Healthy concern for content

To help meet accreditation mandates, a large integrated healthcare system in Nevada has implemented Stellent Content Management. Washoe Health System will use the software to comply with requirements of the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), as well as to reduce costs and improve productivity.

The healthcare organization will also use the system to manage business content via its employee intranet. The software stores and tracks changes to time-sensitive information accessible through the intranet. Furthermore, Washoe chose the solution to help reach its goal of becoming paperless because it provides a central, Web-based repository for much of the company's business content, which ranges from policies and procedures to employment listings and marketing materials.

Nathan Collier, content management system administrator for Washoe, explains, "We use the (solution) to manage a companywide intranet, letting employees manage their own content without help from a Web developer or designer. This allows IT staff to spend more time focusing on complex systems and business solutions. We've improved communication, increased productivity and decreased printing costs, all while more effectively meeting our compliance standards."

Using a Web browser, Washoe employees in more than 50 business units across the company contribute content to Stellent Content Server, where it is saved in its native format, such as a word processing document, spreadsheet or graphic file, enabling easy updates. Once submitted, the system automatically converts the content to a variety of Web formats, such as HTML, XML, PDF or WML. Stellent Content Publisher then automatically publishes the content to Washoe's intranet, eliminating the need for a Web developer or designer, according to a recent press release from Stellent.

To widen access to intranet content, Washoe implemented Stellent-powered kiosks in its hospitals so employees who may not have a computer readily available, such as nurses, can easily access the intranet.

Washoe is also using Stellent to build a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Compliancy Team Web site, which will help it circulate changes to those regulations