AWARDS

Kommentare: We have realized greater efficiencies with data collection for the use of analysis and reporting for current needs internal and external to the agency but also in preparation for changes in the service system and greater need for quantitative demonstrations of successful program and service delivery. We have greater flexibility for documentation of service provision as it can be completed from multiple locations on an agency computer. We have utilized AWARDS fora portion of our billing.

Vorteile: I appreciate the ease of use with AWARDS, it has kept up with the changes in regulatory systems over our years of using the software. We have been able to create forms that meet our specific needs or preferences. The system has online support, is linked to reference materials for medications and is evolving to add new services. All of our employees use the system, support departments, facilities and IT, OPWDD, OMH, PROS and OASAS programs. The report module has assisted our Directors to collect data for data-driven programmatic decisions and is especially helpful.

Nachteile: There have been a few times when we had hoped to create a form that mirrored on in AWARDS, but found that it would lack the same functionality. We were able to develop an acceptable work-around, but it delayed the roll-out by a month or two. Years ago, I would have had more "least-liked" parts, but the improvements in the last couple years have made a big difference.

Kommentare: Overall we have had a good experience with AWARDS. We've had a consistent Project Manager since implementation 10 years ago. The helpdesk staff are responsive and helpful. My only criticism is that sometimes Foothold will make changes to the system without consultation with users. Obviously not every enhancement and upgrade needs user approval but for ones that have massive impact on users, there should be a forum for discussion and piloting. Sometimes they do this but not always.

Vorteile: What I like best is that AWARDS has a feature called "formbuilder" which literally does what the name implies. I can take any existing form my organization uses and "build" it into AWARDS using a user friendly platform to select drop down boxes, text boxes, etc. This form can then be added to different parts of the systems such as client face sheet, progress notes, etc.

Nachteile: A few parts of the system are clunky. For example, there is a charting timetable where reminder events can be scheduled so that staff get tickler alerts. However, this module doesn't "talk" to the module where the actual event (an assessment, for example) is actually done. So the process of keeping the timetable updated with completion dates is a totally manual process. It would be more efficient for staff if this was automated like their PlanBuilder (Treatment/Service Plan)module is.

Kommentare: Comparing Foothold Technology's Awards system with other products, Foothold has showed it is a much better product, with much better performance, much more easily to use, more user-friendly. Also in the last 8 to 9 months the support has improved dramatically, and now the response time is excellent. So in my opinion Foothold exceeds other similar EMR/e-prescribing programs.
The documentation is much more accessible to all employees that need access. The forms are much easier to complete than other EMR programs I have used in other mental health clinics, and the e-prescribing experience is way much easier (and has been without significant problems for the last 9 months).
When you compare Foothold with other programs you can prescribe with much fewer steps, much faster, more intuitively, and you can verify right away if the prescription was successfully transmitted. Other products oftentimes are a nightmare, often telling you the transmission never went to the pharmacy until long time - sometimes several days later- and often you find out only because the patients can't fill their prescriptions. So for a relatively inexpensive program, it does way much more than the inefficient and expensive alternatives.
Additionally, from what I understand, the control panel is apparently easy to be managed by the clinic supervisors, and they can fix problems with progress notes, and other clinical forms for most basic problems. In that regard, that's also my experience comparing Foothold with other programs.
I must say the CONS I found:
-When initially we started using this program, the training wasn't thoroughgoing and comprehensive, but in the last 9 months the staff in the agency has been well trained by the supervisors, so the issue has changed positively.
I must say I have now a very positive opinion about Foothold's Awards. I recommend it.

Vorteile: Switching from paper records to Awards was a simple process for our organization. There was a lot of support from Foothold Technology and they were there to guide us through each step of the process. They were always available and responsive to our questions.
Awards was easy for our staff to learn and navigate. The options for adding our own forms and customizing areas was one of the reasons we decided to purchase Awards.

Nachteile: We are very happy with Awards. One of the features we would like to see is an easier way to print an entire record. While you can do this now, there are a few steps to go through, making it a little more time consuming. I am confident that this feature will be available in the future. In our experience with Foothold, they seem to really listen to the customer feedback and make changes based on user experience.

Kommentare: I work with multiple agencies that offer different types of services in the social services sector and Foothold Technology's AWARDS product has exceeded our requirements at each agency and program. Our documentation is now streamlined and accessible to all employees that need access, no matter which office they are working in. The integrated form builder allows you to create any custom forms you want without having to pay some developer to make changes. The Billing module integrates with the services very nicely. We were able to save around over 288 hours of staff time per month just by switching to AWARDS BillingBuilder functionality. Want to further analyze data, no problem. AWARDS lets you use various ReportBuilders and ExportBuilders to export the data in a variety of popular formats. PROS:
-Easy to use, easy to train, online help facilities always available
-Powerful FormBuilder lets you create your own forms and make changes as needed
-You can report on virtually anything you enter, even data on custom forms
-All items related, no need to enter the same information twice for a client
-Billing integration saves you time and money while reducing errors and increasing revenue
-Integrated HIPAA compliant messages module to communicate with staff while including sensitive client information
-Updates in functionality every month always bring new or enhanced features
-Staff is always very responsive to new ideas and very quick with support when there is a problem
-Our staff loves the much faster input of Group Notes and Progress Notes as well as the ability to view/edit notes from any location
-Tickler messages are sent to each staff warning them of upcoming service plans or other assessments that are due for clients on their caseload
-Supervisors can be set to receive all messages to oversee an entire program or agency CONS:
-Very minor things still on the wish list that do not prevent us from doing our job or meeting requirements from our payers (such as design and layout). We are very happy with AWARDS and always recommend it to any agency looking for a good electronic health record.