CIM Upgrades COMPASS Software to Include New Home Care Assessment

Oct. 23, 2008 - PRLog -- ANN ARBOR, MI – The Center for Information Management, Inc. (CIM; www.ciminc.com), an Ann Arbor, MI-based provider of information systems and services tailored to home care programs, has announced deployment of the latest version of the interRAI HC (Home Care) assessment from interRAI Corporation (www.interrai.org). The entire assessment system – including scales, clinical assessment protocols with triggers, case mix system, and quality monitoring system – has been fully integrated into CIM’s Internet-based "COMPASS" software suite.

Customized software, data hosting, and support services from CIM are used to manage the MI-Choice Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) waiver program, managed through 21 regional administrative agencies throughout Michigan under contract with the Medical Services Administration of the Michigan Department of Community Health.

“This is a critical step forward for our MI-Choice waiver program,” says Michael Daeschlein, MI-Choice contract manager for MDCH, “and we could not have done it without the expertise and total dedication of the CIM staff. I am amazed by how smoothly and professionally they handled this important transition for everyone involved.”

Comprehensive information systems from CIM provide the tools for program administrators to identify potential needs of participants, develop person-centered plans of care and service delivery plans, track costs for Medicaid and other fund sources, and submit claims to the Michigan Medicaid Information System (MMIS). In addition, CIM provides off-line, laptop-based tools to support electronic paperless documentation by case managers.

Evelyn Richardson, RN, Supervisor of Nursing at the Area Agency on Aging of Northwest Michigan, added, "This project has again demonstrated for us what a fantastic job CIM does in thinking through the details and understanding what we need in our systems. They not only know how to build great software – they also completely 'get it' when to comes to supporting our business needs."

Through the MI-Choice program, Medicaid-eligible frail elderly and persons with disabilities, who struggle with serious medical conditions justifying institutional care, are provided the choice to stay in their home and community through paid supports and services.

The interRAI HC instrument is one of a suite of instruments built on a common, or core, set of assessment items considered to be important in all care settings. The HC assessment was developed by and is available under license from interRAI Corporation, a collaborative network of researchers in over 20 countries committed to improving health care for persons who are elderly, frail, or disabled. It was designed to highlight issues related to functioning and quality of life for community-residing individuals, and is used to inform and guide comprehensive care and service planning in community-based settings around the world. The interRAI HC system is currently being used in North America (Canada and multiple states in the U.S.), Europe (Italy, Switzerland, Finland, and other countries), Asia (Hong Kong and Japan), and Australia.

Further information is available from the Center for Information Management, Inc., 3550 W. Liberty Rd., Suite 1, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Phone: (734) 930-0855. Email: info@ciminc.com.

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