At Silverado Care, an Irvine, Calif., provider of hospice and memory care services for the elderly, all paths connect to information. “Our vision is to deliver the best possible quality of life to people with memory-impairing diseases,” says Loren Shook, chairman and CEO for Silverado. “For about 20 years, we’ve been measuring clinical outcomes with the goal to become best in class in the world.”
The company, which has affiliations with universities such as Stanford, USC, UCLA and Northwestern, recently turned to global consulting firm Bluewolf to put Salesforce and other data to work in a more targeted and comprehensive way.
In the past, Silverado operated three different CRM systems. “This led to internal inefficiencies,” Shook explains. In many cases, sales teams and practitioners didn’t have access to the same data. “The information was siloed,” he adds. “As a result, workers didn’t have access to the information they needed.”
For example, when a staff member or practitioner left for a vacation, others handling a patient might not know certain nuances, such as when a family member usually visits, what meals they prefer or that another member of the staff had already provided certain information. “Sometimes, we weren’t able to take family preferences into account because we weren’t able to communicate effectively,” Shook says.
Devising a Strategy for Merging CRM Systems
Silverado tapped Bluewolf in October 2015 and began devising a strategy for merging CRM systems and making data more available, including through mobile devices. By February 2016, the company had completed the project.
Today, staff members have access to current patient information and family preferences at the click of a button or the tap of a screen. “It’s a patient-centric system: Everyone can see what everyone else is doing, even across departments,” Shook explains.
The end result? “We have achieved a high level of continuity of care by making all the data from the three databases available on an as-needed basis,” he says. In addition, if questions arise or there’s a need to discuss an issue, teams can communicate via Salesforce Chatter. Employees can message each other directly and share information, including patient information, immediately.
The benefits have been significant. Salespeople who previously spent two or three hours in the evenings or on weekends entering information into the CRM system now use mobile devices to input data throughout the day. This, in turn, has helped improve the accuracy of information by avoiding delays and errors.
In addition, Silverado expects to see a 10 to 35 percent increase in the number of people it serves. Also, the system is expected to drive revenue gains by attracting more residents and improving sales productivity.
Finally, the system has helped improve patient services and quality of care. Shook says that the company now boasts 30-day readmission rates around 3 percent, compared to a national average that’s above 16 percent at nursing homes.
“We are helping patients and families through an innovative health care model,” he reports. “It’s very important that we connect with families in the most effective way possible.”
