State Audits are a Breeze with iCareManager

Going through licensing audits can be a daunting task, but not with iCareManager on your side. We sat down with Tricia Timmons, Director of Quality Services at Bello Machre, an agency who has made a lifetime commitment of providing loving care, opportunity, and guidance for people with developmental disabilities in Maryland. Tricia, like many QA directors, regularly interacts with the state licensing body, in Maryland known as Office of Health Care Quality (OHCQ).  OHCQ may visit to complete an annual licensing survey, or visit to further investigate an incident that was reported by the agency. Bello Machre averages 40 OHCQ visits per year.

Surveyors are generally looking for medical records, training records, and incident reports. Some surveyors, Tricia says, are comfortable using iCM on a laptop she provides. Tricia has created a login for the auditor and she restricts access to only what they need to see. For auditors who prefer paper, Tricia goes into iCM and prints out 3-4 months of Medical Records (such as Medication Administration Records, bowel movement records, seizure logs, and vitals). OHCQ will also request training records which are pulled as needed through iCareManager.

“Sometimes they will want an activity calendar for meaningful day or personal supports. I pull the attendance records and have the staff put in a note about what they did for the day,” says Tricia.

During an audit, Tricia will also go into iCM to pull Person Centered Plans, drills and incident reports when Bello Machre is up and running with these modules.

iCareManager helps you prepare for audits, too. With quick compliance meters and a comprehensive alert system, your staff can easily stay on top of trainings and medical tasks. For example, OHCQ wants to see that staff is trained to work with a specific person supported. iCM tracks any change in a person’s status that requires training and prompts the staff to be trained, ongoing as needed.

“iCareManager has been really helpful when it comes to pulling records. We were coming from paper. Before iCM, if OHCQ showed up, I had to drop what I was doing and drive to the house to get the physical documents,” says Tricia.  “iCM has been a lifesaver!”