Milestone Health Care Quality Units (HCQU) West is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving services for patients with disabilities in western Pennsylvania. Milestone HCQU realized their LMS wasn’t working for the organization or the carers it supported.

However, because Milestone is funded by state and federal governments, their search for a new LMS was bound by a strict budget and non-negotiable requirements. With no dedicated IT staff to maintain the LMS, they knew they needed a reliable solution that would provide them with excellent support.

Supporting community-living

The services provided by Milestone HCQU West represent a new approach to the treatment of some of society’s most vulnerable people. Until the 1970s, people with developmental disabilities were typically housed in state-run institutions, and kept entirely separate from the community.

In 1974, Pennsylvania began a process of deinstitutionalization. This meant that funds were reallocated from state-run institutions to supports and services for community-living options. The benefits showed improved life skills for people with disabilities, more community involvement, and greater overall happiness. Providers of these services work tirelessly to help people with developmental disabilities to live an “everyday life”.

But with no budget for specialized staff, it can be a struggle to understand the unique health needs of those they care for. So, in 2000, Milestone HCQU West was created to provide free training to these service providers in western Pennsylvania.

Looking for a supportive LMS partner

Before finding LearnUpon, Milestone used an outdated LMS that was no longer fit for purpose. As a government-funded non-profit organization, facing the cost of upgrading to the latest version of the LMS every year was difficult.

The organization’s needs had also begun to change. Most of the training we delivered had traditionally been instructor-led. However, statewide budget cuts led them to pursue other training delivery methods. These included webinars and online learning, that would help them to reduce costs while still meeting regulatory training requirements.

When they began their search for an LMS, they quickly realized that finding the right fit wouldn’t be easy. Their needs were unusual and subject to a number of constraints:

• Because their courses must be available to the general public, they had no control over the technology used to access them
• The public agencies that access their courses typically have outdated technology and/or staff with minimal IT experience
• They’re a small organization with no dedicated IT staff to implement, configure and maintain an LMS.

They knew they needed an LMS that would:

• Be easy to implement and manage
• Give users 24/7 access to an intuitive interface
• Deliver and track SCORM and xAPI course content
• Track multiple forms of training data in one place (including instructor-led sessions, online courses, participation at webinars, and self-directed learning)
• Create customizable reports to meet a wide range of stakeholder requirements
• Help raise their profile.

Choosing an easy-to use, configurable solution

Having considered several solutions during their search, and after reading reviews and doing a little research, they had some questions for LearnUpon.

They found the demo engaging and informative and loved that their Account Manager used artwork from their website to show them how easy it was to brand the LMS. This helped them to get a real feel for how the platform would look if they chose LearnUpon.

After such a positive start, they decided to sign up for a free trial. During the trial period, they put the LMS through rigorous testing and contacted LearnUpon’s Customer Support team with their questions. They found that LearnUpon’s support reps were always accessible, courteous, and very helpful.

Saving time and money with LearnUpon

With their previous LMS, Milestone had to track data on a variety of different platforms, which made reporting a logistical nightmare. They also had a very expensive LMS that could only manage SCORM content. Their learners complained that the system was too complicated to use. And, on top of that, they had to go through Milestone’s office to enroll in instructor-led courses or access training records and certificates. This was especially difficult for those working overnight or weekend shifts. 

Now, with LearnUpon, all of their training data is in one place, with learners commenting on the easy-to-use interface and ability to access everything they need, at any time! Because reporting is a breeze, admins can enjoy time freed from manual work. Most importantly, LearnUpon saves Milestone an average of $7,000 to $10,000 annually in costs they spent supporting their previous LMS.