Careware+Lab; professional support for phlebotomists

Like Careware+Tz, Careware+ for thrombosis services and laboratories comprises various modules. Together, these modules support this mobile branch of thrombosis services and medical laboratories. Field staff of medical laboratories and thrombosis services pay numerous visits every day, during which they help dozens or even hundreds of clients. 

Careware+Lab comprises the following main modules: 

1. Planning

An extensive planning module is a standard component of Careware+Lab. Given the dynamic planning of laboratory field staff, with each staff member visiting large numbers of patients en route, MCH+ recommends using an automated planning system from the start. Planners remain ultimately responsible and still have important input in realizing the planning, but are, however, supported by a powerful automated planning system. If so desired, the planning process can be organized centrally. An optimal planning is generated based on work in progress, patient restrictions, staff preferences and distances. A computer-generated planning can reduce travelling times by 20% and reduce the number of 'offences'. Planners maintain an overview throughout the day and adjust the planning 'manually' if necessary. 
Since planners will 'see' where the phlebotomists are, they will be able to plan newly registered patients or emergencies immediately. 

2. Staff portal 'My Careware+'
All staff members have access to their own 'My Careware+' environment. Staff can use 'My Careware+' to view their current planning, register for activities and actions and submit their timesheets to their managers. However, the standard functions of 'My Careware+' offer much more: day planner, contract details and, for example, communication with managers, planners or colleagues. Finally, all staff members have real-time information about their own performances, such as productivity, efficiency and travel time.

3. Mobile registration
Working with PDAs or mobile solutions represents something of a revolution for laboratories. After logging in, phlebotomists see exactly which patients they must visit, what time their appointments are and what has to be done (taking samples). If circumstances arise that prevent the staff member from keeping an appointment, he or she can offer it to colleagues or the planner 'to take over' via a mobile network. An integrated link with TomTom satellite navigation helps staff to find the quickest route. 

4. Time & cost approval
Careware+Lab provides team leaders and managers with information about all hours planned, worked, registered and submitted by 'their' staff. 
The software displays the most important business indicators (e.g. productivity and efficiency) for each individual staff member and each team. 
As MCH+ sees it, it is important that the registered hours be approved by a supervisor before they are further processed in the back-office systems for salary and invoicing purposes. Management based on 'time worked' is not yet widespread at laboratories, but it is on the rise. Careware+Lab is fully ready for this. You can also choose to only look at the how the planning was realized and to use the timekeeping programme later. 

5. Administration and interfaces
Sets of rights can be defined and organized at the functional applications administrator’s discretion. In short, reading and writing rights can be given for each screen, which is in accordance with the Dutch guidelines for well-managed healthcare systems (Richtlijnen van een Goed Beheerd Zorgsysteem).
Each implementation requires links to, for example, client and employee systems. MCH+ interfaces with more than 20 different systems based on its own technology. New interfaces are guaranteed to work. 

Naturally, home care also benefits from the intrinsic advantages of Careware+: web technology, transparency of data for all users and a high level of user-friendliness.