IMPROVING EXPERIENCE OF CARE ONE PATIENT AT A TIME
The Patient and Family Satisfaction Quality Improvement Project is a national initiative designed to improve the experience and quality of care for the patients and caregivers receiving home
health and hospice. We do this by providing agencies with a comprehensive but efficient bundle of research-based education and consulting solutions specifically designed to improve CAHPS satisfaction scores. The project’s model is the only available product in the industry that is efficacy tested and supported by the National Association for Home Health and Hospice (NAHC).
Project Core Components
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SupervisionMax
SupervisionMax is a supervisory program designed specifically for home health and hospice leaders. Learn how to hold employees accountable, build engagement, and supervise every level of employee.
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Patient-Centered Care
Based on the research theories of leading experts, this course is developed by expert Dr. Mary Narayan. The course reviews elements of motivational interviewing, communication strategies, and teach back learning. There is also an option for users to become PCC Certified Mentors.
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Customer Service
Designed for back and front office staff, our creating a culture of customer service program is the first program to be developed based on the customer service principles guiding Disney and Ritz Carlton. We discuss setting expectations, communication skills and service recovery.
Data Analysis and Benchmarking
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Home Health Baseline CAHPS Scores
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Hospice Baseline CAHPS Scores
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CAHPS Project Data Monitoring
As part of the project, we collect and monitor agency CAHPS scores for a 6-month baseline period. Agencies are contacted and consulted on their CAHPS scores throughout the duration of the project.
Agency Feedback
“I am currently finishing my Master's in Organizational Leadership- this was an EXCELLENT presentation comparative to UMass educational courses."
-Supervision Training Participant
“One of the best courses I have taken since college. The presentation was incredibly educational and motivating. I can't wait to implement the theories of patient-centered care learned in this course into practice.”
-Patient-Centered Care Participant
"I've worked in the industry for over 20 years and this customer service training was the best educational program I've ever taken"
-Customer Service Participant
"I am so happy to have the consulting support to better understand my CAHPS scores, what impacts them, and how we can improve. And the education is phenomenal."
-Participating Agency Director
CAHPS Project Frequently Asked Questions
When does the next CAHPS improvement project begin?
Our last cohort of this research project began on October 27th. Agencies now have the option to license project education for continued access to the program.
How much work is entailed in the project?
The number of hours required in the project depend on the role in the organization. Managers should expect to commit 6-8 hours over 6-month time period, while field staff training is 3-hours and other staff trainings is 1.5 hours. Training can be completed at anytime during the 6-month period.
How is the project priced? What if I have mutliple CCNs/Provider numbers?
Registration fees are based on total number of users.
What type of results should I expect to see in my CAHPS scores after completing the project?
CAHPS results post-project will vary greatly depending on mutliple factors. Including:
- CAHPS scores going into the project.
- Success in completing all components of the project.
- Investment in implementing the learnings of the project.
- Employee turnover and engagement.
- Operational best practices implemented.
Interested agencies can complete our contact form to be updated on results as they are available.
The Research
The Case for Improving Patient Experience of Care
At both the practice and individual provider levels, patient experience positively correlates to processes of care for both prevention and disease management. For example, diabetic patients demonstrate greater self-management skills and quality of life when they report positive interactions with their providers.
Patients' experiences with care, particularly communication with providers, correlate with adherence to medical advice and treatment plans. This is especially true among patients with chronic conditions, where a strong commitment from patients to work with their providers is essential for achieving positive results.
Patients with better care experiences often have better health outcomes. For example, studies of patients hospitalized for heart attack showed that patients with more positive reports about their experiences with care had better health outcomes a year after discharge.
Measures of patient experience also can reveal important system problems, such as delays in returning test results and gaps in communication that may have broad implications for clinical quality, safety, and efficiency.
Efforts to improve patient experience also result in greater employee satisfaction, reducing turnover. Improving the experience of patients and families requires improving work processes and systems that enable clinicians and staff to provide more effective care. A focused endeavor to improve patient experience at one hospital resulted in a 4.7 percent reduction in employee turnover.
For home health agencies, 30% of the HHVBP scores impacting payment are based on CAHPS outcomes. For hospice organizations, 40% of the Special Focus Program algorithm is based on CAHPS scores.
Research Project Team
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Lindsay Doak, MBA
Lindsay is the Director of Healthcare Research and Education at BerryDunn. She has over 18 years conducting research in the home health and hospice industry. For direct inquiries, reach out to Lindsay at ldoak@berrydunn.com.
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Mary Curry Narayan, PhD, RN, HHCNS-BC, CTN-A
Dr. Narayan has over 40 years of home health and cross-cultural nursing experience. She has served as a clinician, educator, and consultant. Her research interests include patient-centered care, culture-sensitive care, nursing excellence, and home-based nursing standards internationally.
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Kristina Senna
Kristina is the National Patient and Family Satisfaction Quality Improvement Project Program Manager. She has over 15 years experience working in home health and hospice working. Her experience includes both financial consulting as well as best practice research.
