PowerDMS Blog

American Correctional Association Partners with PowerDMS to Provide Standards Electronically

ray.lau — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 21:34:20 GMT

Orlando, Fla. (December 1, 2014) -- The American Correctional Association (ACA)—the oldest and largest association of correctional professionals in the world with thousands of members and more than 1,200 accredited agencies—recently partnered with cloud-based document management software solution PowerDMS to provide access to ACA’s standards in an electronic format.

PowerDMS will provide ACA members access to ACA standards manuals within their cloud-based application. Subscribing members will be able to view the most up-to-date manuals electronically; intelligently search to quickly locate content; compare manual revisions side-by- side; and receive notifications when a change or update is made. More details will be announced during ACA’s 2015 Winter Conference, February 6-11, 2015 in Long Beach, California.

“The American Correctional Association is proud to partner with PowerDMS to allow agencies interested or involved in the accreditation process to view and utilize the standards in an electronic format,” said James A. Gondles, Jr., Executive Director of ACA. “It is our hope that this partnership will enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and appeal of the accreditation process and allow ACA to better serve the field of corrections.”

Through the integration of additional PowerDMS policy tools, users can attach policies related to specific standards to show proof of compliance and create electronic assessments— simplifying the process for members seeking accreditation or reaccreditation by the American Correctional Association.

ACA accredits over 1,200 prisons, jails, juvenile facilities, community residential centers and other corrections facilities in the U.S. using their independently published Standards. The Association’s 24 different manuals of correctional standards cover all areas of operations, including adult, juvenile, and community corrections, as well as correctional training academies, industry programs and central administration offices, among others.

“We are honored to be partnering with ACA, providing their standards electronically,” said Josh Brown, founder and CEO of PowerDMS. “It’s inspiring when an organization established in 1870 sees the benefits of technology and a paperless process. ACA is a forward thinking organization. We are dedicated to providing a technology platform that empowers their accreditation process.”

ACA accreditation is intended to improve facility operations through adherence to standards relevant to all areas of the facility, including safety, security, order, inmate care, programs, justice, and administration. Across the U.S. and the world, ACA standards have been integrated into routine operations in more than 1,200 facilities and programs. Tens of thousands of staff and inmates are impacted by the ACA standards on a daily basis.

American Correctional Association (ACA) was founded in 1870 and is the world’s oldest and largest professional association dedicated to corrections. Headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, ACA is a non-profit association consisting of thousands of members from across the United States and the world. ACA hosts annual conferences for the corrections community, provides online and in-person training, represents corrections on Capitol Hill, assists agencies in the vital area of correctional health, and sets national standards for correctional operations through its standards. For more information on ACA, please visit www.aca.org.

PowerDMS is a cloud-based document management software company. The application provides practical tools to organize and manage crucial documents and industry standards, train and test employees, and uphold proof of compliance, thereby helping organizations reduce risk and liability. PowerDMS has been named one of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies by Inc. magazine, one of Orlando’s Best Places to Work by the Orlando Business Journal and Best Companies to Work for in Florida by Florida Trend magazine. For more information, visit www.PowerDMS.com.

Wearing a Badge and a Camera [infographic]

Abby Jarrett — Thu, 20 Nov 2014 15:12:00 GMT

In the wake of highly publicized officer-involved incidents and continued scrutiny by the media and citizens, body-worn cameras are gaining popularity in police departments nationwide. The implementation of these small cameras—often clipped to an officer’s uniform or sunglasses—is causing a nationwide debate.

The benefits are clear. Studies show there is a direct correlation between the use of body-worn cameras and declines in use of force incidents and complaints filed against officers, as well as a reduction in lawsuits. However, with any game-changing procedure, there are challenges involved. The addition of body-worn cameras brings added costs, increased training, new policies and unforeseen problems that trial and error will expose. These challenges cause hesitation and concern among the majority of law enforcement leadership.

The question is, do the benefits outweigh the challenges? PoliceOne recently polled approximately 1500 individuals in the law enforcement community to find out what their thoughts are when it comes to the use of body-worn cameras. The results showed that nearly 80 percent of those surveyed either are already wearing a camera, are testing them currently or are looking into them.

It’s apparent that body-worn cameras are the future of law enforcement and agencies are deciding to take the plunge. One of the top distributors of body cameras, Taser International, reported that there are 1,200 law enforcement agencies scattered throughout the country that have deployed its technology—and that’s just Taser brand cameras.

Is your agency considering implementing body-worn cameras? Here’s an infographic with helpful information to assist you and guide your new policy development.

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ISO 9001 Certification with PowerDMS

Abby Jarrett — Thu, 13 Nov 2014 18:52:05 GMT

Organizations around the world follow the guidelines issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to ensure their products and services are safe, reliable and of good quality. ISO 9001 is the most recognized quality standard and requires organizations to continually monitor and manage quality across all operations. When an organization says they are ISO compliant, in most cases, it means they adhere to the ISO 9001 standards.

Document Control Standard

Information in document form affects nearly every aspect of an organization and the ability to control this information can be the difference between success and failure. Document control remains the single most crucial quality assurance driver.

Document control is core to ISO 9001. Clause 4.2.3 requires documents used by an organization’s quality management system be controlled. Document control is also a fundamental feature of PowerDMS. Our software provides practical, easy-to-use tools to ensure organizations meet ISO 9001 document control compliance standards, as outlined in this table:

Become ISO Certified

Through an agreement with DNV and ISO, PowerDMS not only helps you streamline your DNV accreditation, but also become ISO 9001 certified. PowerDMS has DNV and ISO standards electronically within our application, allowing you to conduct and simplify self-surveys.

In these self-surveys, you can dynamically map your requirements, such as policies and procedures, as proofs to specific standards. When the standards update, the document owner is notified and asked to review—ensuring you are still in compliance.

Embark on this self-paced video tour and quickly see for yourself how PowerDMS provides the document control needed to comply with ISO 9001.

Shout out to Healthcare Quality Management Professionals

Abby Jarrett — Mon, 20 Oct 2014 20:50:00 GMT

It’s National Healthcare Quality Week! This week, supported by the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ), was created to increase awareness of healthcare quality programs and the individuals who implement them.

Everyone within a healthcare organizations has a responsibility to quality, but these individuals bring together data analytics, performance improvement, risk management, patient safety and so much more—helping others see the bigger picture.

Where did it start?

The large push towards patient safety began in 1999 with the release of the Institute of Medicine’s report, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Healthcare System. It was reported as many as 98,000 people die in hospitals each year as a result of medical errors that could have been prevented.

The report recommended healthcare organizations create and maintain strong safety cultures. This served as a wake up call for the nation’s healthcare providers to be more concerned about improving the quality of care in their institutions, especially in reducing preventable medical errors and lowering incidence of hospital-acquired infections.

More recent changes, including the Affordable Care Act, are putting healthcare quality management center stage and giving hospitals strong incentives to enhance patient safety. The system has shifted from emphasizing procedures and patient volume to focusing on the quality of care provided. This presents both opportunities and challenges for healthcare quality management professionals who play a critical role in helping their institutions succeed in the new healthcare environment.

Where are we today?

Earlier this year, the Centers for Disease Control released data suggesting these changes and the hard work and dedication of Healthcare Quality Management professionals is paying off.

One report, the HAI Progress Report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, showed what it called “significant reductions” in 2012 for nearly all healthcare-associated infections.

These include:

• A 44 percent decrease in central line-associated bloodstream infections between 2008 and 2012

• A 20 percent decrease in infections related to the 10 surgical procedures tracked in the report between 2008 and 2012

• A 4 percent decrease in hospital-onset MRSA bloodstream infections between 2011 and 2012

• A 2 percent decrease in hospital-onset Clostridium Difficile infections between 2011 and 2012

Why are we talking about this?

So why does a web-based document management software company care so much about healthcare quality management (aside from the fact we are concerned citizens)? We understand how difficult these professionals’ jobs can be and we are committed to helping. Our software was created to eliminate variances, reduce risk, attain and improve compliance and increase accountability—inline with the goals of quality professionals. We are passionate about how our product simplifies the things you can control, freeing you up to focus on improving quality care.

Thank you for all you do!

To see PowerDMS in action, click here.

Give Back Committee: Providing Nourishment, Supporting the Homeless & Honoring Fallen Officers

ray.lau — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:02:25 GMT

Combating hunger, supporting homelessness and helping families during trying times are all very important priorities for the PowerDMS Give Back Committee (GBC). The past few months have been busy with opportunities to support these issues and let others know someone cares.

One of our partner organizations, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida, Inc., reached out to let us know our local Ronald McDonald House was completely out of snack packs. The snack packs are kept in the family room on the pediatric oncology floor of the hospital and are essential to families who are not willing to leave their sick child’s side.

Members of GBC went on a snack buying spree and returned to the office, where the rest of the team was standing by to assemble the packs—each containing granola bars, fruit chews, cookies, juice boxes and other treats. One of our staff members, together with her five year old son, dropped the snack packs off at the House and received a tour of the beautiful facility. It was a rewarding experience to see how much they were appreciated and a great opportunity to teach the importance of giving back. www.ronaldmcdonaldhouseorlando.org

Not far from our PowerDMS headquarters, the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida, provides food and shelter to over 600 people—one-third of which are children—each night. Recently, members of our team volunteered to serve those residents during a dinner service.

The Coalition is more than a shelter; it is a comprehensive program designed to empower homeless individuals and families to become self-sufficient. In addition to food and shelter, the Coalition provides programs and services including education, job skills training, case management, licensed day care, child development programs and housing placement. www.centralfloridahomeless.org

Providing nourishment continued when the PowerDMS team participated in one of our favorite give back activities: a food-packing event for our partner charity, Change This World.

Change This World provides meals to children and families in developing countries as a tool to bring hope and change lives. The goal is to reach young people before they need to be rescued—providing them with education, training, and an opportunity to break the cycle of hopelessness and poverty. Each meal delivers the ingredients needed to sustain life, and by partnering with strategic organizations the food also opens doors for education, practical training, the ability to plan for the future, and the strength to see it realized. These meals equal hope for communities around the corner and around the world.

After an entertaining how-to video, everyone filed into two lines and dove into their respective roles—pouring, measuring, weighing and packaging. In less than an hour, our energetic group packaged thousands of meals. These meals are then shipped off to ensure empty tummies around the globe are filled with quality food and love from our team. www.changethisworld.com

PowerDMS is headquartered in Orange County, FL where the local public school system is the 10th largest in the nation and the fourth largest in Florida. The National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth estimates that 10% of students receiving free and reduced meals may be experiencing homelessness. In Orange County Public Schools, the true number of homeless students could reach more than 10,000. Given the challenges of identifying this population of students due to the stigma associated with being homeless, Orange County Public Schools (OCPS) identified 4,391 students as of March 2012.

Are your policies in line with recent Supreme Court rulings?

Abby Jarrett — Wed, 15 Oct 2014 18:10:00 GMT

June 30th marked the end of the 2013-14 Supreme Court term. The court reviewed approximately 80 cases, some more notable than others. Attorney Eric Daigle with the Daigle Law Group, kept a watchful eye on the outcomes and in a recent webinar, hosted by PowerDMS, he shared his take-a-ways and analysis of four cases that could affect the day-to-day operations of law enforcement agencies.

Although your local jurisdictions may have their own interpretations, what Eric presents is a solid summary of cases and outcomes. The four cases include:

1. Prado Navarette v. California – In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court set the legal precedent, allowing police to initiate traffic stops based solely on anonymous tips.

2. Fernandez v. California – In a 6-3 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that when an objecting co-resident is removed for objectively reasonable purpose (such as lawful arrest), the remaining resident may validly consent to search.

3. Plumhoff v. Rickard – In a 9-0 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that officers’ conduct did not violate the 4th Amendment because they acted reasonably in using deadly force.

4. Riley v. California and United States v. Wurie – In a 9-0 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a warrantless search and seizure of digital content on a cell phone during an arrest is unconstitutional.

These four cases most closely impact the way officers should conduct themselves in the field. It is important to familiarize yourself with them and update your current policies, procedures and training so that they are in line with these rulings.

The detailed summaries, including background and analysis, can be found here.

Calculate Your Training Savings with PowerDMS

Abby Jarrett — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 18:56:00 GMT

Tired of sifting through antiquated spreadsheets or overflowing filing cabinets to retrieve training records? Does tracking employee CEUs, certifications and training hours have you pulling your hair out? Are you spending a fortune on overtime to provide classroom training?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ve probably considered online training, but may fear it would be hard to implement or too costly.

We’ve created this Training Savings Calculator to show you there’s actually a large savings associated with online training. Simply plug in your answers to these six questions and immediately see what your organization’s potential annual savings would be if you were using PowerDMS for online training.

Online training will save your organization time, money and resources. No more dealing with scheduling hassles or overtime pay to get your employees in the same place at the same time. PowerDMS gives employees the ability to take courses independently and learn at their own pace without an instructor.

Interested in learning how PowerDMS can help simplify your document management and training processes? Click here to contact us.

Ladder of Liability [Infographic]

Abby Jarrett — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 15:03:21 GMT

By: Attorney Eric Daigle, Daigle Law Group LLC.

When I assist law enforcement agencies with the development of policies and procedures, I often ask them to picture their organization as a ladder. This ladder is an easy way to think about who is responsible for what, and how much a lawsuit may cost them when different levels, or rungs, are involved in the litigation. I refer to this as the ladder of liability.

Each rung has a unique set of responsibilities and provides protection needed to support the agency. When equipped with the proper policies, training and knowledge, the outcome will be reduced risk and ultimately fewer lawsuits. As you’ll see, as risk ascends the ladder, the higher the dollar amount associated with the ensuing lawsuit.

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About the Author

Attorney Daigle acts as a legal advisor to police departments across the country. He provides legal advice to law enforcement command staff and officers in the areas of legal liability, internal affairs, discipline, policy drafting, employment issues, use of force, laws of arrest, and search and seizure. His experience focuses on officers’ use of force, specifically in the training, investigation and supervision of force, as well as deadly force incidents involving law enforcement. Many departments have retained him to assist with the review, development, and revision of department policies to maintain and reflect current police practices. Attorney Daigle serves as a member of independent monitoring teams and acts as an auditor in reviewing police department organizational compliance with procedural revisions directed or overseen by the Federal court system.

PowerDMS Ranks No. 2778 on the 2014 Inc. 5000 with Three-Year Sales Growth of 133%

ray.lau — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 15:48:00 GMT

Orlando, Fla. (September 2, 2014) – PowerDMS, a cloud-based document management software company, ranked No. 2778 on the exclusive Inc. 500|5000 list for the fourth consecutive year, signaling continued growth and success. This honor acknowledges PowerDMS’s powerful software solution and commitment to customer satisfaction.

The list provides a comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s entrepreneurs. Companies such as Yelp, Pandora, Dell, LinkedIn, Zillow and many other well-known names gained early exposure as members of the Inc. 500|5000.

“PowerDMS is honored to be recognized as one of the fastest growing private companies in America,” said Josh Brown, Founder and CEO. “I’m proud of our team. Everyone works passionately to develop our software, support our customers and increase new sales. We’re ready for another exciting year as we continue to grow and provide our customers with incredible service.”

PowerDMS has experienced revenue growth of more than 133% for the past three years and is on track for continued growth this year. With increased revenue, PowerDMS is able to augment its sales and marketing team and enhance its technology platform by offering new features to it customer base, which includes customers in law enforcement, public safety, healthcare and retail, to name a few.

In addition to this revenue growth, PowerDMS has increased its workforce and is currently seeking new office space to accommodate its expanding team. PowerDMS is also proud to be named one of Florida’s Best Companies to Work For by Florida Trend magazine and one of Orlando’s Best Places to Work by the Orlando Business Journal.

About PowerDMS

PowerDMS, headquartered in Orlando, Fla., is a cloud-based document management software company. The application provides practical tools to organize and manage crucial documents and industry standards, train and test employees, and uphold proof of compliance, thereby helping organizations reduce risk and liability. PowerDMS simplifies document management through powerful collaboration, process, and automation. PowerDMS has been named one of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies by Inc. magazine for four consecutive years and named one of Orlando’s Best Places to Work by the Orlando Business Journal. www.PowerDMS.com

About Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 6,000,000 today. www.Inc.com

PowerDMS Named One of the 100 Best Companies to Work for in Florida

ray.lau — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 19:39:00 GMT

Orlando, Fla. (September 1, 2014) – PowerDMS, a cloud-based document management software company, headquartered in Orlando, was recently named one of Florida’s Best Companies to Work For by Florida Trend magazine.

“It’s an honor to be recognized as one of Florida’s Best Companies to Work For, especially since it is based on employee feedback,” said PowerDMS founder and CEO, Josh Brown. “Whether it comes in the form of a fun office environment or innovative benefits, our number one priority is creating a company culture that provides employees an opportunity to thrive while enjoying their time at work.”

The annual Best Companies list features 100 companies, ranked in small, medium and large employer categories. The companies were recognized based on anonymous employee surveys, focusing on leadership and planning, corporate culture and communications, role satisfaction, work environment, relationship with supervisor, training and development, benefits and overall engagement.

“The best thing about working at PowerDMS is the autonomy that is granted to you to explore your interests and hone your craft as you collaborate with others to achieve both your personal and company goals,” said Danny Gioulakis, five-year employee and software developer.

The rankings appeared in the August 2014 issue of Florida Trend magazine. In addition to the list, the issue features a Q&A with a few of the Best Company HR professionals, including PowerDMS’s own. “Our culture will continue to allow us to recruit and retain the best and brightest workforce and continue to enhance our software and serve our customers in the best way possible,” said Heather Jones, HR and talent acquisition.

About PowerDMS

www.PowerDMS.com

Putting User Experience Design to the Test

Abby Jarrett — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 18:27:20 GMT

In the software industry, a lot has been made about the success of design-driven businesses and the impact of User Experience Design in product development. A recent Fast Company article stated that in the past 10 years, companies that focused on design outperformed companies that didn’t by a whopping 228%. Based on the success of companies like Apple and Google, software development teams have incorporated some form of User Experience Design into their product development process. For those of you not familiar with the term, User Experience, or UX, Design focuses on all the touch points of an experience when users interact with a system or device. While a lot of attention has been paid to usability and how it impacts User Experience, the way aesthetics impacts the experience is unfortunately something often overlooked in the development process.

Aesthetics are in essence judgments of sentiment and taste. Oftentimes, it’s associated with the appearance of an artifact, but it can also incorporate all the senses (sound, touch, taste and smell). What cognitive science has also shown is it plays a very important role in human decision-making. Contrary to what some may think, it’s not just window dressing. We as humans form judgments, not only based on how something works, but also on how it looks and what it feels like to engage with it. It’s a mistake to label the aesthetics of a solution simply as eye candy because that is now treating usability and aesthetics as two separate considerations. Lost is the understanding of the role it plays on human decision-making; how we come to know, feel and ultimately respond.

At PowerDMS, we have incorporated a user-centric approach to the development of the new features we are releasing this summer. As Matt covered in his recent blog post, we conducted several usability sessions to vet out design decisions we made about how you use the application. These results helped shape the new functionality and design of the new homepage. As you may have seen in the sneak peek, we are also doing an overhaul of PowerDMS in terms of its appearance. It wasn’t simply a matter of switching out the theme, because as UX Designers we understand it’s not only about the artistic merit of the user interface elements, but also how our users respond to these elements.

To give you an idea of our process, we conducted several A/B Tests with actual users to see what resonated visually with our customers. By testing two different versions of the interface, we were able to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the two different approaches, helping us refine the final design. We also tested to see how the new aesthetics assisted with usage by running task-based scenarios and observing the results. We carefully considered how these design choices influenced understanding and emotion, and how understanding and emotion helped influence behavior. We made the user interface elements clear and easy to understand, while leveraging proportional layouts to reflect good visual hierarchy—communicating information more effectively. These new design cues in our software helped encourage intended interactions that assisted with completing tasks. Tasks you do daily when getting work done.

We are proud of the end result and feel we have taken a good first step in developing a more intuitive system for our users to interact with. As always, we welcome your feedback as your input helps us continue to refine our product. If you are interested, we would love to have you join us for our weekly Usability Tests, regularly scheduled on Monday afternoons. Feel free to add yourself to the schedule by clicking here.

Gus Hernandez, PowerDMS UX Designer

4th of July Safety Tips [Infographic]

Abby Jarrett — Tue, 01 Jul 2014 20:19:00 GMT

At PowerDMS, we are dedicated to helping organizations reduce risk and liability through our document management software. It's only natural for us to continuously think about how we can reduce risk in our personal lives. This is why, when it comes to the 4th of July, we feel a need to share a few safety tips. Some of these are a no-brainer, but when you're consumed with the fun on Friday, please keep safety in mind.

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PowerDMS: A Solution to your Most Common Compliance Problems

Abby Jarrett — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 20:05:00 GMT

by Dr. Barbara Duffy, DHSc, MPH, CPHQ, LHRM, RN

I recently conducted a webinar, Operational Readiness for Healthcare Survey, where I touched on the most common struggles compliance professionals encounter when preparing for their healthcare survey.

These common struggles equate to costly mistakes and stressful situations—ultimately taking away from the mission of providing quality patient care. The good news is there’s a solution. I’ve experienced PowerDMS’s ability to provide solutions to these problems first-hand, through an online document management software solution.

Here are a few common scenarios I’ve experienced and ways PowerDMS can help:

I’ve been in your shoes. I know how difficult it is to manage the day-to-day demands, while continuing to:

Promote compliance through policies, procedures and best practices
Provide consistent direction to staff throughout the organization
Align internal operations
Support and increase system-wide improvements
Track and trend current survey readiness
Increase reliability and accountability, while reducing liability

With PowerDMS, a comprehensive document management tool, you can accomplish all of this and achieve operational excellence.

About the Author

Barbara Duffy has decades of experience in healthcare – including acute care, home health care, and HMOs. Her experience is in Performance Improvement and Quality, Risk Management, Patient Safety, Regulatory, and Education. Her doctorate is in Health Science, Masters in Public Health, and Bachelors Degree in Health Education. She is an RN experienced in Intensive Care Nursing, a Licensed Healthcare Risk Manager, a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, and an author of multiple healthcare publications. Dr. Duffy is president of Barb Duffy Consulting LLC and teaches Healthcare Law, Reform, Safety, Risk Management, and more for various universities and colleges.

Florida Governor Signs Favorable Long Term Care Bills into Action

Abby Jarrett — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 15:24:00 GMT

As our healthcare team prepares to participate in the Florida Health Care Association’s (FHCA) Annual Conference in our hometown, Orlando, Fla., we applaud Florida’s Governor Rick Scott for signing important bills into law--positively affecting the long term care profession.

We’ve all heard the news stories and there’s no doubt nursing home neglect and abuse is on the rise and an important concern throughout the U.S. FHCA reports, by 2020, 12 million Americans will need long term health care. Although a nursing home accepting Medicaid is bound by federal regulations outlining the standard of care required, the reality is abuse and neglect is still an issue and groups like FHCA are working hard to affect change and protect their profession.

Here are the details of the bills provided by FHCA:

Nursing Home Litigation Reform

CS/CS/SB 670 (effective immediately)
This law introduces realistic and responsible limits to lawsuits against nursing homes and will:

Ensure residents can pursue lawsuits against those directly at fault for negative events, while preventing claims against passive investors and others who have nothing to do with the incident.
Require a trial court to hold a hearing and weigh admissible evidence before a punitive damage motion can move forward, clarifying the process without changing any standards.
Utilize the regulatory process to ensure that judgments are paid by giving the state Agency for Health Care Administration the authority to revoke the license of any nursing home operator who doesn't pay a final judgment, arbitration award or settlement.
Establish a workable framework for providing appropriate medical records to family members.

CS/CS/SB 1012 (effective July 1, 2014)
This law states that a financial institution is not civilly liable to a third party for the actions or operations of a person solely by virtue of extending a loan or a line of credit to such person.

FHCA is the state of Florida’s first and largest advocate for Florida’s long term care providers and the residents they serve. We are looking forward to the Annual Conference and sharing how PowerDMS is the perfect software solution to augment pro-long term care legislation, by serving as a central repository for all policy, certification and regulatory document to serve as proof of compliance. It’s one more tool in your facility's toolbox to protect against costly lawsuits and help long term care facilities reach operational excellence.

Learn more about PowerDMS by taking a quick video tour.

Brightening Summer Hope for Kids and Honoring a Hero

abby.jarrett — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 21:30:52 GMT

Summertime is what every child dreams of—school is replaced with playtime and a chance to be outside and explore. One of America’s favorite activities during this time of year is participating in summer camps. The Give Back Committee (GBC) strongly agrees every child deserves the opportunity to experience all that camps have to offer and create cherished memories to look back on. Aside from fun in the sun and carefree days, the opportunity to enrich a student’s educational foundation is a great way to fill their free time. A belief that every child should enjoy reading, writing and a chance to let their imaginations soar is the basis of Page 15’s popular Young Writers Camps.

Page 15’s camps are not your typical, run-of-the-mill camps for kids who enjoy writing. In addition to quality instruction, aspiring young authors in grades 2-12 are given the unique opportunity to write, illustrate and publish their very first book—with help from published authors, editors and illustrators to boot. This inspiring and life-changing experience for eager youngsters caught the GBC’s attention once again. We’re delighted to provide financial scholarships for four lucky budding authors, and can’t wait to see their masterpieces. To learn more about how you can sponsor a well-deserving young person and encourage their artistic passions, visit their website here.

Imagine being a young child and looking forward to all the freedoms summer offers, but worried about where your next meal will come from, especially after relying on meals the school system provided for you each day. This is a troubling reality for many students. School is a place of consistency, comfort and nourishment for children of families suffering from financial hardships. When the school year ends, amazing organizations, such as Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, step in to make sure everyone is well fed. Their Summer Hope for Kids program ensures children in Central Florida will not go without the nutrition their little bodies need to grow and stay healthy.

Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida collects food and grocery products from organizations, individuals and volunteers and then distributes to approximately 550 local nonprofit feeding programs for families. Last year, their food bank distributed nearly 40 million pounds of non-perishable items to partner programs feeding women, children, seniors, day care centers and more. The numbers are staggering—hunger is an invisible, yet common issue throughout the majority of American communities. Second Harvest Food Bank serves more than 55,000 people per week, on average. Every item or dollar donated counts—one dollar can provide up to $9 in food value for your neighbors. To help make a difference, by creating a virtual drive or supplying a monetary donation to the Summer Hope for Kids program, like the GBC did, to make sure children and their families benefit from a warm meal, visit their website here.

The national law enforcement community faced another somber day with the latest line-of-duty death of Detective Charles “Chuck” Dinwiddie of Killeen Police Department in central Texas. Detective Dinwiddie was known as a role model and outstanding leader amongst the area’s police departments. He was shot by a suspect on May 9 while attempting to serve a search warrant, and succumbed to his injuries two days later. The suspect was arrested at the scene.

Detective Dinwiddie joined the Killeen Police Department in 1996 and the SWAT team in 1999. He became their go-to guy for tough cases and complex investigations. Above all the honors he received as a law enforcement hero, he was recognized as a remarkable father, husband, friend and community advocate. The PowerDMS team extends their deepest condolences to Detective Dinwiddie’s family and the brotherhood of central Texas law enforcement officials, and made a donation, in his honor, to the fund benefitting his family. To make a meaningful contribution to his grief-stricken wife, two children and extended family who loved him dearly, visit his website here.