Redington-Fairview General Hospital (RFGH) is a 25-bed critical access hospital serving a large area in Maine with 12 additional ambulatory facilities. As a MEDITECH customer, RFGH was familiar with Forward Advantage’s reputation for deep EHR integration and enhanced clinical workflows. A quick consultation revealed that the hospital and its ambulatory locations could all benefit from Imprivata solutions sold and implemented by Forward Advantage. This includes Imprivata's Enterprise Access Management (OneSign), Mobile Device Access (MDA), and Enterprise Access Management (Confirm ID) for EPCS.
“We didn’t know what we needed,” says Daniel Connelly, Senior IT Analyst at RFGH. “Forward Advantage guided us and demonstrated how these solutions work. They solved the challenge of accessing MEDITECH quickly and securely from inside and outside the organization and helped us meet state mandates for electronically prescribing controlled substances.”
Forward Advantage is both a MEDITECH-preferred partner and an authorized reseller and implementer for Imprivata. Decades of hospital experience make us a logical choice for organizations seeking a single-vendor approach for many of today’s healthcare challenges. We were fortunate to have a recent conversation with Daniel to learn more about RFGH’s use case and how these three solutions complement each other to benefit providers and patients across the enterprise. Take advantage of what Daniel has to say below!
Redington-FairView General Hospitals insights
with Daniel Connelly, Senior IT Analyst
Q: What are benefits of having all of these Imprivata solutions (Enterprise Access Management and Mobile Device Access)?
These solutions work very well with each other, which simplifies the implementation process and extends the workflow and security benefits. Single sign-on eliminates the need to remember multiple, complex passwords which are easily forgotten or written down. This encourages EHR adoption and streamlines workflow, especially in places like the ER where providers are in and out of rooms on a regular basis. Mobile Device Access extends the single sign-on workflow to our Zebra devices so nurses are more efficient as they administer medications and document patients. With Enterprise Access Management, providers authenticate a little differently, but it’s still streamlined and is much safer for patients.
Q: What is the authentication process for these solutions?
With Enterprise Access Management, staff members tap their badges at a workstation and enter a single password at the start of a shift. If they are within the 12-hour grace period, they can tap out and tap back in to access their applications as they move throughout the hospital or clinic. Mobile Device Access also uses proximity badges and is just as easy to authenticate. Enterprise Access Management for EPCS is a simple two-step authentication process from their phone or a computer. They enter either a password or PIN sent via text message or approve a prompt from the app. It works remotely too, so our physicians can sign in from home and use the application to securely prescribe a narcotic.
Q: What are the patient benefits behind all three of these solutions?
These solutions keep the devices locked so no one is accessing computers who shouldn’t. Our nurses and physicians can spend less time navigating the technology and more time talking with patients. Electronic prescribing helps us meet state requirements, but it’s also a big improvement for patient safety. We use barcode scanners on medications as well, so patients get that double-check.
Q: What do you feel is the value behind going with Forward Advantage as a reseller for Imprivata solutions?
Having a resource that knows how to implement these solutions using experience across multiple hospitals is key. Our implementation was smooth, and the team knew how to do the testing and make any necessary changes. I appreciate the convenience of dealing with a single vendor.
Q: Do you have any advice for other customers?
I recommend having a consultation with Forward Advantage’s team to identify workflow gaps. We weren’t sure what we needed, so that process was helpful. Our implementation had a snowball effect, because as soon as other departments and clinics caught wind of how easy it is to tap in and out with a badge, they all wanted it. It’s a challenging time in healthcare right now because of the staffing shortage, and we’ve gained a lot of productivity and greatly improved staff satisfaction.
A big thank you to Daniel for sharing RFGH’s use case! As he mentioned, the nationwide nursing shortage is a substantial challenge for most hospitals and healthcare organizations. Feedback like Daniel’s provides a valuable learning opportunity for using technology to navigate some of these challenges.
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