January 2008 e-Bulletin

There will be an evaluation survey open to all participating HHQI agencies. This evaluation survey will be available January 2 - January 16, 2008. If you are one of the over 5,500 HHQI participating agencies, please consider participating in this evaluation. It will include valuable information about the HHQI Campaign and what information, resources and methods were most effective for home health agencies. Note that one agency participating in this evaluation survey will be recognized as the HHQI Agency of the Year!

Many clinicians have utilized the CNEs and certificates of participation. Please note that the CNEs and certificates of participation will only be available through February 29, 2008.

The quarterly mailing for the HHQI CDs, which contain physician relationships, fall prevention and patient self-management audios, will soon be sent to all HHQI participating HHAs. The table below lists by track the content included on these CDs.

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Best Practice Intervention Package:  Disease Management

Disease Management (DM) is an intervention that builds upon the basics of previous Home Health Quality Improvement Campaign best practices. DM is more than a program that addresses one disease group, although the impact of chronic disease is what drives a disease management program. This BPIP addresses the evolution of DM from a disease-specific strategy to a chronic care management program that identifies and recognizes all points along the care continuum.

The BPIP contains tools and resources for leadership to build upon existing interventions to develop a DM program. These resources include:

• The Design Components of a Disease Management Program
• WebEx/audio, Disease Management and Home Care by Lisa Gorski, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Senior Associate Consultant with OASIS Answers, Inc.
• The Business Case: Potential Returns and Results by Lisa Remington, Health Care Business Strategist and Publisher of The Remington Report
  

A Disease Management Toolbox organizes additional resources for DM by category. The leader looking for additional information and tools for DM will find this table helpful.

Care provider tracks are designed for each specific discipline for DM. The Nurse Track offers two choices for the clinician. Nurses may choose heart failure, which is in the package, or COPD, which is listed as an additional resource on the HHQI Web page. The featured tool in the Nurse Track is Polish Your Practice, a disease-specific resource that reviews pathophysiology, symptoms, assessment parameters, treatment modalities, a pharmacologic update and patient/family self-management education points. The Therapy Track features the WebEx, Managing the Patient with Dyspnea from a therapist’s perspective.

The Fast Track is also available for Disease Management and is posted on the HHQI Web page. Also posted is a 15-minute Introduction to the Best Practice Intervention Package WebEx that provides an overview of the package, tools and resources. 

Included in the BPIP are free continuing education opportunities for all nurses and therapists (including therapy assistants).

All materials are available January 2, 2008 on www.homehealthquality.org.

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Previous Best Practice Intervention Packages

December - Patient Self-Management
November - Fall Prevention
October - Physician Relationships
September - Immunizations
August - Telemonitoring
July - Teletriage
June - Phone Monitoring and Frontloading Visits
May - Medication Management
April - Emergency Care Planning
March - Hospitalization Risk Assessment

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The HHQI Web site is updated weekly with additional information, tools and resources. Bookmark the Web site and visit it often. The Quick Links on the home page facilitate easy travel to important sites.

A Best Practice Intervention Package educational WebEx accompanies each Best Practice Intervention Package. Each educational WebEx will break down the BPIP for LANEs and agencies. Resources are highlighted and ideas are given on how to best utilize the tools in the package. Each WebEx runs about 15-20 minutes and is available on the package Web page on www.homehealthquality.org.

Patient Self-Management BPIP Survey

The survey results from the Patient Self-Management BPIP are now available on the HHQI Web site.

The Best Practice Intervention survey helps the HHQI team:

• Improve the packages
• Understand barriers to accessing the packages, etc.
• Know whether we are on target with the materials
• Recognize when there is a need to modify the materials

Home Health Agency of the Month

WCPA Home Health
Herrin, IL

“WCPA is very honored to be picked as the agency of the month. [HHQI’s] tools are very informative as well as helpful. Not only do you improve your care by following them, but you also learn to think outside the box. One of the most recent tools that we really like is the ‘Target Outcomes Monitoring of ACH and Oral Meds.’ Each nurse is doing one each month. We also use emergency care planning and the hospital risk assessment.” – Jo Boester, Administrator

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Spotlight on HHQI Campaign Champions

As we begin to complete the work of the campaign, the HH QIOSC team wants to give a very big THANK YOU to the LANEs! LANEs are state QIOs and state associations that volunteered to help with the HHQI Campaign. The success of recruiting home health agencies, rolling out the packages, reviewing the packages and communicating information about the campaign was due to the dedication and commitment of the LANEs. Truly, LANEs are HHQI Campaign Champions!

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View the December Tips of the Week.
View the November Tips of the Week.
View the October Tips of the Week.

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