 Moraga Way, Suite 150
Moraga, CA 94556
Telephone: (510) 631-6750
Fax: (510) 631-6789
Software package: RETURN for Occupational Health
Vendor in business: Since 1986
This software on market: Since 1988 (Windows version since 1995)
Number of installations: 200
Cost: $15,000
Technical support: Provides toll-free number 10 hours daily and emergency toll-free number 24 hours daily, 365 days per year; distributes newsletter informing users of developments and applications; offers regular program upgrades based upon user feedback; annual support and maintenance fee is 18% of software cost.
Security: Password protection and multilevel security system.
Hardware requirements: For stand-alone PC, IBM-compatible with minimum 486 microprocessor, at least 50 MHZ; 500 MB hard disk minimum and 16 MB memory (based on anticipated volume of records); VGA color monitor, DOS 5.0 or higher, or Windows 3.0 or higher. Contact the company for information on requirements for LAN work stations.
Capabilities: The system is a clinic and case management PC and LAN software system for occupational health, workers’ compensation, and disability management.
Standard system components include:
• clinical worksheets for workers’ compensation and other visits;
• physician’s first report (specific to state);
• appointment scheduling;
• medical surveillance (exposures, immunizations, drug screening, PPDs, respiratory protection program, audiometric screening, and user-defined surveillance);
• case management worksheets (workers’ compensation, OSHA log, case monitoring, family medical leave, and cost monitoring);
• standard letter generator;
• password security;
• case notes throughout the program;
• electronic diaries;
• multiple reports (more than 200);
• ad hoc report writer;
• data upload utility.
Optional modules include job analysis and accounts receivable.
Vendor’s comments: RETURN for Occupa tional Health is the product designed to manage hospital employee health. HMT has been designing and developing hospital employee health computerized systems since June 1986, says Karen Wolfe, RN, MA, MBA, company president and a former occupational health program director.
"Our more than 10 years’ technical experience, along with more than 15 years experience in hospital employee/occupational health, provides our users with comprehensive assurance of quality, expertise, and staying power," Wolfe says.
RETURN for Occupational Health, a relational database, thoroughly documents and reports activity and is available in Windows and DOS. Besides the 150 standard reports included, it also includes an integrated ad hoc report writer with which users can easily create letter formats that read data from system records, thereby personalizing them. These are particularly helpful for employee notification letters, for example, she explains.
HMT guarantees at least two system enhancements per year and includes them in the annual maintenance and support price. Enhancement ideas are generated from user suggestions and requirements that are incorporated into the standard system, says Wolfe.
Currently, about 60% of HMT clients are hospitals that manage their own employee health and/or occupational health for other employers.
References:
Pam Boudreau, Riverside Medical Center, Bradley, IL; 1,500 employees; (815) 933-1671.
Merary Allen, Queens Medical Center, Honolulu, HI; 4,000 employees; (808) 547-4533.
2. Infection Control and Prevention Analysts Inc. (ICPA)
4425 South MoPac Expressway, Suite 205
Austin, TX 78735-6711
Telephone: (800) 426-8015
Fax: (512) 892-4598
Software package: Respond!
Vendor in business: Since 1984
This software on market: Since 1989 (Windows version since 1997)
Number of installations: Nearly 700
Cost: Purchasers receive a discount based on the number of modules purchased. Schedule for a single computer is as follows:
• 1 module $895 (DOS); $1,150 (Windows)
• 2 modules $1,550 (DOS); $2,050 (Windows)
• 3 modules $2,250 (DOS); $2,875 (Windows)
• 4 modules $2,895 (DOS); $3,750 (Windows)
• 5 modules $3,475 (DOS); $4,600 (Windows)
• 6 modules $3,995 (DOS); $5,200 (Windows)
Contact the company for information on costs for local area networks.
Technical support: Provided free for the first three months. Thereafter, annual cost is based on the user’s platform and configuration. For example, annual technical support for all modules (except download utility) is $350 (DOS) and $495 (Windows) for a single computer. Support agreements include toll-free telephone numbers, free DOS upgrades, free file repair, customer newsletters, and customer get-togethers at national conferences.
Security: Both single-user and network platforms offer three-tier password protection; network platforms also allow for module access rights (denying access to certain modules for certain users).
Hardware requirements: For DOS, minimum requirements are an IBM-compatible 386 microprocessor with 512K RAM, DOS 3.1, 15-25 MB hard disk space, any printer. For Windows 3.1 or 95, a 486 or Pentium microprocessor, 16 MB RAM, a mouse, 50 MB hard disk space, any printer.
Capabilities: The software is organized by function into six modules. Two additional free modules are available with purchase of any of the six modules. Hundreds of reports and letters are available in each module. Reports include line listings, frequency distributions, cross-tables, financial analyses, incidence/severity, and PPD conversion rates. Modules are as follows:
• Demographic (free) Records employee information such as title, department, work site, hire and birth dates, address, and phone; shares data with other modules.
• Tests/Exams Documents initial health information at hire and throughout tenure; records and tracks conditions (such as allergies, chronic diseases, pregnancies, and selected immunities) and risks (such as TB risk exposure levels or bloodborne pathogens), tracks multiple tests for employees with user-chosen codes (PPDs, drug screens, chest X-rays); provides generous comment fields to record notes for each test performed.
• Vaccines Tracks unlimited vaccinations; records dates of vaccine administration, immunity status, next scheduled due dates; allows comments (such as lot number) about each vaccine given.
• Exposures Tracks any exposure such as needlesticks, hazardous chemicals, blood and body fluids; allows user to enter codes to document treatment, testing, and follow-up; allows user to discover exposure costs and to comply with regulatory agencies such as OSHA; access monitored with passwords and module access rights.
• Work-related Injuries/Illnesses Allows user to pinpoint preventable accidents; collects data such as date of injury or illness, where it occurred, possible causes; monitors outcomes, length of absence or light duty, and associated costs; applicable incidents are automatically recorded on authentic OSHA 200 log.
• Absences Tracks non-work-related absences; records data such as reason for absence, type of leave, and outcome, allowing user to discover repeated absence trends and to comply with JCAHO guidelines concerning employee absences of epidemiologic significance; calculates employees’ days away from work, light-duty time, and absence costs.
• Demographic Download Establishes a link to a source computer system (such as a personnel database) to add or update employee demographic records; eliminates duplicate data entry; provides a template for continued use; reads data in ASCII files, translates to Respond! codes, then transfers to Demographic module.
• Followup/Scheduler (free) Makes a "tickler" file that provides follow-up dates, required actions, and type of information that may be missing from employee records; automatically transfers data to follow-up screen; records dates for future events such as tests, vaccines, or post-exposure procedures; prints list of all scheduled events or those specific to a time period, an employee, or a certain event.
Vendor’s comments: Respond!’s best features are ease of use, flexibility, reasonable cost, technical support, and the dependability of the company and product, says Diana L. Wiggins, product manager.
"Customers love how quickly they can get started with it without intensive training," she says.
In addition, they can choose only the modules they need and can determine the content of reports and letters instead of having to use "canned" reports, Wiggins notes. The company does not require add-ons to obtain a basic program.
A large number of end-users for a network platform are included in one license agreement seven end-users with DOS and 10 with the Windows version. Technical support is offered for one yearly fee instead of at a percentage of software cost. When support is needed, "customers are never made to feel that they are asking a stupid question," Wiggins says.
"ICPA has been in the hospital software business since 1984 and has an excellent reputation for quality software and service," she states. "Our staff is composed of physicians, epidemiologists, nurses, and computer programmers, and our software is updated to comply with new regulations and customer requests."
References:
Bruce Cunha, Marshfield (WI) Clinic; 3,200 employees; (715) 387-5586.
Jeannette Abrahamson, Victory Memorial Hospital, Waukegan, IL; 1,000 employees; (708) 360-3000.
Rita Marsh, Valley View Hospital, Glenwood Springs, CO; 450 employees; (970) 945-1070.
3. Integritas Inc.
100 Tamal Plaza, Suite 130
Corte Madera, CA 94925
Telephone: (415) 945-7100 or (800) 458-2486
Fax: (415) 945-7101
Software package: STIX for Windows The Employee Health and Safety System
Vendor in business: Since 1991
This software on market: Since 1991 (Windows version since 1995)
Number of installations: Over 325
Cost: Complete clinical package for network site license $5,500
Add-on optional modules:
• Special Populations (tracks multiple organizations) $1,500
• Mobile module for on-site immunizations and surveillance $850
• Employee Education and Training $2,500
• Block Appointment Scheduling $2,000
• First Report of Injury (individualized by state) $850
Technical support: First year provided free; after that, 12-hour support costs $650 plus 15% of add-on options.
Security: Password-protected; access secured at system, function, and field levels.
Hardware requirements: IBM-compatible 486 or faster, with 8 MB of memory for Windows 3.1 and 16 MB for Windows 95. Call for hard disk sizing formula.
Capabilities: STIX features include: TB surveillance, stratified by job risk; TB assessments and questionnaires; post-exposure TB surveillance and reporting; immunizations and surveillance with stratified repeat intervals based on job risk; wellness measures; histories, physicals, and assessments; bloodborne pathogens, exposure tracking, and follow-up based on user-defined protocols; user-definable surveillance, exposure follow-up protocols, and templates.
Other features: work injury and illness tracking and reporting; visits log and calendar scheduling; infection control conversion analysis and reporting; exposure, injury, and illness statistical reporting; management reporting of employee status and history; period-to-period comparisons of lost and restricted time and claims costs; compliance reports; workers’ compensation administration, accident investigation, and safety reporting, including the OSHA 200 log; employee education and training management (optional).
The system features rapid data entry and review, automatic batch report printing, user-authored reminder letters, and medical records archiving for terminated employees. The program will print the appropriate visit protocol on an encounter sheet at visit time to ensure all items are completed according to the protocol.
Integritas also offers a software version for employee health departments that provide services for outside employers. This program features optional modules billing and sales capabilities, in addition to features needed to track protocols for a large group of employers.
Vendor’s comments: STIX is a full-spectrum package designed specifically to meet all the clinical requirements for hospital employee health departments, says Mary Price, president.
"The feedback we get from users is that our system is very flexible in terms of what they want to track, and they like the fact that they can set up their own rules and protocols," she states.
The company recently has added resources for training and support, including restructuring the customer service department; hiring a director of client services who has been managing support services for occupational health software for the past eight years; adding a full-time writer to update documentation; and hiring a certified occupational health nurse who is also a programmer, former director of an employee and occupational health unit, and a STIX user for five years, with experience in training clients to use the program.
"Since PC technology is changing so fast, the conversion to Windows in 1995 and 1996 was a bigger job than anyone anticipated," says Price. "With that behind us now, and our new staff on board, we are meeting the challenges presented by fast-paced changes in user needs and technology. We are committed to hospital employee health and to continuing as a leader in software for this application."
References:
Nita Brassard, The New York (NY) Hospital-Cornell Medical Center; 10,000 employees plus volunteers and students; (212) 746-4375.
Gail Deghani-Sanich, Mobile (AL) Infirmary Medical Center; 3,100 employees; (334) 431-3377.
Betty Sumwalt, Kaweah Delta District Hospital, Visalia, CA; 2,200 employees; (209) 625-7548.
4. Shellar Computer Services Inc.
124 Sherman Place
South Orange, NJ 07079
Telephone: (201) 763-6032
Fax: (914) 620-3466
Software package: Ultimate Employee Health System
Vendor in business: Since 1990
This software on market: Since 1992
Number of installations: 4
Cost: $7,000 (single-user version; network configurations vary)
Technical support: Free telephone support, update mailing, on-site visits, remote computing capabilities that require a modem and direct telephone line.
Security: Two levels of password protection.
Hardware requirements: IBM-compatible computer with 486 or higher processor, Windows 95 or NT 3.51 or higher, minimum 16 MB memory, color monitor.
Capabilities: The software maintains records of employee demographic information, vaccinations, examinations, and OSHA-recordable injuries/illnesses in a centralized database. It provides tracking of exposures, conversions, and immunizations. Functions are available to add new employees, change employee demographic information, and delete employees from the system. Users also can add, change, or delete employee vaccination/immunization data and department information, giving users complete control of the system. Mantoux testing intervals are maintained by department, with next test dates automatically generated. Complete employee histories of vaccinations and tests are available and accessible on-line.
An ad hoc query and reporting component allows users to ask ordinary questions to generate reports. Additional statistical reports and graphs also can be produced. Standard reports include exposure follow-up, employees due for tests by month, employees due for hepatitis vaccination by month, and Mantoux status.
Access to AS400 and System/36 mid-range computers can be provided from within the system.
Vendor’s comments: The system’s main advantages are that it is easy to use and captures large amounts of information, says Kenneth McCall, company president.
"Users don’t have to go back and forth through menus to find out about exposures or the immunization status of an employee. They can just click a tab in the Windows version and find out everything about an employee, and the query facility will allow entering words such as display Mantoux test by cost center’ in plain English," McCall says.
Shellar plans to add a workers’ compensation module to the system this year.
References:
Venice Pierre, East Orange (NJ) General Hospital; 1,250 employees; (201) 414-1837.
Dorothy Williams, East Orange (NJ) Primary Care; 205 employees; (201) 675-4020.
Frances Rosenberg, Home Health Services, West Orange, NJ; 90 employees; (201) 731-1777.
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