ePath

-- First Deployment of eLearning Solution Translates into Successful Implementation and New Approach To Training For VNA of Central Jersey --

NEW LONDON, CONN, April 19, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey (VNACJ), a non-profit Home Health Agency, was facing a major upgrade to its electronic patient medical record platform, they needed a fast and painless way to train 500 nurses, therapists, and support staff over a short period to ensure that there were no disruptions in patient care. ePath Learning, Inc., a pioneer in the development of browser-based Learning Content Management Systems (LCMS), was the eLearning vendor of choice for the 92-year-old healthcare institution. The VNACJ provides in-home health care, hospice services, and extensive community-based health and wellness services to more than 500,000 patients and clients each year.

In 1998, the VNACJ successfully implemented an integrated clinical, financial, and scheduling software package to 200 office-based staff and 275 point-of-care laptop users, including Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical Nurses, and Physical Therapists. In 2002, the VNACJ needed to implement a new version of the clinical component of the agency’s overall software platform and quickly train its entire field and support staff. The complexity of the roll-out required extensive training for all users; consequently, the VNACJ had to train, implement, and support an upgrade that would require users to start using the new version in a live environment on the same day. In order to accomplish this, the training plan called for all users to be educated in as short a period as possible. The VNACJ decided that a unique, blended approach - a combination of both online and in-class coursework - would be the most effective method to minimize disruption to patients. The agency’s premise was that if a strategic overview could be delivered and tested online prior to classroom instruction, the in-class portion could be more focused on specific questions regarding application usage.

“Clearly, the ePath Learning approach provided a number of significant advantages, including the flexibility to take the course and related exam when and where it was most convenient for clinicians,” said Cyndi Leed, VNACJ manager of Clinician Information Systems. “The key return on investment was realized by the savings associated with the reduction of overall classroom training, a significant decrease in customer calls to our Help Desk, a reduction in the cost of hard copy training materials, and the speed of deployment which allowed our nursing staff to return to patient care in a much shorter timeframe.”

The VNACJ training plan required clinicians to take an hour-long eLearning course and post-test prior to attending classroom training. The users were not admitted to classroom training if the eLearning course and test were not complete. The users took the course approximately two weeks before their scheduled classroom training on their laptops or home PC.

“The benefit of using ePath Learning ASAP is that it is Web-enabled and takes advantage of universal Internet protocols and browsers; consequently, there are no concerns over differences in platforms and operating systems,” said Dudley Molina, President and CEO of ePath Learning. “For the VNACJ, the critical savings from using ePath ASAP was in undisturbed field productivity and overall Learner accountability. Since ePath Learning® content is housed in a database, the information can be queried and reported, including detailed statistics on test results which enabled VNACJ trainers to tailor and fine-tune upcoming classroom training curriculum based upon test score trends.”

The use of eLearning as a pre-requisite and adjunct to formal classroom training for VNACJ was so successful that the agency developed a formal agency-wide eLearning education plan. Recently, the VNACJ utilized ePath Learning’s unique ASP delivery model to develop and execute another course in patient care, which has proved to have saved the VNACJ almost $10,000. In a VNACJ post-course evaluation, four out of five respondents said that the course was beneficial to their overall training.

About ePath Learning

Drawing upon its deep experience and expertise within the custom courseware development industry, ePath Learning stands alone as a single source provider for affordable LCMS-based eLearning solutions. The Company’s strategy is to deliver the technology platform of convergence that is a unique blend of LCMS architecture with critical LMS functionality, resulting in a solution that delivers the best of both technologies via its browser-based, easy-to-use, native ASP delivery model. The company’s flagship product, ePath Learning ASAP, is one of the first eLearning solutions to combine the power of a database management system, the global reach of the Internet and the ease of use of browser-based software. For more information, visit www.epathlearning.com

About The Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey

Founded in 1912, Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Central Jersey is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit agency that is the regions premier provider of in-home health care and hospice services. The organization also offers extensive community-based health and wellness services throughout its service area of Middlesex and Monmouth counties. In-home services include nursing, home health aide services, rehabilitative therapies, medical social work, and infusion therapy. Community-based services include senior citizens, health counseling, influenza immunizations and case management for seniors, handicapped children and AIDS patients. For more information visit www.vnacj.org