Sigmund Software, LLC

The Seattle, WA based Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers have selected the Sigmund Software Enterprise Behavioral Health Information System for all of their clinical, medical, billing, reporting and other requirements. With Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers Sigmund continues its tradition of partnering with leaders in the Behavioral Health and Addiction field. “The best facilities and the best software system tend to just naturally find their way to each other” says Harry Manesis, Sigmund´s VP of Client Services. “Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers is another example of this and we look forward to a long and mutually rewarding partnership.”

Since 1983 Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers pursue the single mission to help victims and families recover from the pain of drug/alcohol addiction. Enlightened by the work of Dr. James Milam in the 1960´s and 70´s, the founders of Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers created a treatment system based on a bedrock set of principles. Since 1983 Lakeside-Milam has helped nearly 50,000 addicts and alcoholics, far more than any other Northwest treatment provider. Patients come from every state in the region and throughout the country. Beginning as two revolutionary, synergistic ideas, the Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers treatment model has evolved to become the largest private provider of alcohol and drug treatment in the western United States. Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers offers the finest, most effective treatment available anywhere. It´s history attests to it and to the belief that any still suffering addict or alcoholic will find hope and help at Lakeside-Milam Recovery Centers.

www.lakesidemilam.com

Sigmund will be exhibting in booth #933 at the HIMSS (Health Information Management Systems Society) Conference in Orlando, FL from Feb 22-24, 2008. Call 800-448-6975 for your free conference pass.

Stop by to experience the Sigmund Software Behavioral Health Enterprise EMR system and see how it can transform the workflow in your facility.

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) is the healthcare industrys membership organization exclusively focused on providing leadership for the optimal use of healthcare information technology (IT) and management systems for the betterment of healthcare.

www.himssconference.org

Townsend, a Louisiana-based addiction treatment organization, signed a multi-year contract with Sigmund™ Software for its Enterprise Behavioral Health Information System.

"I am excited about the partnership with Sigmund" and I believe that the software platform will drive efficiencies in our organization, free up our staff to focus on value added tasks versus manual documentation and hand-offs, improve regulatory compliance and documentation consistency, and provide a real-time view of our business. This software will allow us to adapt more quickly to the changing needs of our clients and the market," said Michael Handley, Townsend Chief Executive Officer.

During the Sigmund™ contract negotiation, the Chief Executive Officer of the software company, Joe Santoro expressed his desire and commitment to spotlight Townsend as a best practice partner.

Townsend provides recovery services throughout the Southern United States and with the use of advanced technology, cutting edge pharmacotherapy and true bio-psycho-social protocol, Townsend is completely committed to its clients. With the implementation of Sigmund™ Software, Townsend´s clinical staff can now spend more time with patients and less time on paperwork. Sigmund™, which prides itself on satisfying the unique workflow needs of all levels of staff, will help Townsend to manage tasks such as inquiry tracking, admission/intake processing, client and physician scheduling, medication monitoring, billing and claims processing, clinical documentation and program compliance, accreditation, performance reporting and documentation management. The Sigmund Solution will be hosted and accessible by Townsend employees via the internet from anywhere and at anytime.

At the University of Buffalo, the New York State Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics & Life Sciences, Ontology Research Group, Referent Tracking Unit is developing a cross institutioanl knowledgebase using the Target Behavior Tracking (TBT) module of Sigmund, an enterprise management software application for human service agencies.

Sigmunds features and performance reflect the experience gained employing a team of behavioral health practitioners in developing, producing, installing and supporting the system since its inception in 1988.

One component of the system, Target Behavior Tracking (TBT™) standardizes patient assessment by quantifying a patients symptoms and distress into meaningful and immediately useful data. TBT tracks a patients observed target behavioral symptoms (e.g., anxious behavior, aggression, depression, hallucinations), medication type and dosage, psychotherapy, group therapy and other treatments.

This information is then systematically analyzed by specialized software to identify treatment effectiveness correlations that are otherwise elusive.
The RTU is exploring how TBT which is currently used within individual organizations can benefit from referent tracking to develop a cross-institutional knowledgebase linked to other behavioral assessment tools.
One of the most challenging problems facing biomedical informatics today is the integration of disparate information resources arising from the different branches of biological research and clinical medicine. Researchers are flooded with information in a variety of formats, ranging from lab instrument data, gene expression profiles, raw sequence traces, chemical screening data and proteomics data, to metabolic pathway models and full-fledged life-science ontologies developed according to a myriad of incompatible and typically only loosely formalized schemas. This information is presented in general terms, without referring to specific identifiable organisms, experiments, and so forth.

At the other end of the spectrum are electronic health records (EHRs), which consist primarily of descriptions of a patients medical condition, the treatments administered, and the outcomes obtained. Also these descriptions are made using general terms which are either natural language based, or are taken from semi-formalized classification systems, terminologies or ontologies.
The mission of the Referent Tracking Unit (RTU) is to carry out fundamental and applied research and software application development with the goal of allowing better use to be made of both (1) data pertaining to particular patients residing in EHRs on the one hand, and (2) patient-independent data of the type that is typically found in biomedical research databases on the other. This is achieved through a new paradigm: Referent Tracking. The work of the RTU is designed to allow biomedical and bioinformatics researchers to exploit the wealth of information that is stored in patient data repositories. At the same time it is designed to offer clinicians new and higher quality types of evidence for the appropriateness of given diagnoses or therapeutic hypotheses through seamless access to the research data generated by biologists and bio-informaticians.

org.buffalo.edu/RTU/indcollabs.html

Sundown M Ranch soon will celebrate its 40th anniversary. The Selah, Washington-based chemical dependency treatment center has had its share of major challenges during the past four decades. But perhaps nothing has tested its mettle more than its decision two years ago to move from a paper-based to an electronic administrative and operational system.

The process had its growing pains. At the time Sundown M Ranch decided to transition to electronic clinical records, the software vendor it had been using for intake/scheduling and accounts receivable was being purchased by another firm. Sundown M Ranch used the opportunity to consider other software vendors products. Several staffers admitted that they dreaded the thought of having to learn yet another IT system. Although sympathetic of the staffs concerns, senior managers reminded Sundown M Ranchs 170 employees that they couldnt remain competitive and efficiently serve patients needs if they turned their backs on the electronic age.

With that backdrop, CEO Scott Munson and Controller Denise Junt attended trade shows in Chicago and San Antonio and met with a half-dozen vendors. "It wasnt easy to find one that truly comprehends the demands on a behavioral health facility that treats more than 2,700 patients a year," recalls Munson. "Were primarily a residential adult and adolescent treatment facility, and its important to us that our software vendor completely understands our scheduling, reservation, and intake needs."

Munson formed an interdepartmental committee that included several end-users to make sure staffs specific needs would be addressed. The group met several times to review promotional materials and provide follow-up questions for the vendors.

In the end, networking did the trick. One of Munsons colleagues recommended a vendor with dozens of behavioral health clients. This vendor was one of two asked to conduct a live demonstration for Sundown M Ranch executives, who ultimately chose the recommended vendor (Sigmund Software, LLC). Munson says that the live demonstrations proved critical in making the final decision.

As a result of implementing the new software, Sundown M Ranch now can electronically capture invaluable patient demographic information and use that data in its various substance abuse treatment programs. We used to spend a considerable amount of time accumulating that kind of information, Munson says. The software fully computerizes the case record from admission to discharge, including assessments, individual and group progress notes, and treatment plans.

While Sundown M Ranchs intake process isnt quicker, there are much more reliable data, notes Munson. The software has reduced the time to conduct treatment planning and record keeping in some instances. "Although we dont have hard, bottom-line information yet, we know that our data are now consistently organized and legible," he says. From a clinical supervision standpoint, our efficiency has increased amazingly.

But has staff anxiety over the transition been reduced? For the most part, Munson says, the staff has become comfortable with the new system. "We needed to provide the gamut of training, as some of our staff had never worked with computers before," he notes. "But we started that training a year before the system was implemented, and the vendor provided six to eight weeks of hands-on training as well."

"Knowing that our experience with computers varied considerably, we decided to put the workstation out for counselors nine months prior to the implementation of the software, Munson adds. Sundown M Ranch also formed a committee of high-functioning users from each department, who were instrumental in modifying and customizing the software. "In the end," Munson concludes, "we created a tool that was able to function smoothly within our current system and utilize language familiar to our staff."

www.behavioral.net

Community Renewal Team Inc. partners with Sigmund Software for its Enterprise Behavioral Health Information System. CRT is an anti-poverty agency serving individuals and families throughout Central Connecticut. As part of its commitment to community wellness, CRT established a groundbreaking Behavioral Health Division two years ago, so that uninsured adults and other underserved populations could access quality substance abuse and mental health services quickly and inexpensively. Behavioral Health Services joined Head Start, Meals on Wheels, alternatives to incarceration, homebuyer and energy assistance, supportive housing and shelter, and many other CRT programs which give people the skills and the resources to become self-sufficient and to thrive.

CRT Behavioral Health Services are licensed by the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health, and they earned JCAHO accreditation in less than a year. The program is expanding rapidly, serving homeless, immigrants, ex-offenders, and low income or uninsured individuals. The services include a Partial Hospitalization Program, Intensive Outpatient Program, substance abuse treatment, medication management and more.

Sigmund is pleased to announce this latest partnership with CRT Behavioral Health. We are very pleased to have the opportunity to enhance the quality of care for all clients receiving services through providing a state of the art electronic medical record and consulting services, said Cory Valentine, Director of Client Development for Sigmund Software LLC . It was a perfect fit. This organization required an application that would facilitate their JCAHO accreditation, while affording them the flexibility to expand and diversify services that will better prepare for them for the future of Behavioral Health and further contribution to community involvement.

For more information about CRT, please send an inquiry to info@crtct.org, or look at the CRT website: crtct.org.

www.crtct.org

Sigmund™ is pleased to announce its latest partnership with The Brookside Institute for implementation of the Sigmund Software Enterprise Information System.

Brookside Institute in southern California bases its comprehensive residential and outpatient programs for substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders on cutting edge treatments and scientifically researched methods.

Brookside Institute offers the only complete science-based medical model to treat addiction in the United States. The treatment programs, all based on scientific studies and fact based research, form the state-of-the-art "Brookside Recovery Protocol."

"Sigmund Software is very pleased to announce this partnership with a unique, outcome oriented and effective substance abuse program" says Cory Valentine, Director of Client Development for Sigmund Software. "Sigmund Softwares advanced reporting and information management features are a natural fit for the research and fact based programs at Brookside Institute."

The Brookside Institute is certified by the California State Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), as well as the Orange County Department of Probation.

www.brooksideinstitute.com

The Ranch at Dove Tree has partnered with Sigmund Software™ for the installation of Sigmunds Enterprise Addiction Treatment Software Information System after a thorough needs assessment and exhaustive look at the capabilities of many behavioral healthcare software providers.

The Ranch at Dove Tree offers a full range of treatment services for chemical dependency in adults ages 18 and older. The 8 acre campus in West Texas provides a safe and therapeutic environment tailored around the needs of the client where those who suffer from the effects of drug addiction, alcoholism, chemical dependency, substance abuse and other harmful drug addictions can heal the body, mind and spirit in a peaceful setting

The Ranch at Dove Tree will streamline its billing, clinical and business management processes utilizing the wide variety of Sigmunds superior clinical and management features, including scheduling, billing, clinical documentation and electronic medical records.

"We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with such a progressive and cutting edge organization like The Ranch at Dove Tree and look forward to a long and mutually rewarding relationship" says Cory Valentine, Director of Client Development for Sigmund Software.

www.dovetreeranch.com

Several years ago, Caron Foundations information technology director Bob Wagner found himself at a fork in the road, needing a new IT system. When SATIS changed hands, Carons Wagner decided to conduct an exhaustive search for a new system, not ruling Avatar out, but also wanting to get an insight into what the highly fragmented behavioral health IT marketplace had to offer. "We looked at 17 different systems," says Wagner.

"What we needed was a fully integrated system, which is offered by relatively few companies," said Wagner, adding that he required this type of capability to deliver the needed functionality to the more than 450 networked PC stations scattered throughout Caron, up from just 25 a decade earlier.

Included in the narrowed field was tiny Sigmund Software, one of a breed of new players that have descended on the fast growing addiction IT space in recent years. In a singular competitive feat, Sigmund ultimately won the Caron business, landing for its first client what is among the most prestigious IT contracts in the treatment industry.

"There is no question this was a very big win for us, a real plum first assignment," says Sigmund Software CEO Dr. Joseph Santoro.

Backed by strong spending over the last several months on advertising and marketing aimed at building name recognition among treatment center and behavioral health executives, Sigmund has landed full scale implementations at seven major institutions, most of them high profile addiction treatment center accounts, but also a couple of facilities devoted to psychiatric and developmental treatment.

Included among Sigmunds new accounts are such wellknown addiction treatment names like COPAC, Sundown M Ranch and Cornerstone Recovery Inc. of Tennessee. And IT newcomer Sigmund says it is in the "advanced stages" of negotiations with about a dozen other addiction treatment and psychiatric facilities.

Download pdf of full article. (5 MB)

www.treatmentmagazine.com

COPAC; A nationally recognized residential extended care facility for the treatment of chemically dependent adults has partnered with Sigmund Software for the installation of its Enterprise Addiction Treatment Software System.

COPACs gender specific programs help patients deal with dual diagnosis, cross addiction, dysfunctional family issues, eating disorders, sober living skills, sexual compulsivity, chronic relapse, and compulsive gambling.

COPAC maintains the highest level of professional treatment, while providing one of the most cost-effective plans in the field today. COPAC is accredited by the Joint Commission for Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO), and certified by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health.

Sigmund is very excited about this partnership with an organization that exemplifies best practices in the industry. The partnership further solidifies Sigmunds presence in the addiction and dual diagnoses treatment arena. Its functionality and implementation services continue to prove superior in the industry in its ability to solution the growing EMR needs of organizations in the human services industry.

www.copacms.com

Sigmund Software™ announces the release of its revised Intake Tracking / Call management module. Whether your organization has a single point of entry for referrals, a fully staffed call center, marketers throughout the country or a combination of all three, Sigmunds newly revised intake module provides fully integrated referral tracking, pre-admission assessment, and reporting capabilities. Its psychoergonomic interface reduces staff training time and facilitates ease of use during telephonic interviews.

Cornerstone of Recovery Inc., a nationally accredited provider of substance abuse treatment, has partnered with Sigmund Software to license Sigmund Softwares Enterprise Addiction Treatment Software System. The contract provides for customization of the system to meet their unique operational needs "that will revolutionize the way the Louisville, Tenn. based alcohol and drug treatment facility treats patients," according to Cornerstone director of information technology Mike Wildsmith.

The partnership developed out of Cornerstones desire to move away from a paper-based records system and toward an electronic medical records system, which is better suited to meet the clinical and administrative needs of the 21st century. "As hospitals and other health-care organizations move toward electronic medical records in order to minimize costs and secure patient records in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, it is vital for Cornerstone to remain competitive and provide a more secure patient environment," Wildsmith said. "The Sigmund system also provides real-time information on all patients, allowing for expanded assessments, ad-hoc reporting, accurate medication administration, referral tracking, and many other features enabling Cornerstone to provide patients with the best possible care. This system is flexible enough to help Cornerstone maintain current growth and continue to thrive as a nationwide center of excellence of treatment centers."

The process began in January, when Wildsmith, Cornerstone Chief Financial Officer Mark Hartley and Clinical Director Scott Anderson attended a software summit in San Antonio, Texas, sponsored by the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers. Out of 20-30 vendors at the summit, Cornerstone solicited proposals from six before choosing Sigmund after an on-site demonstration. After interviewing executives of the Caron Treatment Centers about their experiences with Sigmund, a contract process was begun, and shortly after contracts were signed, according to Wildsmith.

"We chose Sigmund because the software was birthed out of a treatment center, the product overwhelmingly meets our needs, and we really feel Sigmunds culture is a great fit with Cornerstone," Wildsmith said. "It is also impressive to know that Sigmund only partners with centers of excellence, so in a way, they chose us as well. We are very excited to move forward with this project and develop a long-term relationship with Sigmund."

www.cornerstoneofrecovery.com

Sundown M Ranch of Selah Washington, a nationally renowned provider of substance abuse treatment, has signed a contract with Sigmund Software for the installation and customization of its Enterprise Addiction Treatment Software System.

Sundown M Ranch provides the highest quality chemical dependency treatment for Adults, Youth & Families. Dedicated and well-trained staff offers a unique treatment program that has been successful for over 35 years and thousands of adults and adolescents afflicted with the disease of chemical dependency. At Sundown, patients can come to understand and accept the disease of chemical dependency and are taught proven methods for achieving and maintaining the freedom of recovery.

Sundown M Ranch offers a contemporary campus including separate facilities for family treatment and a 60-bed Youth Facility that is entirely separate from the Adult Facility. Patient accommodations are comfortable, spacious and tastefully appointed; semi-private rooms with bath become welcoming havens for rest and contemplation during treatment.

Sundowns treatment program is recognized as one of the most innovative and effective in the nation, offering a complete range of treatment modalities. These include adult and adolescent residential treatment, gender specific groups, elders groups, pregnant/postpartum/womens group, inpatient and outpatient relapse prevention, family counseling, aftercare, on and off-site intensive outpatient, continuing care and monitor group, and assessment and diagnosis.

www.sundown.org

Sigmund Software announces the hiring of Harry Manesis as Director of Software Implementation. Mr. Manesis comes to Sigmund™ after a distinguished career of 15 years with IBM consulting.

Mr. Manesis is responsible for overall project management for client deliverables for all areas of Sigmund as well as implementation management including Discovery, Application Configuration, Quality Control, Production Support and overseeing Sigmunds software installation teams.

As a former Senior Consultant and Project Manager with IBM Global Services, he managed end to end global software implementations, created and maintained project plan milestones as well as consulted on HR, Accounting and Financial System interface design and integration.

The Caron Treatment Centers have chosen Sigmund Software for the installation and customization of an Enterprise Addiction Treatment Software System. As part of the services delivered by Sigmund, a data migration routine was created for moving all mission critical and patient archive information from Carons former system which Sigmund™ is replacing.

Caron Treatment Centers is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide an enlightened and caring treatment community in which all those affected by alcoholism or other drug addiction may begin a new life.

Now in its fifth decade of providing quality services, headquartered in Pennsylvania, Caron offers a full spectrum of gender-specific chemical dependency treatment programs to meet the needs of everyone from adolescents to seniors. Carons proven expertise includes early intervention, medical evaluation and detoxification, residential primary, relapse and extended care, outpatient treatment for adults and adolescents, continuing care, family counseling and codependency treatment.

Today, Caron Treatment Centers stand as a beacon of hope to individuals and families whose lives have become unmanageable because of chemical dependency.

www.caron.org

Ability Beyond Disability chooses Sigmund Software to build the enterprise behavioral health software system for their new at risk adolescent dual diagnosis program. Additionally they have contracted Sigmund Softwares clinical consulting services to establish real-time evidenced based practices using Sigmunds exclusive Target Behavior Tracking outcomes measurement system.

Ability Beyond Disability is a leading Connecticut based provider of behavioral health services. For over 50 years, Ability Beyond Disability offers one of the most extensive systems of support and services in the Northeast and has helped thousands of people with disabilities to realize their dreams.

People who were once sheltered and institutionalized now lead full and independent lives thanks to creative solutions to meet housing, work, recreation, transportation and medical needs. Ability Beyond Disability helps individuals with disabilities to enjoy their highest level of independence and maintain their optimal health, while enriching a diverse community with their strength and courageous spirit.

Ability Beyond Disability enables individuals whose independent living skills are impaired by disability, illness or injury, to achieve and maintain self-reliance, fulfillment and comfort at home, at work and in the community, by providing the best comprehensive home, health and rehabilitation services.

www.abilitybeyonddisability.org

Sigmund Software announces it will make available to a select group of behavioral healthcare organizations what has been heralded as the most advanced behavioral health enterprise software system.

"With the release of Sigmund version 3.4, and the urging of some prominent accreditation agency executives, we decided the time was right to make Sigmund available to fellow providers that shared our parent companys values of excellence in treatment" said Sigmund Softwares Director of Client Development. "The focus over the past fifteen years of development was to build a clinical information system that was easy to learn and use and would provide behavioral healthcare organizations a state of the art, behavioral heath specific EMR that truly worked for them and not vice versa."

"As people learn more about us they begin to see we are not your typical software company. We take a very unique approach to developing what are really the most psycho-ergonomic behavioral healthcare / addiction treatment EMR solutions available. The only way to build a product that thinks and works like Sigmund is in a living laboratory where we are able to get continuous feedback from clinicians and administrators alike. Our team is made up of experienced software engineers, developers, trainers, project managers, and behavioral health professionals that interact everyday with clinicians, counselors, marketers, administrators, billing and financial people. From a marketing standpoint, we are customer focused versus sales focused. Our mission is to provide each of our partners an EMR solution and transition that exceeds their expectations. Were confident this strategy will ensure a healthy future for our company and our customers."