HHQI e-Bulletin: A Monthly Update of the Home Health Quality Improvement Organization

August 2007 e-Bulletin

CNE Update

Free continuing nursing education units (CNEs) for registered nurses (RNs) and a certificate of participation for therapists are available with most Best Practice Intervention Packages. Complete the appropriate track (nursing or therapy) in any of the Best Practice Intervention Packages listed in the tables below. Each track has information related to the specific topic of the package that is designed for that discipline. Tracks include a combination of written material, clinical tools, podcasts (audio recordings), WebExes, and/or success stories. After completing the specific track, a short online evaluation/post-test must be completed. Within 30 days, a certificate will be sent to participants scoring 80 percent or greater. A letter will be sent to those scoring under 80 percent, with instructions on how to re-apply.

For more information see the Continuing Education Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

Registered Nurses

Best Practice Intervention Package Nurse Track	RN Contact Hours available	Link for RN eval/post-test
Patient Emergency Plan	1.25	RN test
Medication Management: Nursing Track Be Safe and Take Clinician Enrichment Program	2.0	RN test
Phone Monitoring and Frontloading Visits	1.5	RN test
Teletriage	1.7	RN test
Telemonitoring	1.0	RN test

Therapist

Best Practice Topic	Therapy Certificate of Participation available	Link for Therapy eval/post-test
Phone Monitoring and Frontloading Visits	1.2	Therapy test
Teletriage	1.0	Therapy test
Telemonitoring	1.0	Therapy test

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Best Practice Intervention Package: Telemonitoring

This package is primarily designed for agencies that are either utilizing telemonitoring or are investigating/planning for implementation in the near future, although all agencies can gain valuable information for this package. The package will help agencies utilize telemonitoring more effectively and efficiently to reduce acute care hospitalizations.

Does your agency have telemonitors that are not in use?
Do your patients and families have a lot of concerns about telemonitoring?
Do you have problems with buy-in from some physicians?

Did you answer “YES” to any of these questions? Check out the Telemonitoring Best Practice Intervention Package for ideas to assist your agency to turn the answers to those three questions to “NO!”

Fast Track

As usual, a Fast Track is included for home health agencies that have limited time for this particular topic.

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Previous Best Practice Intervention Packages

The July Best Practice Intervention Package (BPIP) topic was teletriage.

The June BPIP topic focused on phone monitoring and frontloading visits.

The May BPIP focused on medication management.

April's BPIP focused on emergency care planning.

The BPIP for March focused on 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 weekly. The Quick Links on the home page facilitates easy travel to important sites.

Teletriage BPIP Survey

Summary of Results
The survey results from the Teletriage BPIP are now available on the HHQI Web site.

The Best Practice Intervention Package 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 modify to the materials.

Thanks to everyone who completed the survey. The next survey will be available August 1 through August 10, 2007.

Please note: The time to take the survey has been expanded per the request of home health agencies. It is now available the same day the new package is released.

Home Health Agency of the Month

Unicare Home Health Services
Tyler, TX

“We believe in an unmatched spirit of excellence to home care. Our entire staff’s relentless effort is to achieve our ultimate goal: the highest quality of care.” – Grace Ukpong, RN, Administrator/DON

For Physicians

Utilize the resources on the For Physicians page of the HHQI Web site as your agencies communicate or market to physicians. Some ideas:

Arrange for nurses to visit the physician’s office and meet the physician if possible.
Take some of the following materials with you for the physicians, or send some of these with the 485:
- Download to a CD Dr. David Nash’s audio recording “Reducing Avoidable Hospitalizations, Home Health and Disease Management”
- Include a letter to the physician explaining why your agency is working on reducing avoidable hospitalizations
- Download a hard copy and take one (or both) articles for physicians, “The Physician's Role in Reducing Avoidable Hospitalizations” and/or “The Physician's Role in Improving Home Health Care”
- Download hard copies and take “Seven Key Points for Physicians Related to Reducing ACH,” “Home Health Teletriage Tips for Physicians,” and/or “Home Health Telemonitoring Tips for Physicians.”
Send a brief letter about your agency’s initiatives with the national Home Health Quality Improvement campaign. Include the link to the For Physicians page of the Web site.

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Spotlight on HHQI Campaign Champion

The American Telemedicine Association
The American Telemedicine Association (ATA) is the leading resource and advocate promoting telehealth worldwide. The Home Health Special Interest Group (SIG) is the ATA’s largest SIG with over 500 members and supports the expansion and utilization of telehealth, remote monitoring and disease management applications in the patient's place of residence. As an HHQI Champion, the ATA:

Educates members about the HHQI National Campaign
Provides tools, including the Telehealth Toolkit to support home telehealth programs
Offers an online “Home Telehealth: The Basics,” course.

Rhonda Chetney, Vice Chair for Home Health Special Interest Group, serves on the Executive Steering Committee for the Home Health Quality Improvement Organization Support Center Steering Committee and the Telemonitoring Best Practice Intervention Technical Expert Panel. Rhonda brings real world telemonitoring experience to the HHQI Campaign as Regional Director of Clinical Operations for Sentara Home Care Services in Virginia.

For more information about the ATA go to www.atmeda.org.

Spotlight on HHQI Campaign Supporters

The list of HHQI National Campaign Supporters is growing. Here is a random sample from the list of supporters listed on the campaign Web site.

Individual Home Care Staff Members

Rose Podany, RN Telehealth Liaison, St. Joseph Home Health, CA
Helen Carroll, Telehealth Coordinator, Catholic Home Care Telehealth, NY
Carol Beltz, Physical Therapist, FL
Dianne Allen, Physical Therapist, MT
Nana Rodriguez, Occupational Therapist, IL
Edith Klinger, Occupational Therapist, Holy Redeemer Home Health Care, NJ
Dona Sandefur, Speech Pathologist, MD
Linda Denney, Speech Pathologist, OH

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

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View the July 2007 Tips of the Week.

View the June 2007 Tips of the Week.

View the May 2007 Tips of the Week.

View the April 2007 Tips of the Week.

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View the July 2007 e-Bulletin.

View the June 2007 e-Bulletin.

View the May 2007 e-Bulletin.

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If you have technical problems with the e-Bulletin, please e-mail Russell Hartman.

This material was prepared by Quality Insights of Pennsylvania, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization Support Center for Home Health, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. Publication number 8SOW-PA-HHQ07.595. App. 7/31/07.