‘Summit’ launches home health quality campaignMore than one in four home health patient episodes result in a hospitalization, often creating financial and emotional burdens for patients and their families. Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) such as GMCF are working with health care leaders and the home health community to improve patient care. The goal is to reduce the number of avoidable hospitalizations, allowing home care patients to remain in their home settings. More than 3,000 agencies have signed up to participate. You can read details of the Baltimore kickoff event, view patient vignettes, hear audio of the presentations, and watch a slide show by visiting the campaign’s Web site. Home health hospitalization costs computedEliminating just one hospitalization visit per home health agency could save one state more than $13 million a year. Texas has the nation’s fifth-highest rate of such hospitalizations, reports the Houston Business Journal, costing the Medicare Trust Fund nearly $8,000. Click here for details. OASIS data and patient satisfactionA new study suggests that home health agencies should examine patient satisfaction data along with Outcome and Assessment Information Set (OASIS) findings to help identify patient needs. It’s anticipated that a pay-for-performance system in the home health setting will be implemented within the next few years, built on OASIS data. Press Ganey, a vendor of satisfaction and improvement services, examined the correlation between patient satisfaction, OASIS data and visit utilization data. Click here to read the details of the report. We want to hear your home health success stories! |
|
|
|