PITTSBURGH, Feb. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Vocollect Healthcare Systems, Inc. announces that Church of God Home, a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) with 100+ skilled nursing beds, deployed AccuNurse and increased its Case Mix Index (CMI) from 1.27 to 1.34 in just seven months. Church of God Home also reduced nurse and caregiver overtime, eliminated almost all caregiver paperwork and reduced the time spent by caregivers on end-of-shift reporting with AccuNurse, a voice-powered, point-of-care documentation and communication system.

With AccuNurse, which is designed specifically for skilled nursing facilities, caregivers at Church of God Home wear lightweight headsets that enable them to hear care plans, deliver care accurately, document care as it takes place and communicate with other staff to more quickly respond to residents.

"AccuNurse empowers Church of God Home's staff to deliver efficient, high- quality care," said Roger Byford, president of Vocollect Healthcare Systems. "With both hands free, caregivers can document while multitasking, and reports are instantly generated and available online for nurses, dieticians, physical therapists -- anyone needing specific information about residents' care."

In addition to meeting its residents' daily care needs, the Church of God Home also achieved exceptional results in its recent annual survey conducted by Health Care Regulatory Services at the Pennsylvania State Department of Health. According to Carson G. Ritchie, president and CEO of Church of God Home, Inc., its experience in achieving a superior survey outcome is a powerful testament to AccuNurse.

"We have achieved every one of our objectives with AccuNurse," said Ritchie. "On the reimbursement side, we saw our CMI increase in just seven months, and AccuNurse helped us achieve an exceptional outcome in the state's annual inspection process, which is rigorous. There is no doubt that AccuNurse has played a significant role in our outstanding care record."

From a nursing perspective, the Church of God Home has reported these results:

-- CNA documentation is now completely paperless; -- Searching and calling within nursing has been reduced by 75 percent; -- Overtime of its licensed staff has been reduced; and -- The organization also has faster staff response to any type of incident and complete information available for resident ambulation and transfers.

The Church of God Home estimates that, since implementing AccuNurse, its annual savings translate to more than $150,000 -- enabling the organization to achieve fast payback on its investment in the system.

"Growth in the development of our community, increased self-esteem among the residents and high morale among employees are good indicators of our organization's health," explained Ritchie. "When they are achieved in an atmosphere of financial soundness, we are assured that our mission is being carried out effectively and efficiently."

About Vocollect Healthcare Systems

Vocollect Healthcare Systems, a subsidiary of Vocollect, Inc., brings the power of voice to caregivers in long-term care facilities. Using simple spoken dialog, staff hear care plan details and document activities as they are completed, using the most natural form of communication available: voice. The result is better documentation, better communication, and better care.

Vocollect(R) is a registered trademark of Vocollect, Inc.; AccuNurse(R) is a registered trademark of Vocollect Healthcare Systems.

CONTACT: Jennifer Clement of Vocollect Healthcare Systems, Inc.,
+1-412-825-5336, jclement@healthcare.vocollect.com