SBIR-STTR Award

We will develop an easy-to-use, PC-based scheduling andplanning system for home care services. This system will enable homecare agencies to maximize their human resources and to reduce theirservice costs. Phase I is to identify the issues dealing withscheduling and coordinating of nurses and home health aides. A pilotsystem will be implemented and tested as part of the investigation.Phase II will develop a final system based on the pilot system withenhancements. Applying the latest computer graphic, mapping anddatabase technologies, a pilot system which combines street maps withpatients and nurses database will be developed. The system will firstprepare a list of daily visits for each nurse. Locations of allvisits with patients and other related information will be displayedon the mapping screen. A set of procedures will then be applied forcreating routes, modifying existing ones evaluating alternatives, andprint route maps and directions. By adding a visual component to thedata a coordinator will be able to effectively match nurses with theservices required and reduce driving time.Awardee's statement of the potential commercial applications of theresearch: T he proposed system may be used by various home careagencies for scheduling and coordinating service activities. Theseservices include medical care home infusion, a broad range oftherapies, as well as meal-on-wheel or other types of home careservices. This system will pay a key role in the home care environment by reducing fraud, waste and abuse of services.National Institute for Nursing Research (NCNR)

This research is intended to implement an affordable PC-based mapping system for home care agencies using the latest Geographic Information System technologies. The system applies mapping software, graphical user interface and database techniques in the design. It allows home care professionals to use patient and employee information for scheduling and planning services. Phase I's objective was to establish the technical merit and feasibility of the proposed system. A pilot system "Visiting Nurse Association Scheduling Assistant (VNASA-I) was developed and tested at two VNAs. Users indicated that the experience with VNASA-I has been a success. Actual improvements in productivity and quality were reported. Recommendations for enhancement in Phase II included linking patient and employee data to maps; identification of "security/risk areas"; showing one-way streets; finding the most efficient routes; improved simplicity of use; and generation of maps for service analysis. Phase II's goal is to complete the development of a commercial software based on Phase I results. The new modular design adapts the Microsoft's windows standard and provides a flexible, stand-alone or networkable system for agencies of varying sizes. The software enables home care professionals to make service related decisions and dynamically adjust visit schedules based on visual information.Proposed Commercial Applications:The proposed PC-based mapping system may be used by home care agencies for scheduling and planning of medical care, therapy, home infusion, meal-on-wheel and a broad range of services. It may easily be employed by social workers and case managers of human service organizations to track service providers and coordinate treatments and rehabilitations. The system will play a key role in human services by controlling cost, reducing waste and improving service quality.