HCR ManorCare operates more than 500 healthcare facilities, including skilled nursing centers, long-term Alzheimer’s care, home health and hospice, and outpatient rehabilitation. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, the company has 60,000 employees across 32 states.
With hundreds of facilities across the nation, tracking training and managing compliance presented numerous challenges. Training resources were stored in various locations, including online in the company’s existing – but rarely used – learning management system. According to Jamie Trabbic, HCR ManorCare’s manager of learning assessment and strategy, “It was difficult to locate training records and related materials. Employees would end up recreating the wheel or not pursuing the training at all. Our training resources were significantly disjointed and under utilized.”
In addition, each business unit tracked training in a different manner, from transcribing records into spreadsheets to placing records in binders. This lack of consistency made it difficult to find records during surveyor visits.
Why Cornerstone
Prior to selecting a new LMS, HCR ManorCare conducted a full needs assessment. This included forming a learning council representing managers from each area of the company. “Forming the learning council helped our decentralized leaders understand the need for a new LMS, as well as how the system could be used in specific functional areas,” said Trabbic. The company evaluated a total of 10 learning management systems. Necessary criteria included the ability to track in-person training, deliver online courses and monitor compliance. Seamless integration with WebEx also was critical, as the company delivers significant training through webinars. Both the learning services department and the learning council selected the Cornerstone Learning Cloud. According to Trabbic, “Cornerstone is recognized as an industry leader, and the Learning Cloud has the basic features we needed and room to expand to other options all within one organically developed product.”
The Results
Ensure training records are accessible to surveyors. With the Learning Cloud, training is now tracked consistently across all 500 facilities, and managers can access records instantly. “We use the Learning Cloud’s custom reporting to provide statistics for surveyors, and we’ve created the kind of reports surveyors need to see and share them with managers,” said Trabbic. “We now have the capability to pull anything we need out of the Learning Cloud.”
Increase usage of training. Since implementation, HCR ManorCare has seen an increase in usage of the company’s training opportunities. In a six-month period, 85 percent of employees logged in to the Learning Cloud and completed 300,000 courses. Over time, this translates to employees who are better prepared to meet compliance and provide quality patient care. “The numbers really speak to the value employees see in the system,” said Trabbic. “We never could have offered these opportunities with our previous LMS.”
Engage employees with blended learning. The Learning Cloud enables HCR ManorCare to engage employees with blended training opportunities. “We’re not just handing someone a three-ring binder with a checklist of the things they need to learn. Instead, we’re offering multiple ways of learning, delivering combinations of online courses, e-tests, onsite training and webinars,” said Trabbic. “With the Learning Cloud’s blended learning and tracking capabilities, we can go beyond that checklist mentality and ensure employees are truly engaged and understanding content.”
Provide on-demand training. raining via the Learning Cloud better accommodates employees who may only have a short time at a computer before they have to return to the facility floor. “We can deliver bite-sized training to all employees,” said Matt O’Connor, director of customer satisfaction for HCR ManorCare. “We’ve helped them understand that the Learning Cloud is a repository for a variety of learning materials. They know if they have questions they can go to the system and search for what they need.”