Remembering Ricky Froncillo, B.S., LCDS
It is with heavy hearts we say goodbye to a dear friend and colleague Ricky Froncillo, B.S., LCDS, who passed away April 20, 2018 surrounded by loved ones.
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New EHR Platform AATOD 2018
SMART is showcasing our new EHR platform at the AATOD Conference, March 10-14th in New York City. Since 1991, our EHR has evolved from an on-premise to a cloud-based software solution. Now, Amazon Web Services (AWS) hosts SMART’s cloud-based EHR. Hundreds of thousands of business, in 190 countries, trust AWS for their hosting needs. This technology helps us deliver our Partners the most powerful EHR solution yet.
Benefits: SMART’s New EHR Platform
Our EHR Partners enjoy enhanced information security in AWS. This includes real-time redundant data backups, network isolation, and data encryption. Another benefit is scalability. This is especially important for large enterprise organizations. The size and performance of their data network adjust, as they expand, with no downtime. Partners using SMART’s cloud-based EHR also save on operational costs. Such as equipment upgrades, software updates, and IT resources. And, SMART EHR Partners enjoy the improved efficiency. On AWS, our EHR increases speed and performance and automates key processes.
More on AATOD 2018
Every eighteen months the AATOD brings together national and international opioid treatment professionals. The conference focus this year is on Advancing & Integrating Specialized Addiction Treatment & Recovery. Presenters and attendees explore the latest in evidence-based treatments, techniques, and collaborative strategies. Learn more
Striving to be the best EHR Software for OTPs
SMART Associates and Partners during Strategy Summit
SMART Management, Inc. considers our partners an essential element of being the best EHR Software for opioid treatment programs. Because of this, in late-September, SMART hosted the 2017 SMART Strategy Summit. The Summit brought together leadership teams from SMART Partners all over the U.S. to collaborate on the evolution of the SMART Solution.
Historically, SMART’s EHR software has been an on-premise solution. Today, it is is a 100% paperless cloud-based tool that does so much more than just patient record keeping. Small clinics and large enterprise organizations rely on the SMART Solution to help streamline operations and provide best in class patient care.
What exactly is SMART doing to be the best EHR software for OTPs?
Partner discussing needs with SMART’s IT Director, Mason Snyder
Listening. We take what we learn from our Partners and work with our Development Teams to integrate their feedback into our electronic health record. The result is a continuously improving technology that grows with the treatment facilities we serve. Following our SMART Strategy Summit in 2013, we set in motion a variety of Partner requests. The request for increased EHR speed is one example.
SMART’s New Cloud product addresses the requests to increase EHR speed. Several of this year’s Summit attendees have migrated to the cloud while many others have not. Partners who have migrated thoughtfully shared their experiences with everyone in an open forum. Then SMART’s IT Director, Mason Snyder, followed with a deeper dive into the new SMART infrastructure, discussing the power and benefits of integrating Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Aurora. Companies such as Philips, Netflix, Instagram, and Dropbox, trust these integrated services to increase speed, lower costs, and improve scalability.
SMART’s shift to AWS will afford partners several advantages, most notably:
- A highly scalable fully managed database service
- Six real-time redundant backups
- Immediate access to the latest SMART features
- Reduction in equipment cost and maintenance responsibility
- Improved reliability, security, and performance with up to 99.99995% up-time
More “Agile” than ever
New cloud calendar sneak peek at SMART Strategy Summit 2017
Another Partner request is for more predictable development timeframes. SMART is focusing on a new method of software development to be more predictable than ever. From here, we can provide more accurate estimates and plan our development to meet the strategic planning goals.
Saying that we listen and incorporate Partner feedback is nice, but how exactly does that work? In one word; Agile. SMART has adopted an Agile development methodology. This is a proven method used by companies like Adobe and GE. It allows our teams to be agile and respond to the continuously changing needs of our Partners. Moreover, Agile is about working smarter and generating more value. Because of this, SMART Partners benefit from an EHR that has greater flexibility and is delivered more predictably.
Are you interested in learning more? Contact us today or discover other substance abuse treatment and EHR events.
Ending Stigma – AATOD 2016
The AATOD 2016 Conference recently adjourned at the Marriott Waterfront in Baltimore, MD. Organizers reported record attendance at this year’s conference. As a result, attendees, presenters, and exhibitors enjoyed networking with more opioid treatment professionals than ever before. SMART Associates were excited for the chance to spend face-to-face time with customers from across the country and to meet new attendees.
New Strategies – Disorders, Stigma, Recovery
The conference theme, “Saving Lives: Access to Improved Health and Recovery,” shined a light on new strategies for strengthening behavioral healthcare. Related learning and networking sessions spanned all five days of this outstanding conference. Treatment professionals had the opportunity to learn more about co-occurring disorders, opioid overdose prevention, and a variety of other current issues.
Moreover, this year’s event featured a forward-thinking workshop, “The New Day Campaign: Where Stigma Ends, Healing Begins.” This promoted other healing paths to ending the stigma associated with substance use disorder. The workshop showcased poetry, music, painting, and other art forms. These were examples of how art can not only aid in the recovery process but also can serve as a way to bring about understanding and end stigma.
Appreciating Dedicated Treatment Professionals
In line with years past, Clinical Science, Vista Pharm, and SMART Management, Inc. hosted another exciting customer appreciation party. Customers ascended upon the American Visionary Arts Museum Halloween night for an evening of art appreciation, dinner, and surprises! Guests enjoyed touring the multi-floor visionary museum leisurely throughout the evening. Finally, the night concluded with a grand raffle drawing. This included an Apple Watch, FitBit, wireless bluetooth speaker, wireless travel charging station, and even a Polaroid camera. This was an excellent opportunity for professionals to relax and enjoy informal networking in a fun atmosphere.
Gift Give-Away Winner
Team SMART congratulates this year’s booth gift giveaway winner Marcelly, Clinic Manager from Turning Point Clinic. Since 2003, this Baltimore-based clinic has been providing treatment and recovery services to individuals affected by addiction. Furthermore, it is their mission to bring about hope and healing and to help create a path to move forward from the heroin epidemic.
Thank you to all who participated in our gift give away! We look forward to seeing you at the next AATOD!
About AATOD
Since 1984, AATOD has been encouraging and facilitating continuous improvement in behavioral healthcare. This association works with federal and state officials, Substance Abuse, and Mental Health Services Administration. Additionally, they work with the World Federation for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence to improve treatment policies and international initiatives.
Discover other substance abuse treatment and EHR events.
EHR for Patient Care at AATOD 2016
SMART is pleased to announce our return as an exhibitor at the AATOD 2016 Conference in Baltimore, MD. Patient care is this year’s primary focus, “Saving Lives: Access to Improved Health & Recovery.” AATOD brings together thought leaders from across the nation to share their passion for patient care and recovery. As a result, this gathering yields invaluable industry knowledge rarely found all in one place. Learning more about the ever-changing needs of the opioid treatment industry draws us to this conference year after year. Also, we look forward to reuniting with our customers, as well as all treatment providers. Our interactions with attendees directly impact the evolution of our EHR.
Supporting Better Patient Care
Last year we saw an influx of new attendees energized to share and learn best practices. This change undoubtedly correlates with the growing opioid epidemic. Our nation’s continuing recovery struggle is what influences the continuous development of the SMART Solution.
Helping providers deliver the best in class patient care is what drives the functionalities we build into our opioid treatment EHR. The carefully designed features of our EHR can help to implement efficiencies across treatment organizations.
For 25 years, SMART Management’s EHR the SMART Solution has helped opioid treatment providers improve collaboration and increase their efficiency. As SMART customer Turning Point of Bermuda said, “Patient files are easily accessible with the press of a button, and we are better able to coordinate patient care initiatives.”
Please stop by booth #307, register to win this year’s gift give away and learn how our EHR can help you improve patient care.
About AATOD
The American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence holds this conference every eighteen months. This event brings together national and international opioid treatment professionals for three days of knowledge sharing. More specifically, attendees delve into evidence-based clinical practice, current research breakthroughs, and organizational developments affecting the future of opioid addiction treatment. Also, AATOD works with federal and state agencies to develop guidelines for improving patient care in the substance abuse treatment field. Learn more or discover other substance abuse treatment and EHR events.
Medical Documentation – Protect Your Clinic
Risk management through medical documentation was an important topic addressed and presented via a mock trial at the 2015 AATOD conference. As treatment providers, you are responsible for taking the appropriate measures to ensure that patient documentation is accurate and thorough. Consistent documentation not only ensures that important patient progress is recorded, but it is also key to protecting your clinic from legal retaliation should a patient experience an unfortunate event while enrolled in your Medication Assisted Treatment program.
Addiction Treatment Forum (ATForum) recently published an article outlining the specific protocol that should be followed for every patient and emphasizing the tasks that should be tailored to patients in specific circumstances. “The problem wasn’t necessarily that the counseling wasn’t done. The problem was that it wasn’t documented.”(1) Read the full article.
About ATForum
Reports on substance abuse and addiction therapies, research, news, and events of interest to both healthcare professionals and patients with a focus on methadone maintenance (MM) treatment for opioid addiction. AT Forum is made possible by an unrestricted educational grant from Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, St. Louis, MO, a manufacturer of opiate and alcohol addiction products. (2)
1.) http://atforum.com/2015/08/reduce-opioid-treatment-program-legal-liability/
Gift Give-Away Announcement – AATOD 2015
We would like to congratulate Peggy Healy, Executive Vice President of The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), winner of SMART’s AATOD 2015 iPad Air gift give-away. SMART would like to thank everyone who participated. We look forward to seeing you at the next AATOD!
About UAMS
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in Little Rock is the only academic health sciences university in the state of Arkansas. They are the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees in 73 of Arkansas’ 75 counties. UAMS and its clinical affiliates, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the VA Medical Center, are an economic engine for the state with an annual economic impact of $3.92 billion.
Program Director Experience at AATOD
Director Condit with William White
This year SMART Management, Inc. invited Discovery House Program Director, Cassity Condit of the Orem, UT facility to attend the AATOD (American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence) Conference in Philadelphia, PA. Discovery House – The Center for Recovery and Hope– is owned and operated by SMART Management, Inc. SMART has been running their Software in Discovery House clinics for more than 20 years. Discovery House Associates are experts in substance abuse treatment and clinic operations, and are always the first to use the latest and greatest versions of SMART Software. It is for these reasons that SMART has a vested interest in the education and growth of Discovery House associates. Their years of hands-on experience with SMART Management and SMART Software make Discovery House Associates highly knowledgeable software users and the perfect teachers. They are experts in providing personal software demos to others within the substance abuse and behavioral treatment field.
Director Condit’s software user know-how enhanced SMART’s presence at this year’s Conference. Cassity provided a first hand review of how she applies each of the SMART Software Modules at her facility. From seasoned customers, to prospective customers, everyone who interacted with her at the SMART Software demo stations learned something new and useful about the software and how to maximize all of its available functions.
For Cassity, AATOD is an excellent conference to participate in because of the Association’s ties to the Opioid Treatment field, and because of their contributions to the opioid treatment provider community. Supporting this conference is crucial as it is a main funding source for AATOD the organization. As a Discovery House Director, many of the other conferences that she normally attends are primarily based in abstinence from substance use and leave very little room for discussions about medication-assisted recovery. Conversely, AATOD focuses on the medication assisted treatment sector of substance abuse treatment and provides very pertinent information that can easily be applied to a treatment facilities’ daily activities.
She noted, that for her, one of the main highlights of the 5-day conference was meeting William White. Mr. White is an award-winning consultant in the field of substance abuse treatment. In his 45 years of work he has achieved many great successes as a; community activist, counselor, clinical director, administrator, research associate, clinic founder, author, PBS contributor and consultant for an HBO special “Addiction”.
In reflection, Cassity said that she was excited for the opportunity to cultivate relationships with other professionals in the treatment field. She was able to meet many SMART customers and had the chance to give them personalized, one-on-one software demos and troubleshooting sessions. She remarked that, “AATOD is one of the most applicable and valuable conferences for treatment providers and software customers. I had a wonderful time with the SMART Team and customers at the booth. This conference gave me the opportunity to further experience and appreciate the REAL Relationships and REAL Partnerships that SMART nurtures with their customers and associates.” A part of what makes SMART such a great company to work for is our associates. Each and every member of our team is valued for their individuality and commitment to those we serve.
Get to know our company history…For more than 20 years, SMART’s expertise in managing substance abuse treatment facilities and partnerships with EHR Software customers from around the world has fueled our software innovations.
There is always something new and exciting happening at SMART. Our news page is host to a wide range of articles and topics that will help get you caught up on company updates, customer news and industry trends.
Thank You for Joining Us!
As always, our interactions with you were not only enjoyable, but extremely insightful. The SMART Team always appreciates the opportunity to spend one-on-one time discussing your needs and learning more about your unique experience with our software or our services.
In Reflection
SMART ‘s New Booth!
We were encouraged to hear that our key areas of focus in the booth were a clear reflection of your expressed needs as a SMART customer. We recognize that our customers face certain challenges and we are ready to provide solutions that exceed your expectations in the following areas:
- Meaningful Use; ONC Certification.
- Medication Management; dispensing, medical orders and inventory management.
- Medical Billing; HIPAA 5010 Certification.
- EHR Software;multiple programs run simultaneously.
Dianne & David Piccoli Sr. enjoying another great AATOD
AATOD Highlights
- SMART’s 20th Anniversary Celebration!
- New branding and booth reveal.
- Customer appreciation cocktail party held at the Stratosphere, hosted with Clinical Science and VistaPharm. This was bigger than any AATOD Party to date!
- Grand prize customer gift giveaway; congratulations to Tadiso Incorporated!
Left to right: Richard Froncillo- Director of Patient Advocacy & Peter Morris- COO
We are very excited for all of the feedback that we received about our new SMART branding, booth and product offerings.
I would like to encourage all of our SMART Partners to continue to give us feedback about our company and your specific needs. After all, your needs drive our goals for continuous improvement and customer delight.
We look forward to seeing you again in Philadelphia for AATOD 2013!
Sincerely,