The Challenge

For many independent schools, the collection and storage of student information in an organized fashion is always a challenge. At Cape Fear Academy (CFA), the challenge was compounded by the fact that a centralized process for managing student health records had never been established. “We were collecting medical data via multiple forms and storing numerous copies in various locations throughout the school,” explained Shana Barclay, the school’s Business Officer.

Having multiple instances of the same document created redundancies and made it difficult to detect errors and omissions on student health forms. Data inconsistencies arose from tracking information in Excel and on Rolodex cards and storing files across separate division offices. This led to increased costs — both monetary and employee time spent away from their core duties — and left the school open to liability. Barclay proactively searched for a solution to address risk management issues around student health information; however, was unsuccessful in finding a viable option.

“We found the amount of communication and customer service from Magnus Health to be unlike any other software company we’ve worked with.”

Shana Barclay, Business Officer

The Solution

To protect both the school and students, “Cape Fear Academy needed a centralized place for all student health data to be accessed by personnel across divisions and departments,” proposed Barclay. While attending the NCAIS Business Officer’s Conference, she discovered a product that could fulfill this need. Following a presentation from Magnus Health’s CEO, Barclay determined that a web-based student medical record would enable the school to decrease its paper retention and storage and provide increased student privacy. Furthermore, “the Magnus Health SHR would give us the ability to streamline data collection for multiple risk management questions and parent permissions in addition to student medical information,” said Barclay.

Implementing the new system presented a few additional challenges, but ones that were overcome with Magnus Health’s consultative approach to customer service. According to Barclay and other CFA employees, “We found the amount of communication and customer service from Magnus Health to be unlike any other software company we’ve worked with. We always received quick and direct responses and our feature requests were taken very seriously.”

The Result

Maximized efficiency and reduced liability.
With a new solution to handle the collection and secure storage of confidential health information, Cape Fear Academy was able to drastically reduce its amount of redundant paperwork. Instead of nine iterations of field trip forms for different divisions and departments, there is now a single “Yes/No” question in each student’s account to collect permission from all parents. Maintaining up-to-date contact and medical information requires much less administrative effort now that all forms are stored online and have been streamlined to be applicable on a school-wide level.

Improved emergency preparedness.
Making the transition to a web-based student medical record was well-received by parents at CFA. “The benefits of the Magnus911 card alone made it very easy for parents to understand why SHR is more useful, effective, and secure than paper health forms,” said Barclay. Parents appreciated the fact that medical providers would have access to their child’s vital health information in emergency situations.

Improved standard of care.
SHR provided CFA with a centralized system for collecting student data. This allowed appropriate school personnel to have immediate access to complete and accurate medical information, thereby improving the standard of care that the school could offer its students.

Increased visibility of outstanding requirements.
A default search option within SHR made it much easier for CFA to determine which students had not yet submitted all required information. This simple reporting function meant that all compliance issues could be addressed promptly.

Lowered costs.
CFA’s new streamlined processes significantly lowered its printing and postage costs. The school was able to eliminate an entire summer mailing, which equated to a savings of approximately $700 and three days of staff member time. Paper use was further reduced by tracking parent permissions and reauthorizations online instead of collecting new forms each school year.

Enhanced communication with parents.
Automated weekly reminders and the ability to email parents individually or en masse directly from SHR has greatly improved CFA’s communication with parents. Email reminders prompted parents to submit the required information on time, reducing the number of phone calls needed to collect outstanding forms.

“The benefits of the Magnus911 card alone made it very easy for parents to understand why SHR is more useful, effective, and secure than paper health forms.”

Shana Barclay, Business Officer

Summary

By choosing Magnus Health SHR, CFA was able to gain enormous efficiencies in the way it maintained sensitive student medical information and obtained parent permissions, both immediately and years after implementation. As CFA nurse, Amy Croom noted, “I came in on the upswing when Magnus Health was already implemented. I can’t imagine not having Magnus Health!”

Features including digital authorization, automatic email reminders, and the Magnus911 card have provided the necessary tools to protect student privacy and limit the school’s liability. The quick and direct assistance from Magnus Health’s customer service team allowed CFA to overcome implementation challenges, see an immediate impact, and enjoy the benefits and added security of a web-based student medical record.