ZOL hospital goes live with Workflower for managing diabetes protocols
At the Oost-Limburg Hospital (ZOL), the existing application for the management of diabetes protocols needed to be replaced. With Workflower already widely used in the hospital, it made sense for ZOL to first investigate whether the platform could provide a solution.
The result was a new Workflower application: the ‘Endocrino process’.
Among its many advantages:
- fast and automatic application submission and tracking;
- streamlined material management and billing flows;
- improved interfaces with other systems;
- and finally, well-organised follow-up lists for the care staff.
And all these benefits contribute to better care for diabetic patients.
“It was difficult after all these years to say goodbye to the old diabetes protocol application. But with Workflower, we have a fully fledged alternative, offering many new possibilities. Data in other hospital systems is now much easier to reuse, reducing manual data input. Billing is a lot smoother; in fact, everything is smoother!”
Vera Vanroye, Diabetes Centre staff member, ZOL Genk
The 3-part ‘Endocrino process’ includes: (1) the management of applications within the diabetes protocol; (2) the supply of diabetic materials to patients; and (3) the billing process.
(1) Management of applications within the diabetes protocol:
- After the patient is created in Workflower, an application form is generated that complies with the rules of the Belgian National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance (NIHDI). Nearly all data is entered into the form automatically. Demographic data is retrieved from the HIS, while the recent HbA1c value is retrieved from the EPR. If the blood test was performed in a laboratory outside the hospital, the blood value can be entered manually.
- When the patient and the doctor have signed the application form, it is sent to NIHDI, and the dossier status is changed to ‘sent’.
- Once NIHDI approves the application, the status of the dossier is changed to ‘awarded’. For patients with a global medical record (GMR), the dossier is valid for one year. For other patients, the duration is adapted according to the decision of NIHDI.
- Once the dossier status is ‘awarded’, the patient administration service receives a task to create an administrative number within the hospital information system. The dossier is then assigned the ‘roll number OK’ status. At this point, the billing steps are also initiated.
- Based on the protocol info, it is clear when it is time to apply for an extension, allowing the hospital to start the process in good time—even during the patient visit, if desired.
- The status of every dossier can also be followed using various overview lists. Some examples of lists include: all patients; expiring protocols for which no action has yet been taken; applications been sent to NIHDI; dossiers with no roll number yet; etc.
(2) Supply of diabetic materials:
- This workflow records the materials that are given to the patient.
- Based on diabetes class (A, B or C) and on measurement type (strip measurement, sensor measurement), the system calculates the number of units to which the patient is entitled. This calculated result can be overruled to take into account materials the patient still has in their possession.
- The serial numbers of the materials can also be scanned. The overview list then shows which patient has which materials, which is particularly useful, for example, in the event of a recall.
(3) Billing:
- Each month, the Workflower application generates a list of all current dossiers, which include the information about the materials given to the patients. These files are imported in the billing system.
- An overview list shows which dossiers cannot be invoiced and therefore require further action.
Benefits for the Diabetes Team
The ZOL Diabetes Team, which manages 3,000 dossiers, has seen significant improvement thanks to the Endocrino process:
- The flow of applications is digitised, relevant data from other systems is automatically added, and printouts are generated for the patient and the physician to sign.
- The billing flow and material management run much more smoothly.
- It is easy to monitor the statuses of the various dossiers using the overview lists.
- The interfaces with the other systems enable the exchange of up-to-date information, reducing manual data input.
- The Workflower application makes it possible to quickly respond to changes or new protocols.
