Implementing triage software is critical if you want to give your patients the best means of understanding the severity of their symptoms outside of your office. If you choose TriageLogic’s flagship software, myTriageChecklist, your nurses will have access to the latest triage protocols, and have the ability to share all of their patient interactions directly with you and your care team.
Here are the best practices we recommend for getting the most out of any triage software — from selecting the right platform and educating your nurses, to evaluating a software’s effectiveness following its implementation.
1. Assess Your Practice’s Needs
This may seem like an obvious step, but it is absolutely worth mentioning how important it is to identify how you want to leverage triage software. This usually comes from understanding your current patient management challenges, identifying specific goals, and reviewing the features and functionalities within triage software that will meet them.
For instance, if your primary concern is reducing patient wait times, you should focus on a triage solution that reduces how long it takes to evaluate patient needs and accurately address their symptoms.
2. Select the Appropriate Triage Software
Now that you know what you want to achieve with triage software, you’ll need to explore different solutions and how well they fit your criteria. Typically, that also involves how well they rank in the following areas:
- Ease of use
- Compatibility with existing systems
- Scalability
- Support for emergency triage and routine patient care
3. Ensure Staff Training and Buy-In
Gartner notes how “staff acceptance and training” is considered the number one challenge for 42% of software buyers with global healthcare organizations.
When you establish your training plan, it should include understanding the platform’s technical applications, and how those fit within your practice’s established workflows. If you choose TriageLogic’s myTriageChecklist, you can emphasize its benefits — like how it simplifies evaluating patient symptoms and offers the best dispositions for care — so that your team members understand the positive impacts that the platform will have on managing your patients’ requests.
When you purchase software from us, we include training from a dedicated nurse manager.
4. Review Data-Sharing Capabilities
The downsides to many healthcare solutions can be limitations on how much data they can share, and required software add-ons for them to fully function. Ideally, you’ll want to select a nurse triage platform that avoids these caveats.
MyTriageChecklist offers seamless EHR integration for smooth, complete data transfer without requiring any additional components. This service is performed using a secure, private cloud that meets HIPAA compliance, so that your patient data is protected and immediately available to your team.
5. Get an Estimate on Implementation
Some software solutions can be time-intensive to install, which has the potential to interrupt your practice’s operations and care. We highly encourage your team to confirm with your software provider what a reasonable implementation time will be.
For myTriageChecklist, it’s 30 minutes or less.
6. Establish Standardized Triage Protocols
Implementing triage software usually includes the establishment of clear, standardized triage protocols that guide the decision-making of your nurses.
TriageLogic’s myTriageChecklist comes with the latest versions of Schmitt-Thompson protocols, which are considered the gold standard for assessing and prioritizing patient symptoms. Your team can even customize these protocols based on your preferences.
Protocols standardize how your nurses address the needs of your patient callers so that they receive consistent, thorough evaluations, leading to more accurate dispositions and improved nurse efficiency.
Would you like copies of the latest Schmitt-Thompson triage protocols? Click here to learn more!
7. Monitor and Evaluate Performance Regularly
After implementing triage software, you’ll want a means of measuring its performance. Our solution offers KPIs with this insight, including call resolution rates and disposition percentages.
You can also use this data to understand the performance of your triage nurses, verify that high performers continue to receive the most calls, and help your nurse managers schedule appropriately for periods of anticipated high call volume.
9. Leverage Remote Triage Capabilities
Nurse triage is evolving thanks to the growing demand for telehealth. TriageLogic’s myTriageChecklist supports remote patient triage, allowing nurses to schedule telehealth appointments with their providers when applicable. This service is valuable for practices looking to expand their reach, along with providing care to patients in rural or underserved areas.
9. Foster Continuous Improvement and Feedback
Encourage your staff to share their thoughts and opinions about your new triage software so that you can identify any areas for improvement. Use surveys, feedback forms, or regular team meetings to understand what is and isn’t working well. This will help you make appropriate adjustments to your triage processes so that the software remains effective and aligned with your practice’s goals.
10. Remind Patients About Nurse Triage
Although this best practice isn’t technically about your software, it’s always a good idea to promote when you offer nurse triage. When faced with after-hours ailments, many patients don’t think to call a triage nurse, or even know when they have access to one.
Not only does this inadvertently deprive them of a free service to establish the severity of their symptoms, but it can lead them to guess the wrong choices about their care — whether it’s going to the ER when they really don’t need to, or staying home when they should be seen by a doctor.
If your patients know they have nurses they can talk to before they even leave their homes, they’re more likely to put trust in your practice and take more active roles in their own health care.
Would You Like a Free Demo?
By following these best practices before and after implementing triage software, providers like you can maximize their patient care and positive health outcomes. If you’d like to learn more about myTriageChecklist and how it can benefit your team, contact us today to schedule a free demo.
About TriageLogic
TriageLogic is a URAC-accredited, physician-led provider of top-quality nurse telehealth technology, remote patient monitoring, and medical call center solutions. Founded in 2007, the TriageLogic Group now serves more than 22,000 physicians and covers over 42 million lives nationwide.
