September 2007 e-Bulletin

Welcome to the Home Health QIOSC monthly e-Bulletin, your source for the latest updates in home health quality improvement. You may either browse the newsletter or use the icons at the top of the page to jump to a specific section.

Following are recent and upcoming educational materials available on MedQIC - www.medqic.org.

Posted

Pending

There are no items pending at this time.

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Nothing at this time.

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November 1, 2007:  Immunization Remeasurement Survey Results

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QIO CoP Sharing Call:  Tuesday, September 18, 2007, 3:00 p.m. (EDT)
1.877.260.8899; ID: CoP

LANE Teleconference Call:  Monday, September 24, 2007, 3:00 p.m. (EDT)
1.800.700.7133; ID: LANE Call

National Call:  Tuesday, September 25, 2007, 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. (EDT)
1.866.861.5389; ID: National Call

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Communities of Practice

The Dyspnea and Pain Communities of Practice (CoP) were created to provide a platform for those QIOs that selected one of these measures as their statewide measure for improvement. Each group met four times via conference calls to learn from experts in the field and share barriers, strategies for improvement and, finally, lessons learned. Common themes between the two groups included:

• The need for ongoing OASIS education to promote consistency
• The need for frequent contacts, reminders and onsite visits with home health agencies
• The connection between improving ‘other’ measures and reducing hospitalizations
• The QIOs are proud of their home health agencies and their work which has improved outcomes and the quality of care provided to countless patients.

The ACH Strategic Plan CoP was comprised of the 12 QIOs that had an ACH rate < 25% at baseline. These QIOs were required to submit a strategic plan for the acute care hospitalization measure that detailed their work with statewide and clinical performance identified participants. This CoP provided an opportunity for sharing related to their unique situation for sustaining a favorable ACH rate. The HH QIOSC often called upon this group for feedback regarding resource development and current issues. Three times throughout the 8th SoW, the strategic plan QIOs were required to share lessons learned and best practices on a national call. The HH QIOSC thanks this group for their insights and the enthusiasm they shared with the home health QIO community.

The Oral Meds CoP is the largest group, with 30 QIOs that selected Improvement in Management of Oral Medications as their statewide measure. The Texas, Tennessee, Massachusetts, North Dakota, and Hawaii QIOs discussed their statewide interventions with their agencies. The final Oral Meds CoP call will be September 18, 2007.

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