November 2007 e-Bulletin

The Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) Campaign continues to reach the national home health community, now with over 5,500 agencies registered. The HHQI Web site had over 3,800 visitors the first week of October alone, which corresponded with the release of the October Best Practice Intervention Package (BPIP) for Physician Relationships. There are only four more BPIPs remaining, including the November BPIP for Fall Prevention. The December BPIP will initiate the Building Upon the Basics theme — packages which focus on patient self-management, disease management and transitional care coordination (December 2007 — February 2008).

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Best Practice Intervention Package:  Fall Prevention

The Fall Prevention Best Practice Intervention Package focuses on four priorities:

1. Fall Risk Assessment
2. Proactive Fall Prevention Interventions
3. Patient and Caregiver Education
4. Evaluation of Fall Prevention Program

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Previous Best Practice Intervention Packages

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 facilitates easy travel to important sites.

Timed Up and Go Video

The Timed Up and Go screening tool is another way to assist clinicians in determining which patients are at risk for falls. A written Timed Up and Go screening sample is included in the Fall Prevention BPIP, as well as a video PowerPoint. The PowerPoint includes the basic steps of performing Timed Up and Go and how to score the patient. Mary Calys, PT, MS, BSW, consultant from Missouri Alliance for Home Care, performs a demonstration of Timed up and Go with a clinician and then an actual presentation of the tool with a patient. Watch the video demonstration, and view the key points in this PowerPoint – it is perfect for staff education.

Physician Relationships BPIP Survey

The survey results from the Physician Relationships BPIP are now available on the HHQI Web site.

The Best Practice Intervention survey helps the HHQI team to:

• 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

Gunnison Valley Hospital Home Care
Gunnison, UT

“There are two statements I like to go by, they are, ‘Knowledge is Power’ and ‘If you’re prepared, you won’t fear.’ HealthInsight, our QIO, and being a part of the HHQI National Campaign has really helped us with the tools to learn, grow and improve our quality outcomes. Thank You! What an honor to be the ‘Agency of the Month.’” - Barbara Lund RN, CHCE, Director of Home Care

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Spotlight on HHQI Campaign Champion

Intrepid USA Healthcare Services
Intrepid USA Healthcare Services is comprised of 93 Medicare-certified locations. One hundred percent of the locations participate in the Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign.

To facilitate company-wide implementation, Intrepid USA Healthcare Services developed a project team representing agency staff from the three regions of the company. Each month, the team evaluates the information in the Best Practice Interventions Package (BPIP). The team customizes tools, such as the Emergency Care Plan, Hospital Risk Assessment, SBAR, Telephone Monitoring assessment forms and Teletriage Decision Support guides, and makes recommendations to the company’s leadership team regarding implementation. To date, Intrepid agencies have implemented components of each BPIP. As a result of the dedication and commitment to their patients and the HHQI Campaign to reduce avoidable acute care hospitalizations (ACH), Intrepid agencies have experienced an overall decline in their hospital admission rates. To date, 37 locations have achieved and maintained their target of a relative reduction of 5 percent or more in ACHs.

Intrepid USA Healthcare Services is proud to be a part of a national organized effort to improve patient outcomes.

“We are excited about the resources available to us through the campaign and feel the best practice interventions support us in our mission, 'We find a way.',” said Bobi Rose, VP of Clinical Services, Intrepid USA Healthcare Services.

HHQI Campaign Physician Advisory Group
The Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign Physician Advisory Panel is a physician group that has been a contributor and champion of the Home Health Quality Improvement Campaign. This group is comprised of physicians from various regions of the United States including a variety of specialties such as family practice, internal medicine and emergency medicine. Some are medical directors of Quality Improvement Organizations and/or representatives of national associations. The members of this group were asked to participate and contribute, from their perspective as physicians, on what specific needs physicians had or would value to enhance and facilitate their role in patient care, especially as it relates to home care and reducing avoidable home care patient hospitalizations.

Since February 2007, this workgroup has met monthly and discussed several of the best practices for reducing avoidable acute care hospitalizations. The Best Practice Intervention Packages include this invaluable physician component for improving and encouraging collaboration between health care setting providers along with incorporating clinical recommendations for both patient and clinician tools.

Spotlight on HHQI Campaign Supporters

Individuals and organizations that are not home health agencies can also register to participate in the HHQI National Campaign as Campaign Supporters. Examples of Campaign Supporters may include consultants, physicians, vendors, home health publications, individual home care staff members, or any other home health stakeholders. To sign up as a supporter visit the Campaign Supporters Registration page on the HHQI Web site.

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View the October Tips of the Week.
View the September Tips of the Week.
View the August Tips of the Week.

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