Can voice recognition software be used in Nurses' Notes?

1. Voice recognition software is only 90% accurate. Therefore, someone has to review the transcript, compare it back to the original dictation and make the corrections.
   
   
2. For voice activation software to be used effectively the individual needs to do a lot of practice with the system using medical terms the person would normally use in Doctors’ notes. The individual uses medical phrases and tweaks the language to fit the patient’s facts.
   
   
3. Voice recognition software works well with numbers which go into an Excel spreadsheet. You can speak the numbers in order and ask for a sum. You can also enter the numbers in reverse order and ask for a sum to make sure the sums are the same.
   
   
4. Not all voice recognition software is compatible with Windows.
   
   
5. There is a license fee charge for every time you use the software. This license fee over time could be a substantial expense.
   
   
6. Voice recognition software in its present form is not suitable for medical records.

How do the BALL PROGRAMS and databases comply with The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), Privacy Standards, and Protected Health Information (PHI)?

There are four measures of security in place to protect employees' and residents' personal information and resident health information that is stored in the databases. They are:

1. The Administrator controls access to the BALL PROGRAMS and databases. Accessed is basis on the employee's job description and the need to know. Each employee is assigned a user name and a password, which allows them access to the parts of the program they need to perform their job.
   
   
2. The databases are encrypted and access to the encrypted databases is via the BALL PROGRAMS. The programs open and close the various databases as they are used.
   
   
3. The BALL PROGRAMS have an active screen saver that after a specified number of seconds (set by the Administrator) will shut down the active screen and move backwards to a screen that does not contain sensitive information. The employee entering their password can obtain re-access. The program will automatically go to the active screen where the employee was working.
   
   
4. The BALL PROGRAMS are protected by a License Agreement, embedded security code and a security key that is attached to the server. If the BALL PROGRAMS were stolen, the security system would prevent the programs from functioning.

Can I schedule all of my In-Service Training for the year using the BALL PROGRAMS?

Yes, all of the in-service topics and dates of training can be entered into the In-Service Training Topics option. When the date of the In-Service occurs you can use the Print Sign-In Sheet function to print a page that contains the Department, employees' names alphabetized within the department, and a blank line for each participant to sign in. This feature is extremely useful in eliminating the problems inherent in tracking participants solely through hard to read signatures.

I have CNAs that work the same schedule month after month. Is there an easy way to schedule them?

Yes. The BALL PROGRAMS allow you fill in each employee's work preference information, after which the scheduling staff can apply the Fill Default Schedules option. Employees can then be scheduled for an entire month, or for as many months in advance as you like.

Can I send a message to an hourly employee when they arrive for work? For example, "See Joyce for your TB test"?

Yes, you can set messages to display on the Check-In monitor when an employee checks in for his or her shift.