QIO HHQI Weekly Update :: November 4, 2007   

TIP OF THE WEEK

The importance of staff education

In real estate, the saying is “location, location, location.” In a home health agency (HHA) faced with Home Health Prospective Payment System (HH PPS) 2008 OASIS changes, the phrase is “education, education, education.” Timely staff education is a crucial factor for implementation and accurate interpretation, particularly when changes occur in standard daily processes.

Now is a good time to develop a staff education plan for initiating the PPS 2008 OASIS changes. Incrementally introducing new information may be less anxiety provoking. Providing staff with the big picture may prove helpful in their realization that all HHAs are faced with these changes.

CREATE A PLAN

A staff education plan can help you address different learning styles and provide a well-rounded educational program. The plan should address a variety of tactics to help staff members learn new information or changes to current processes and procedures.

Mix up presentations by incorporating a combination of activities, such as:

• Visual aids
• Lectures
• Hands-on opportunities
• Graphs/tables
• Reading references
• Self-study

By mingling several methods, you can reinforce new information and test whether more clarification is necessary.

Many times, it is more difficult to change routines than it is to learn new procedures. Therefore, consider forming a system of checks and balances, even temporarily, to ensure that changes in routines are being followed.

Below are a few ideas that you may want to incorporate into your staff education plan.

START WITH AN IN-SERVICE OVERVIEW

An in-service for staff may be a good start to cover the basics. In the in-service, provide an overview and supplement your presentation with handouts, a key point summary, and sources for additional information or references on the topic.

FOLLOW-UP REMINDERS

Send a few reminders or clarifications on key learning points in the days after the in-service.

ANSWER QUESTIONS AS THEY COME UP

Staff may feel confident with the information provided at the staff in-service, but when the paper documentation or the software display is updated to reflect these changes, it may become a source of frustration and anxiety.

As staff members begin using the information provided in the in-service (i.e., changing procedure or following a new process), they might have questions such as, “Should I interpret this OASIS MO item this way for the patient situation or is the other response warranted for the patient?”

Provide direction for where staff members can turn to get their questions answered.

LOOK FOR ONGOING CHALLENGES

As staff members ask questions, jot down the challenges they are facing. Note areas that appear to be more difficult for staff overall and address them through additional training, reinforcement efforts, and for inclusion in future employee orientations.

Ohio KePRO Home Health Project Leaders continue to provide nursing continuing education offerings that can supplement your agency’s overall education plan. Contact your area Project Leader or call 1.800.385.5080 and ask for a member of the Home Health Team for information about scheduling one.

 

 

IN THE NEWS

CMS PROVIDES FINAL HOME HEALTH CASE MIX GROUPER SOFTWARE AND DOCUMENTATION

October 2007 -- CMS -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing final Home Health Case Mix Grouper Software and Documentation for the home health payment regulation effective January 1, 2008. These materials include the previously posted written grouper logic/pseudocode (with updates/revisions) and associated tables. Also included are the grouper program (.DLL) and test cases to be used by agencies developing their own grouper software.

This final version of the home health case mix grouper software package includes the previously posted written grouper logic/pseudocode (with updates/revisions), readme file, and associated tables. It also includes the grouper program (.DLL) and test cases to be used by agencies developing their own grouper software. The documentation files and software package/test cases are available in the downloads section.

DOCTORS MAKE HOUSE CALLS TO THE ELDERLY

October 28, 2007 -- Cleveland Plain Dealer -- Seniors who can't leave their homes benefit from individual attention. Changes in Medicare reimbursement rates in 2005 have challenged the idea of physician house calls, but some systems are finding ways to make it work. Read more >>

VISUAL FIELD LOSS PRIMARY COMPONENT IN RISK OF FALLS FOR OLDER ADULTS

October 30, 2007 -- Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) -- Visual field loss (specifically peripheral visual fields) is the primary vision component that increases the risk of falls, according to a study published this month in Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science, a peer-reviewed monthly publication of ARVO.

For each 10 percent loss in the visual field, people in the study experienced an eight percent higher chance of falling after adjustment for other risk factors for falls. For example, persons with bilateral glaucoma, who on average would miss 48 points in the total visual field, would have 46 percent higher odds of falling. Read more >>

HHS ANNOUNCES PROJECT TO HELP 3.6 MILLION CONSUMERS REAP BENEFITS OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS

October 31, 2007 -- eGov Monitor -- In a move that will improve health care for millions of Americans, HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt announced a five-year demonstration project that will encourage small to medium-sized physician practices to adopt electronic health records (EHRs). Read more >>

CMS TO END NPI CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR MEDICARE BILLING

NPI Must Populate Primary Fields on Jan. 1, 2008

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) contains a provision requiring the assignment of single national provider identifiers (NPI) to healthcare providers that meet the definition of covered entities. Covered entities include health plans, healthcare clearinghouses, and healthcare providers that transmit any health information in electronic form, with the exception of small providers. The purpose of this requirement is to improve the efficiency of electronic transmissions. The NPI final rule was published in the Federal Register on Jan. 23, 2007. According to the final rule, covered entities were to be in compliance no later than May 23, 2007.

 

COMING ATTRACTIONS

   

OCHC: Great Lakes Hospice Conference. November 1-2, 2007

OCHC: "OASIS Revisited" Workshop & COS-C Exam. November 8-9, 2007

OCHC: "Hospice 101" Workshop. November 16, 2007