Overview
Mary Greeley Medical Center, a 220-bed hospital based in Ames, Iowa, serves the healthcare needs of residents in 13-county region in central Iowa. With a dedicated staff of over 1,500, Mary Greeley is driven by its PRIDE values: people-oriented, respectful, innovative, dedicated and effective.
Committed to excellence, the medical center worked hard to address challenges in the employee health tracking process.
Challenge
Sarah Buckels, an Occupational Health Coordinator with 17 years of experience at Mary Greeley Medical Center, described her initial challenges when she took on her role. The medical center relied heavily on paper records, making managing and tracking employee health data difficult. This manual system was time-consuming and could have posted compliance risks during surveys.
“Six months into my position, I was having a hard time keeping track of important documents because of the mounds of paper. Excel spreadsheets and a constant paper trail was the world I was in. When we had a survey, I was digging to find the documents they (surveyors) needed. Besides it being time consuming, I felt very disorganized,” Buckels shared.
“Illness reporting was another challenging area. Documenting and trending were not always precise. The Iowa Department of Inspection and Appeals requires us to keep an illness log,” Buckels explained. “When an employee would complete the paper form after the fact, this caused a little difficulty with tracking and trending. Thankfully, our managers would clue me in if they had a lot of staff absences.
With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for a more efficient system became even more pressing, especially for managing vaccination clinics. “When Covid-19 hit, along with all the reporting requirements, we immediately started looking for an employee health tracking software.”
Solution
Recognizing the paper-based system’s inefficiencies and challenges, the medical center adopted Immuware, an employee health tracking software.
The digital transformation allowed Mary Greeley Medical Center to centralize its health records, making managing and accessing data easier. Immuware’s capabilities extended beyond just record-keeping. It facilitated smoother vaccination clinics, ensured compliance with health standards, and even allowed for the tracking of well-being exams for employees.
Results
The adoption of Immuware simplified processes at Mary Greeley Medical Center. “We now have a streamlined, easily accessible, and efficient program in place to confidently serve our employees. This will allow for accuracy of data and compliance, which is one of our top concerns.”
“Compliance and safety are our top priority at Mary Greeley Employee Health. Immuware has streamlined our processes which is essential for compliance,” Buckels shared. “I feel confident when surveyors complete their audits because I know we will have the proper documentation and timestamps that are crucial for specific healthcare requirements.”
Time Saver
The time spent managing health records was dramatically reduced with Buckels estimating a savings of 20 to 30 hours a week.
“I couldn’t focus on other important issues because I was spending so much time dealing with mounds of paper and chasing down documents. It was especially time consuming during our influenza vaccination season,” Buckels said.
Near-Perfect Compliance
The center also saw improvements in its respiratory protection program, achieving near-perfect compliance rates.
“The Respiratory Protection Program, has always been a challenge in making sure we’re complying with OSHA standards. We were using a paper trail and documenting on an Excel spreadsheet for approximately 700 individuals. Getting employees to complete the proper OSHA Medical Questionnaires and be fit tested on an annual basis was like herding cats. Immuware has taken those challenges away. Our RFP program is in top notch, and we have no worries about compliance!” Buckels said.
Summary
Mary Greeley Medical Center’s decision to adopt Immuware transformed its operational landscape. The once daunting task of managing health records became streamlined, saving significant time and reducing stress for the staff. Compliance, a previous area of concern, became a point of pride for the medical center, with surveyors commending their efficient system.
Mary Greeley Medical Center’s dedication to excellence was further highlighted by the improvements in its respiratory fit program, showcasing its commitment to employee and patient well-being.
About Mary Greeley Medical Center
Mary Greeley is a 220-bed regional hospital that provides healthcare to the residents of a 13-county area in central Iowa. The counties include Story, Boone, Marshall, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Sac, Calhoun, Wright, Carroll, Tama, Dallas, and Polk. We are “doing what’s right” for our patients in many ways. Mary Greeley Medical Center, which opened in 1916, was a gift to the city of Ames from Captain Wallace Greeley.
Today, Mary Greeley continues to be city-operated but governed by an elected Board of Trustees. The hospital is not tax supported. Rather, expenses are covered by hospital-generated revenue. As a non-profit medical center, our revenues go back into the operation of the hospital, leading to better facilities, better technology, and better-trained staff to provide excellent patient care.
About Immuware by Propelus
Critical to the Propelus Total Professional Management platform, Immuware simplifies workforce health and safety compliance – at scale.
In an increasingly complex federal, state, and local regulatory environment, Immuware provides the most configurable and comprehensive vaccination management software, illness and injury tracking, and compliance reporting – purpose-built to meet the ever-changing mandates required of employers today.
Our innovative technology, vital data, and unparalleled strategic partnerships power our nation’s critical compliance programs – for a happier workforce, better operations – and safer communities.
Learn more about Immuware at immuware.com and www.propelus.com.