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THE BIG PICTURE The healthcare industry is moving from a model of continuing education to a model of continuing professional competency. Decision Critical
has understood since its inception that there is a link between the competency of the healthcare provider and patient outcomes. We too are in the
patient outcomes business. When Decision Critical helps organizations assure that they have the most competent staff delivering care, we have done
our small part in improving patient outcomes. I am very proud of that
and that is why I founded this company.
In this issue of Critical
Communication we put forth a model for 360° Competency Management. I
hope that you find the information contained within useful and thought provoking. Thank you for all you do to improve patient care.
Yours in Nursing,
Kenneth W. Dion, RN, MSN, MBA, PhDc
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WHAT IS 360°
COMPETENCY MANAGEMENT?
Decision Critical’s product strategy has always anticipated the healthcare market by staying
close to that market. Using this information, Decision Critical has worked with healthcare and technology industry
leaders to always identify ways to
refine and improve our service delivery model and product offerings. Today, Decision Critical offers a comprehensive
portfolio of web-based products designed to provide a comprehensive, or 360°, competency management solution suite to support education strategies, elevate nursing competency and improve patient
care.
When we founded the company, we launched our
flagship learning management system (LMS), Critical Educator. Since the development of that first product, we have built a suite of
solutions that support and complement the LMS. Today much of the market is still in an LMS adoption state, but many forward
thinking organizations are now moving forward into areas that complement electronic learning - for instance, electronically tracking, maintaining and
reporting on professional portfolios and competency performance. Decision Critical has already developed and made ready the
products necessary for tomorrow’s market needs including the Critical Portfolio, Critical Check
Lists and the Critical Evaluator.
Critical Evaluator will be
formally launched on October 3, 2007, at this year’s ANCC 11th National Magnet Conference in Atlanta on October 3 – 5,
2007. The Critical Evaluator will round our product solution suite by laying over all of our products and aggregating the data
contained in each. The final result is a comprehensive education, competency and compliance picture for today’s healthcare
organization. This level of data maintenance and reporting is unmatched in the market today and will allow healthcare
organizations to improve not only processes and people, but ultimately improve patient care.
We invite you all to visit us in Atlanta if you will be
attending the Magnet Conference. Or, if Atlanta is not in your plans, we invite you to visit our website at http://www.decisioncritical.com/ to learn more about how 360° competency management can
benefit your organization.
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PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: Critical Evaluator™
This month, Critical
Communication highlights Decision Critical's newest edition to our product suite, Critical
Evaluator™.
What does the Critical Evaluator™
offer?
This healthcare-specific, web-based professional performance
evaluation tool provides organizations with a means to manage the many highly complex competency and compliance requirements facing healthcare
today.
What are the benefits of the Critical
Evaluator™?
Yearly reviews are a cornerstone in every business today providing guidelines
for measuring performance and career development. The Critical Evaluator™ provides organizations with the ability to standardize evaluation criteria and link them to job families, positions and departments.
What is included in the Critical
Evaluator™?
Critical Evaluator gives organizations the ability to create online evaluation
criteria for yearly and interim evaluations, eliminating paper-based records and manual tracking.
- Each employee is presented with a personal competency plan that can include required skills,
competencies, licenses and certifications; with an "at-a-glance" view of uncompleted competencies.
- The Critical Evaluator can be implemented as a stand-alone solution or in conjunction with Critical Educator™, Critical Portfolio™ and Critical Check Lists™.
- Employees receive e-mail notifications for soon to expire competencies which are required in order
to meet their compliance activities.
- Organizations benefit from compliance and analysis reporting that provides compliance and demographic information, staff analysis and performance
statistics.
Why is the Critical Evaluator™ so
important?
Addressing employee compliance is crucial. Critical Evaluator™
allows healthcare organizations to focus on quality improvement by concentrating on enhancing individual performance and competence, not just
processes. Successful employee evaluation provides a comprehensive path for organizations to maintain high standards and create a development
path to success.
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CRITICAL EDUCATION: Webinar
Series
The Professional Portfolio: Documenting Life-Long
Learning - The Key to Your Future Success in Nursing
Many of today’s healthcare organizations use professional
portfolio documentation in order to attain and maintain Magnet Recognition. Individual healthcare professionals use professional portfolios to keep a
consummate representation of professional abilities, achievements and efforts.
This complimentary 1 hour webinar addresses:
- The reasons for developing a professional portfolio
- The components of a professional portfolio
- The benefits of an electronic portfolio
- Validity and reliability issues associated with professional portfolios
Please note, the webinar is scheduled to run 1 hour. 1 1/2 hours is blocked to allow for
additional Q&A at the end of the presentation if neccesary.
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NEWS &
EVENTS
DECISION CRITICAL OPENS A NEW
OFFICE: Members of the Austin Chamber of
Commerce were on hand in August for the official office opening and ribbon cutting. Please
note that Decision Critical’s office mailing address will remain the same; however, our toll-free number has changed to 1-800-794-1770.
DECISION CRITICAL NAMED “MOST INNOVATIVE": Decision Critical Presented "Architect of Ideas" Award: Austin Chamber of Commerce Recognizes Company's Leadership in Innovation Read Press Release Here
DECISION CRITICAL CEO INVITED TO JOIN TASK FORCE:
Decision Critical CEO, Kenneth Dion, has recently accepted an invitation to join the Texas Nurses Association 2007/2008
Competency Task Force.
NEW TEAM MEMBER ADDITION: Decision Critical welcomed
new team member, Brian Smith as Director of Business Development in September.
DECISION CRITICAL SUPPORTS
HEART HOUSE AUSTIN: Decision Critical team members recently attended a fund raising event at
Heart House Austin and made a corporate
donation. Heart House Austin is a free after school program dedicated to providing a safe haven and academic support to low-income
children and encouraging them to become good citizens.
EVENTS:
- ANCC 11th Annual Magnet Conference: Critical Evaluator™ Launch Scheduled - October 3 - 5, 2007, Atlanta, GA, Booth 613.
- Texas Organization of Nurse Executives Annual Meeting:
October 15 – 17, 2007, Austin, Texas
- Sigma Theta Tau, The Honor Society of Nursing 39th Annual
Convention: Live demonstrations of 360 Competency Management: November 2 – 7, 2007, Baltimore, MD, Booth
304.
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