Interim HealthCare is a franchise network of more than 320 individually owned and operated offices providing home healthcare, personal care and support, hospice care and medical staffing services.
Interim of the Great Lakes opened its first office in 2017 with a focus on providing nonclinical care in northern Chicago. They now operate 14 offices providing home health, hospice, palliative care, and chronic disease management services for seniors across Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana.
During the Axxess Growth, Innovation and Leadership Experience (AGILE), Interim of the Great Lakes received the Horizon Expansion Award for their proven commitment to growth and expansion. This award recognizes the organization’s demonstrated ability to expand its reach and scalability and overcome geographic challenges, setting a benchmark for the broader home care industry.
Axxess interviewed Interim of the Great Lakes Chief Financial Officer Preston Lucas to explore the strategies and tools behind this organization’s success. To read the full interview, click here.
Axxess Senior Vice President of Clinical Services Arlene Maxim, RN, HSC-C, weighed in on the processes she considers beneficial for other organizations to adopt:
Prioritize staff recruitment and retention.
Interim of the Great Lakes prioritizes the recruitment and retention of staff by focusing on staff needs and implementing tools and strategies to enhance their job satisfaction. The organization is committed to maintaining a fulfilling work environment that not only attracts skilled professionals but also motivates them to stay long-term.
“Considering staff satisfaction is paramount to the recruitment and retention of clinical staff,” said Maxim. “Creating an environment where employees feel valued and fulfilled significantly enhances their loyalty to and longevity within an organization.”
One way Interim of the Great Lakes enhances job satisfaction for staff is by investing in user-friendly technology solutions that simplify their daily tasks and make their jobs easier.
Implement user-friendly technology solutions.
Lucas stressed the importance of user-friendly technology solutions, noting their ability to streamline training and onboarding and enable new staff to quickly prepare for fieldwork. He highlighted the frustrations linked to outdated systems and cumbersome documentation processes and pointed out the benefits of cloud-based systems that enable clinicians to document alongside patients in real time, rather than take their work home with them, improving their work-life balance.
“Organizations should carefully consider the ease of use of their current EMR system,” said Maxim. “As Interim of the Great Lakes recognized early on, the software they were using just wasn’t working for them. Systems that are frequently inaccessible, glitchy or difficult to use and understand are frustrating to clinicians. Interim recognized that and implemented new systems to eliminate that frustration and support their staff.”
Leverage reporting and data analysis.
Lucas highlighted the reporting available in Axxess systems as a key component of the organization’s success, noting that convenient access to real-time data facilitates prompt, strategic decisions that drive improvements.
Maxim encourages organizations to continuously assess the data in their EMR reports and use the insights gained to enhance their operations.
“In order to experience any growth, a systematic and ongoing evaluation must occur,” Maxim said. “Using the reports available in your EMR system and having the ability to interpret the data accurately is critical. You can’t improve if you don’t understand what areas need improvement, and you can’t grow if you don’t adapt based on what the data tells you.”
She highlights the following areas as among the most critical to monitor:
- Financial data (revenue growth, profit margins, cash flow, ROI)
- Customer data (patient retention rate, patient experience)
- Operational data (employee productivity and retention rate)
- Industry benchmarks (quality of care relative to competitors)
“A good EMR system will provide what is needed to bring all of this forecasting information together,” Maxim said. “Tracking these points not only enables organizations to adapt and respond effectively to changing conditions but also encourages a proactive approach to driving growth.”
To read our full interview with Interim of the Great Lakes, click here.
Axxess’ cloud-based software solutions provide healthcare organizations with a comprehensive technological infrastructure, empowering them to deliver exceptional patient care and achieve sustainable success.
