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Our Quality Improvement Program is designed to achieve the following goals:
Assisting our patients to remain safely at home is a priority of our agency. We work closely with physicians to create an individual plan for each patient to meet their treatment goals and help them recuperate in a comfortable environment. We are dedicated to continuously improving care and keeping up-to-date with healthcare advances. By examining patient outcomes, we can positively impact care and attain our goals. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services or CMS has selected eleven patient outcomes to publicly report and they can be viewed at www.medicare.gov under the Home Health Compare link. In addition to internal, self audits, the Stratford VNA has partnered with quality improvement leaders and participated in national quality improvement studies, giving us the opportunity to share best practices and clinical standards.
Stratford VNA Receives Home Care Distinction We are proud to announce that the Stratford VNA was selected as one of the 2009 Home Care EliteTM, an annual compilation of the most successful home health care providers in the United States. The Home Care EliteTM annual publication is the leading and most recognized honor in the home care industry. This title designates the Stratford VNA as one of the top 25% of home care providers nationally in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance measures. “The 2009 HomeCare Elite winners demonstrate a commitment to providing their patients with the best possible care while performing at the highest level,” said Nancy Buller, Senior Director of Communications at OCS HomeCare. “We congratulate Stratford VNA on being one of the top homecare agencies in the country.” To view the entire list of the 2009 Home Care EliteTM, visit www.ocshomecare.com.
National Studies Through Qualidigm, the State of Connecticut’s Quality Improvement Organization, the Stratford VNA participated in the National LANE project aimed at reducing avoidable re-hospitalizations. Best practices and process changes were incorporated into our patient care model including the “Call Us First” campaign. This campaign teaches patients to call the Stratford VNA when they have physical changes or concerns before going to the emergency room. Early identification of “at risk” patients allows us to develop specialty care plans and give extra skilled nursing visits at the beginning of care. Fall prevention and medication management are incorporated into each skilled visit and keep our patients safe at home. By using this model and designing education toward this goal, we have been successful in reducing our re-hospitalization rate.
In 2008, the Stratford VNA was invited to be a part of the National Best Practice Study by Fazzi Associates, Inc. to examine the clinical, operational and financial outcomes that make home care agencies successful. By being a part of this valuable national study, we were able to share information that has helped the Stratford VNA be one of the oldest home care agencies in Connecticut as well as gain insight into areas for improvement.
Also in 2008, the Stratford VNA volunteered to be a part of the National Pay for Performance Demonstration Project conducted by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid or CMS. This demonstration project is testing the proposed payment model for Medicare beneficiaries and will reward agencies that maintain patient outcomes in the top 20% nationally or show a marked improvement in clinical outcomes. The Stratford VNA was selected to be in the treatment group and has the potential to receive monetary rewards for exceptional patient outcomes.
Patient Satisfaction Maintaining a high patient satisfaction rate is very important to us. Although not a current requirement by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services or CMS, we perform patient satisfaction surveys for all discharged and long term patients as a means to measure our performance and continuously look to how we can improve our care. We use the Pat/Stat Survey by Fazzi Associates, Inc to collect this data and benchmark our scores against other home care agencies. We enjoy receiving feedback from our patients and families. Click here to see what our patients say about us. Beginning in January 2010, CMS will require home care agencies to administer patient satisfaction surveys using the HHCAHPS standardized questionnaire. Results from the HHCAHPS survey will be transmitted to CMS for review and will be publicly reported on Medicare’s website beginning in January 2011.
Local Collaboration Locally, we have been invited to join the hospitals and long term care facilities in our region working with Qualidigm to prevent pressure ulcers, also known as bed sores, across the continuum of care. This collaborative relationship will enhance communication between care providers and health care settings and help prevent this medical complication. Pressure ulcers can be very painful, put the patient at risk of infection, and can be very difficult to heal. However, pressure ulcers are preventable and the information shared through this collaboration will greatly benefit our patients.
ELDER Project Beginning November 2009, the Stratford VNA has been asked to participate in the ELDER project, a three year grant through Fairfield University. This federal grant will provide education and gather information on promoting teamwork across multidisciplinary health care providers, cultural competency and issues surrounding end of life care. This grant is designed for health care workers who primarily treat the elderly. Nurses, home health aides and physical therapists from our staff will take part in this exciting grant and benefit from this partnership.
Student Mentoring We have a vested interest in advancing the nursing profession and openly accept nursing students from area schools to visit our agency and learn the role of a home care nurse. Students make home visits with our staff and witness how rewarding the autonomous, one-on-one relationship staff develops with patients can be. These student experiences enrich their education and expose future nurses to the benefits of treating patients in their homes.
We Are Here To Help You We have a registered nurse available seven days a week, 24 hours a day to meet the needs of our patients. We welcome your questions, comments or suggestions. Contact the Stratford VNA:
By Phone 203.375.5871 By Fax 203.378.8193 By Email at stratfordvna@stratfordvna.org
Our office is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. |
