Administrative Memos

200608

FROM: Theodore O. Will, Chief Executive Officer
DATE: Sep 20, 2006
SUBJECT: Home Health Quality Initiative: Resource Materials
IPRO CONTACTS:

Sara Butterfield, RN, BSN, CPHQ, CCM, Upstate Director, HCQIP (800) 233-0360 Ext. 104

In support of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 8th Scope of Work initiatives to reduce avoidable acute care hospitalizations and increase influenza and pneumococcal immunization assessment and vaccine administration, IPRO is pleased to provide the following Resource Material Packets to assist in your performance improvement efforts:

Influenza and Pneumococcal Immunization Resource Packet

The Immunization Resource Packet, designed to provide resource materials to support patient assessment and development of processes to provide information on access and efficacy of administration of the vaccines for patients and home health agency staff, includes the following materials:

Immunization Toolkit 2006 - provides resources and information regarding influenza and pneumococcal immunization requirements, pandemic and avian influenza and sample documents and checklists to assist in the implementation of an effective immunization program within the home health provider setting.
Copy of the act to amend New York State Public Health Law in relation to the offering of influenza and pneumococcal immunizations that became law on July 26, 2006 and becomes effective on October 24, 2006. This new law requires that every NYS hospital have a standing order for immunization, and requires that all eligible admitted patients, age 65 or older, be offered influenza and pneumococcal vaccination between September first and April first.
"Get Immunized" poster to support education and compliance for vaccination of agency staff.

Physician Communication Resource Packet

The Physician Communication Resource Packet, designed to provide the essential tools for Home Health Nurse and Physician Communication for improved care management and reduction of acute care hospitalizations, includes the following materials:

SBAR Reporting Technique - framework for communication with physicians that provides a concise outline of the identified problem(s) for the patient including the components of the

Situation, Background, Assessment and Recommendation for care. A Standardized Fax Statement document is also provided, incorporating the SBAR communication format.

A template letter to physicians detailing the agency's focus on reducing avoidable acute care hospitalizations and commitment to partner with the physician to improve the timeliness and efficiency of communication of patient information for achievement of the common goal of increasing the quality of the lives of the patient's receiving home health services.
Strategies to implement a promotional campaign with referring physicians to improve and strengthen a collaborative relationship.
Informational article entitled The Physician Role in Reducing Avoidable Hospitalizations that addresses the national focus and perspective regarding the Acute Care Hospitalization Initiative and the need for improved provider communication.

Please note that additional information on Physician communication and the SBAR communication technique will be provided during the IPRO conference call presentation entitled Strategies to Improve Communication With Physicians scheduled for Wednesday, September 27, 2006 from 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM. Registration for participation in this educational session was previously forwarded to your attention on September 8, 2006.

We encourage you to review these materials and incorporate them into your performance improvement efforts. The IPRO Home Health Project Team is available to provide further direction and technical assistance for both of these initiatives. An electronic copy of the documents included in each of the two Resource Packets is available for download from the Home Health Quality Initiative Resource section of the IPRO website, accessed at http://providers.ipro.org/index/homehealth.

If you have questions regarding this memorandum or would like additional information, please contact Sara Butterfield at 1-800-233-0360 Ext.104 or Christine Stegel at 1-800-233-0360 Ext. 113.

We look forward to your continued participation in these important initiatives. Working together, we can have a significant impact on the health and quality of care provided to patients receiving home health care services in New York State!

IPRO Home Health Educational Opportunities 2006