A Des Moines-based direct-care agency has developed an in-house mobile documentation application that could also provide a less-expensive option for other care agencies. HOPE Agency, a nonprofit community-based provider of holistic care for children and adults with special needs, recently rolled out Quik Cliks, a documentation app that it built for its staff using an off-the-shelf platform from Salesforce.com.
“Having served in the direct-care field for almost 15 years, we wanted to find a solution to the time-intensive process that staff go through on a daily basis when spending hours documenting their visits with members,” said Amy Wallman Madden, who co-founded the agency in 2004. Her staff helped develop and beta-test the app over an 18-month period, with assistance from Jacki Askelson of TandemCRM, a Johnston consultant who specializes in working with nonprofits on Salesforce applications.
Because staff are able to complete documentation in real-time while providing services, the quality of the documentation increases because they are able to include more specific, accurate and goal-related information, said Julie Horton, a long-time staff member with HOPE Agency. “The time saved is also a huge plus,” she said. “Your free time is not spent working on documentation.” The agency currently serves about 65 clients with a staff of 40.
Madden said her agency is now in discussions about how to market the app, and wants to make it available to other direct-care agencies. For more information, contact Madden at amywm@hopeagencydsm.org or call her at (515) 331-4142.