Data gathered by an information system means little unless it can be aggregated and make it available for reporting purposes. Standard canned reporting, no matter how extensive, is not enough. Healthcare clients demand report flexibility and a variety of options to work with the data. In response to these requests, HCS provides a powerful decision support solution.

The HCS INTERACTANT Executive Information Systems Module (EIS) is a comprehensive decision support tool that works two ways. For experienced users, Microsoft Access is used to access the main database and create a personnel data warehouse. Once the user creates the file, Crystal Reports, Microsoft Excel, or any ODBC report writer is used to provide flexible presentation of data or data analysis. For those with limited time and/or computer experience, there are a series of standard reports giving access to statistical data in a real-time environment. The information is presented in either text or graphical format on-line.

Access to costing information is vital under Prospective Payment System. Through these costs, multi-site and stand-alone organizations can compare facility operations using consistent parameters. The comparison between a reimbursement level for a particular diagnosis level or RUG's category or DRG and the resident/patient days per category results in a consistent means of monitoring operational success. For outcomes and comparative purposes, coded information encompasses a wealth of analysis opportunities.

Another source for reporting data is the different bill types used. Information captured on the UB92 and HCFA 1500 can be used as the basis on which other information such as claims adjudication, pharmaceutical provision, and length-of-stay information is compared. From this data, ad hoc and "what if" statements explore new areas of expansion such as risk-based managed care contracts.

Under managed care type reimbursement structures, an EIS can be used to compare the profitability of a capitated arrangement compared to a fee-for-service reimbursement schedule to monitor which is more viable for a particular patient population.

A powerful decision support system should have this information readily available using the most relevant data. INTERACTANT comes with a full data dictionary that describes every field and file stored within the system and accessible through the EIS. The scenarios are endless but so are the advantages of having a decision support package integrated with your information system.