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Falcon Physician, Denver, CO

Gold Stevie Award Winner 2012, Click to Enter The 2014 American Business Awards

Company: Falcon Physician, Denver, CO
Company Division/Group: DaVita
Company Description: Falcon Physician builds electronic health record software for nephrologists. We are health technology experts. We are kidney care leaders. We are committed to helping provide the best possible practice experience for nephrologists. By knowing the unique challenges nephrologists face across multiple points of care, nephrology isn't just something we do—it's all we do.
Nomination Category: Information Technology Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Information Technology Department of the Year

Nomination Title: Falcon Physician's Development Department

Tell the story about what this nominated department has achieved since January 1, 2014 (up to 650 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms.

Introduction

The Falcon Physician team creates innovative IT solutions for nephrologists and offers support for those solutions. Our suite of products includes a nephrology-focused electronic health record (EHR) as well as tools to support the patient and clinical care goals of our parent company, DaVita. In 2014, we released a dialysis rounding tool with iPad and desktop capability and will soon release a mobile tool for dialysis order review and signing, both for use with DaVita patients.

Chief Accomplishments for 2014:

Released iPad App
We released the iPad and web applications for dialysis rounding in DaVita dialysis centers in February 2014. We tested usability with practicing nephrologists for the app to help make it intuitive to use. As one physician put it, “I almost laugh when I boot up the iPad because the other applications I’ve seen don’t even come close.”

Improved EHR Usability

Our focus for the EHR is continuous improvement in the usability of key nephrology workflows. We benchmark our results to make sure we are measurably improving the most important features. By 2014, we had reduced the time nephrologists spend in the EHR by 30 minutes per day. For a busy physician, this means more time to spend with patients.

Implemented EHR Usability Testing

All of these usability improvements are based on extensive testing. In 2014, we completed more than 70 usability tests with 40+ practicing nephrologists. This helps us prioritize the most important workflows and maintain our focus on nephrology. Rather than simply asking physicians what they think about our tools, we watch them in real life to see exactly where we can improve. Our commitment to continuous improvement influences our product-related decisions.

Obtained Meaningful Use Certification

We maintain various certifications to facilitate user compliance with government-mandated programs. In 2014, we successfully completed several certifications including, Meaningful Use Stage 2. It was a strenuous task; only 67% of EHR vendors received this certification. More than 300 Falcon users completed their Meaningful Use Stage 2 attestation so far.

Created Phone App

As soon as we had completed the regulatory requirements for Meaningful Use and other government programs, we began work on a new tool to increase physicians’ access to patient data. Nephrologists work in multiple locations of care and are frequently contacted for information and decisions even when they are at home or on-the-go. They need access to patient information and the ability to review and sign dialysis orders from anywhere. We created a smartphone app to do just that. The app is scheduled for general release in May 2015.

Providing Quality to Patients

We are always looking for ways that our tools can ultimately improve the lives of patients. In 2014, we tracked the following metrics for patients whose physicians use Falcon tools:
• 90%+ Patients screened for tobacco use and counseled for cessation
• 69% Diabetic patients screened for nephropathy
• 70%+ Patients avoided receiving extraneous imaging studies
• 99% Elderly patients did not receive high risk medications

Summary

All of the above achievements demonstrate Falcon’s commitment to developing technology that can improve the efficiency of physicians, the cost of healthcare and, most importantly, the lives of patients. We maintain our focus on nephrology and our communication with physicians to continue contributing to each of these goals.

In bullet-list form, briefly summarize up to ten (10) accomplishments of the nominated department since the beginning of 2014 (up to 150 words).

1. Launched iPad application for dialysis rounding
2. Improved usability so that the average daily time spent on key workflows in application is reduced by ~30 min
3. Completed more than 70 usability tests with more than 40 practicing nephrologists
4. Achieved Meaningful Use Stage 2 Certification (only 67% of EHRs achieved)
5. Helped more than 300 nephrologists complete attestation to Meaningful Use Stage 2
6. Created smartphone app for dialysis order signing and access to patient summaries (general release April 17, 2015)
7. Providing quality to patients:
a. 90%+ Patients screened for tobacco use and counseled for cessation
b. 69% Diabetic patients screened for nephropathy
c. 70%+ Patients avoided receiving extraneous imaging studies
d. 99% Elderly patients did not receive high risk medications