The Hidden Cost of Free Software

Sure, times are hard.  Recent changes to Medicare regulations and a unco-operative economy are causing many agencies and related home health businesses to seriously consider their futures.  And there is a big trap, out there, ready to snare unsuspecting agency owners and make their jobs even harder for them.

That trap is Free Software.

It must be understood that there are vendors of home health care software that are credible, reliable, and reputable.  But, healthcare is seen as a potential source of profitable business and there are many players that have arrived on the scene, looking for short-term profits, whatever the cost.  These players will develop a product that offers agencies the bare essentials to run a home health care business.  When a customer starts billing, then the software vendor will start to charge for their product. This is OK for start-ups and early-stage agencies.  But what happens is that an agency will lock itself in to a poorly designed system, potentially for a multi-year contract.  They will enter data, train their staff, and incorporate the product in to their agency workflow.  And when that agency is starting to really rock-and-roll with plenty of patient referrals, they find that their software choice is incapable of supporting their business volume.  At that point, it is a hard, and potentially costly decision to change to a different product and so the agency struggles on, with their software choice holding up their business growth.

What is worse is when software companies that essentially give their product away in order to secure longer term revenue, fail to be able to fund on-going research and development.  The product stagnates.  New features and functions quickly become basic expectations.  And that software company's lack of cash to invest in their systems means that their customers suffer - slow and incomplete development, skimpy customer support, mediocre training resources, and, potentially, a company that is forced to go out of business.

Where does that leave its customers?  High and dry with all their patient information stored on the remote servers of a bankrupt software vendor.

So, don't thing that free software is always good software.  Vendors have a business to run, costs to cover, and investments to make in the on-going development of a product for you, the customer, as well as a trained and talented team of customer support staff and trainers, also for you, the customer.

If you are offered a deal that is too good to be true, it probably is.  You are running your business - you know what it takes.  Software vendors have to do the same thing.  No income means a poorly run business that will probably fail.  If you are paying your software vendor for their product, you are helping to guarantee your future success.

Joint Commission Offers Seasonal Flu Immunization Strategies

Free Monograph Designed to Improve Health Care Worker Vaccination Rates

(OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill. – June 24, 2009) Seasonal influenza in health care workers is a personal health threat, but also poses a significant risk to the patients in their care. In an effort to help health care organizations improve the rate of health care worker influenza vaccinations, The Joint Commission is releasing a monograph “Providing a Safer Environment for Health Care Personnel and Patients Through Influenza Vaccination: Strategies from Research and Practice.”

The monograph, which was supported by an educational grant from sanofi pasteur, is the result of the project Strategies for Implementing Successful Influenza Immunization Programs for Health Care Personnel, a 10-month collaboration between The Joint Commission, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), and the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (NFID).

The monograph includes information about seasonal influenza and the influenza vaccine, barriers to successful programs and strategies for overcoming them, and examples of successful initiatives organizations have used to improve their influenza vaccination rates. The Joint Commission received more than 229 submissions from health care organizations and a subset of submissions was selected for a panel review. Ultimately, 28 submissions were selected for inclusion in the monograph.

The monograph incorporates evidence-based guidelines and published literature to highlight practical strategies and the tools submitted by health care organizations. Electronic copies of the monograph are available on The Joint Commission’s Web site at www.jointcommission.org, and can be downloaded free of charge.

“Health care worker flu vaccination rates have been less than optimal for years and the vaccination rate is still below 50 percent. Organizations are eager to find ways to encourage their employees to get vaccinated,” says Jerod M. Loeb, Ph.D., executive vice president, Division of Quality Measurement and Research, The Joint Commission. “The monograph includes strategies that organizations can employ and provides a foundation to improve vaccination rates.”

According to the CDC, vaccination coverage of health care personnel remains low despite the documented benefits on patient outcomes, staff absenteeism and reducing infections among staff. In addition, increased vaccination rates can reduce costs within health care organizations. Health care personnel can acquire seasonal influenza from patients and can also spread the disease to vulnerable patients or other staff. In 2007, The Joint Commission implemented a new standard in hospitals and long term care facilities requiring that influenza vaccinations be offered to staff and practitioners.

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Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve the safety and quality of care provided to the public through the provision of health care accreditation and related services that support performance improvement in health care organizations. The Joint Commission evaluates and accredits more than 16,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States, including more than 8,000 hospitals and home care organizations, and more than 6,200 other health care organizations that provide long term care, behavioral health care, laboratory and ambulatory care services. In addition, The Joint Commission also provides certification of more than 600 disease-specific care programs, primary stroke centers, and health care staffing services. An independent, not-for-profit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation's oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.