Outcomes, Outcomes, Wherever You Are
Consultant and RN Julianne Haydel offers her views on how home care agencies can survive an industry in flux, by keeping careful track of their outcomes.
There's no question that amidst mounting pressures being placed on home care
agencies—including Medicare reimbursement changes, the threat of Recovery Auditor Contractors (RAC) audits, and of course, health care
reform—it can be very overwhelming to juggle the daily responsibilities of running a business. So, what can home care agencies do to survive and thrive in this new climate? Julianne Haydel, RN and founder of Haydel Consulting Services, says the answer lies in the outcomes.
"Home care agencies need to be efficient, flexible organizations that are always primed for new legislation. Furthermore, they need to be mindful of their outcomes, if they want to keep regulatory bodies and purchasers of services wanting more," she says.
"Outcomes will affect your payment, your ability to participate in Medicare, and your ability to stay in business in the future. Although our first job as nurses is to take care of patients, how you document and obtain reimbursement for that care is just as important. No one wants to think of health care as a business, but it is, whether we like it or not."
Haydel believes that two outcomes in particular are critical to the success of home care agencies: hospitalizations and readmission rates. "These are solid measurements of how well an agency or hospice performs," Haydel says. "The cost of these hospitalizations drives up Medicare rates tremendously, so the more people that we can keep out of the hospital, the greater our value will be."
The importance of outcomes should be stressed at every level of the home care agency, since having that common goal will help everyone to work together more effectively. "Overall, nurses feel more comfortable when they're able to use OASIS guidelines in their assessments and care planning," says Haydel.
"And by teaching your nurses the skills to improve outcomes and document improvements, you will certainly be in a better position to survive an audit. Because, at the very least, you can count on the clinical records being reviewed by professionals who will recognize your dedication to skilled care."