Creating a More Streamlined Review Process with Power Platform
Christopher Place Healthcare Review (CPHCR) is a third-party independent review organization based out of Harrisburg, PA. A veteran owned business fully accredited by the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission for internal and external reviews, CPHCR offers an impartial medical peer review process for organizations, patients, and physicians to ensure patients get the care they need from a more equitable healthcare system.
Challenges
CPHCR, as a medical review company, relied on highly manual processes for managing its case load. The team often had to devote resources to managing submissions through email, organizing their databases, and finding contractors that would enable them to process their clients’ requests. Frustrated by the limitations of the highly manual processes, CPHCR turned to Weidenhammer to streamline their organization’s case management capabilities.
In looking at the core systems being utilized, there were two main points of friction with CPHCR’s process: Case submissions weren’t standardized and centralized for contractors or clients and tracking case review progress is dependent on individual resources. These two pain points placed limitations on how many cases could be serviced at any given time and tied up existing resources on tasks that, although important, had limited impact on the ability of the company to grow.
It was clear that CPHCR needed a system that allowed them to accept cases, get them in the hands of contractors faster, and track their progress to ensure they’re completed in a timely fashion.
Solutions
The first step to assisting the CPHCR team was to create a single standard for submitting cases and determination letters. Rather than relying on the PDF-based system they utilized to collect clinical determinations, Weidenhammer implemented a web-based form to automatically collect the necessary information and fill in a standardized template to minimize the resource investment in managing individual files.
With the determination letter process standardized, it became necessary to create a back-end architecture that would support the new case management format. Weidenhammer implemented Dataverse and Sharepoint solutions to manage client contacts and store files related to individual cases respectively. Dataverse offered a way of organizing client data and quickly accessing insights according to the need of the individual using it making case tracking easier in the process. Sharepoint provided a secure way to manage case files and access to information so as to minimize the risk of data leaks.
To ease the transition on the administrative side, the Weidenhammer team created a PowerApps model-driven application that worked with Dataverse to ease the adoption of the new database format. Finally, PowerApps Portal was used in conjunction with Azure to create a Reviewer Portal with multi-factor authentication capabilities so contractors reviewing case files could easily access the information they need and submit their determinations in a secure environment.
Results
With the implementation of these solutions, CPHCR experienced significant savings in time and a better overall user experience. The streamlined process for managing case files, submitting them for review, and tracking their progress replaced the need to dedicate employee time to tracking the project via excel spreadsheets. Additionally, the client portal eliminated the need to copy information from case files and tracking sheets to update clients on the status of their cases, as all of it was provided in one place automatically for review without needing to engage personnel. Finally, these solutions made it easier for contractors to do their jobs, as their case management system became streamlined, reducing the effort they required to process review requests. With these time savings and streamlined systems, CPHCR is better positioned to scale its operation moving into the future.
In addition to time savings, CPHCR also was able to migrate away from their AWS system which cut costs from the operational budget. With Hammer Dev’s help, CPHCR was able to achieve this while maintaining compliance with HIPPA and adhering to the high technological standards for ensuring members’ information remained confidential.
The Hammer Dev team were able to help our team save time and provide a better user experience to both our customers and our contractors when managing medical documents for our case reviews. With their teams’ skilled integration of automation into our workflows, they helped us establish a strong foundation that will enable us to grow faster than ever.
Kyle Stavinsky, Vice President of Operations
