National Best Practice Improvement Study
You will know exactly what to change,
and how to change it.
Fazzi Associates is seeking agencies to participate in a national
best practice study of the impact of best practices on improving
key financial and quality outcomes.
The identification, adoption and supportive use of best practices
by agencies will result in measurable improvement in key quality
and financial outcomes.
The goal of this study is measurable financial and quality improvement.
Participating agencies can expect to receive a full range of benchmarks,
services, consultation, training and support that will result in
the following:
- Your Profit/Medicare episode will be equal to or
greater than norms of the field.
- Your Home Health Compare scores will improve by
25% and/or place your agency in the top third of agencies
in the country.
- Your OASIS Assessments will be more accurate and
your Case Mix Weight will be equal to or higher than
national averages.
Study Particulars
The intent of this project is to provide participating agencies
with concrete information and agency specific support directed at
obtaining better financial and quality outcomes. The Improvement
Project includes:
- Full Operational Review: Best
Practice Operational Self-Assessment of Operational
Practices (structure, process, operations, staffing
patterns, productivity standards, etc).
- Best Practice Report, Analysis and Targeted
Improvement Recommendations: Fazzi will compare
participating agencies operational practices with
those of leading best practice agencies. Report will
include targeted recommendations for operational changes
essential to quality and financial improvement.
- Best Practice Consultation: Based
on the report, a senior consultant from Fazzi Associates
will consult with senior managers from participating
agencies to review the report, identify concrete areas
for improvement and provide consultation and support
on making and sustaining the needed changes. This
consultant will be involved in supporting your agency
throughout this study.
- Improvement Strategies: Year long
trainings, webinar session and targeted consult interventions
to insure participating agencies meet improvement
goals in profit/Medicare episode, Home Health Compare
composite quality scores and case mix weight.
The Project will also include comparisons to a control group of
agencies that are similar in size revenues, legal auspices, and
geographic location (urban versus rural).
The National Best Practice Outcome Improvement Project will run
from April 1, 2008 through March 31, 2009. Sign-up runs from February
1, 2008 to March 31, 2008.
Requirements for Participation
The goal of this project is measurable improvement. To participate,
agencies must meet the requirements:
| 1. |
Medicare certified for a minimum
of five years. |
| 2. |
Have complete Home Health Compare Scores for
December 2007 and March 2008. |
| 3. |
Medicare revenues equal to or greater than 50%
of total revenue. |
| 4. |
Complete the initial Best Practice Operational
Self-Assessment (7 to 10 hours of work) by May
15, 2008. |
| 5. |
Participate in one senior management teleconference
on findings and recommendations from assessment.
Teleconference will take place during May 2008. |
| 6. |
Participate in 75% (three or four) of the webinar
best practice improvement trainings between May
15, 2008 and December 31, 2008. |
| 7. |
Submit operational fee at start of project.
No other cost. |
| 8. |
Name one person as Lead in relationship to the
project and improvement efforts. |
FAQs
What Is the Goal of the National Best Practice Study?
To test and prove that through the use of highly supportive best
practice benchmarking, consultation and change efforts, agencies
will improve their financial results as measured by profit/Medicare
episode and quality results as measured by Home Health Compare and
OBQI.
How Will the Study Work? Once an agency signs
up, they will be asked to complete an operational review self-survey.
This survey has been developed and refined over six years and includes
the issues addressed in Fazzi’s on-site operational reviews.
Your survey results will then be benchmarked to the results (practices,
processes, staffing ratios, etc.) of best practice agencies of your
size. A senior consultant will then work with you to identify operational
areas (clinical, financial, marketing, human resource, QI, etc.)
where changes for better outcomes are warranted. We then work with
you through phone consultation, trainings, webinars, and on-demand
support to make the changes need to get improved outcomes.
What Will Be the Basic Benchmarks That You Will Use to
Measure Improvements? This is a twelve month study. We
will use your Home Health Compare scores and OBQI results as the
quality benchmarks and your most recent cost report and survey results
for determining your profit/Medicare episode as the financial benchmark.
How Will You Define Success? The goals of the
National Best Practice study are clear. Our goal is to help participants
improve their quality scores and ideally reach the top 25% within
one year. Your financial results (Medicare Profit/Episode) will
be at or above the national average for your type of agency.
How Long Will the Operational Review Self-Survey Take?
Because the survey is divided among departments and completed by
people who know the department, it should take less than ten hours.
When Do We Need to Have the Survey Completed?
May 15, 2008. We can work with you on an extension if needed, but
most of the survey should be done by May 15th.
What Trainings Will Be Provided? There will be
at least four private trainings. All training will be geared to
helping study participants improve agency outcomes involving profit,
quality, or growth. One training will be on, “How to improve
financial results.” Another training will be on, “How
to improve quality results.” We may also have trainings determined
by the group’s needs to address a specific topic such as the
Home Health Compare Acute Care Hospitalization measure or best practices
for implementing change.
Who Will Be Doing the Trainings? Either leaders
in Fazzi Associates who specialize in those areas, i.e. Rhonda Will
for OASIS or Cindy Krafft for Rehab practices or national experts
that we bring in for specific titles.
Where Do the Best Practice Benchmarks Come From?
They come from Fazzi’s National BestWorks® Operational,
Financial and Quality Best Practice Improvement Service. Over the
past six years, this program has benchmarked the practices of some
of the top agencies in the country (those in the top 25% of BOTH
financial and quality outcomes) and worked to help agencies improve
their outcomes. We have a clear sense of best practices by size
of agency for all major operational components.
What Do You Expect From Participants? Other than
completing the survey, we ask that you participate in the trainings
and in the phone review and consultation. If there are any questions
or concerns, we would also ask that you contact the Senior Consultant
assigned to your agency.
What Is the Operational Fee For? It is to help
offset the cost for operating the study and for staff who will be
assigned to the project.
Are There Any Other Costs? No!
Is There a Cost for the Trainings? No! They are
part of the study.
If We Are Having a Problem, Who Should We Call?
There will be a Senior Consultant assigned to your agency. You can
contact her/him whenever you want. Plus, your Consultant will be
continually monitoring your progress throughout the study. She will
call you periodically or more frequently if we become aware of a
problem.
What Happens If We Want Services That Are Not Part of the
Study? If you want a service that is not part of the study,
for example a strategic plan or referral source or staff survey,
contact your Senior Consultant. Because you are part of this study,
she will fast track your request at Fazzi Associates. The cost for
other services is discounted for study participants during the study
period.
Will There Be Any National Meetings? At this stage,
we are not planning a national meeting. If participants feel it
would be helpful, we will plan one at their convenience. Agencies
would only have to pay for the cost for their travel, food and lodging.
There would be no cost for the session(s).
Will We Have Any Input Into the Study? Absolutely!
We will be seeking input from all participants in terms of how we
can best help you analyze and make changes. We also will be looking
for ideas on how to make this study very responsive to the participants.
Trainings
These programs are designed for Study Participants and BestWorks
Subscribers Only*
May 15th 2008, 1:00 - 2:30 EST
How to Improve Quality and Financial Outcomes:
OASIS Accuracy and Review
Speaker: Rhonda Will BS, RN, HCS-D, COS-C
Intended Audience*: Agency Administrators, Senior Managers, PI/Quality
Managers, and Record Review Staff
Register by contacting Kim at 800-379-0361 or kchartier@fazzi.com
For more information on the BestWorks service email:
bestworks@fazzi.com.
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