Marketing your Home Health CMS Scores – (Part III - Patient Survey Results)

The third and final part of our series on Marketing your CMS home health scores is a review of patient surveys. Patients and their families answer survey questions about their home health care experience. The HHCAHPS provides a national standard of comparison among home health agencies and an excellent marketing opportunity.

https://www.medicare.gov/homehealthcompare/search.html is an online consumer resource that gives your agency a recognized marketing platform. The best part is this tool is its absolutely FREE!

1.     Patient survey summary star rating: The more stars the better! The HHCAHPS star rating is a summary of all the patient experience survey results. https://www.medicare.gov/homehealthcompare/About/Patient-Survey-Star-Ratings.html

2.     How often the home health team gave care in a professional way? A lower score in this category is basically a poor staff review, and could indicate the need to educate staff on agency processes and expectations for providing quality care to patients. https://www.tagwebstore.com/caregiver-handbook.php (National Average 88%)

3.     How well did the home health team communicate with patients? Communication is very important for success in many areas of home health care. A score below 85% is an indication that your training program needs to emphasize better communication. (National Average 85%) https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000456.htm

4.     Did the home health team discuss medicines, pain, and home safety with patients? Along the same lines as the previous question, medication education, pain evaluation, and patient safety at home are basics of home health care. A score below 80% on this question could indicate the need for more training, staff support, or staff evaluations to improve your score. (National Average 83%) https://www.ama-assn.org/residents-students/medical-school-life/6-simple-ways-master-patient-communication

5.     How do patients rate the overall care from the home health agency? Home staffing is nearly impossible to supervise, but HHCAHPS is a direct reflection of your staff performance.  You always want to see this rating in the 90% range! (National Average 84%) https://homehealthcahps.org/Portals/0/HHA_Responsibilities_List.pdf

6.     Would patients recommend the home health agency to friends and family? This question is your money maker! You always want the majority of your patients to be willing to refer your agency! Failing here, is failing! (National Average 78%)

Reviewing your agency’s scores should be a routine part of your continuous improvement program. Superior patient care and satisfaction are both firm foundations to build your business on. Your above average scores can translate to referrals, and we offer a referral building tool to highlight them. Visit https://tagwebstore.com/ or call us at 866-232-6477 for more information on our Outcome Brochures and take the next step in successful home health physician marketing.

Resources: https://www.medicare.gov/homehealthcompare/About/Survey-Results.html , https://www.medicare.gov/homehealthcompare/About/What-Is-HHC.html

Marketing your Home Health CMS Compare Scores (Part II - Preventing Harm)

Increase your physician referrals by marketing your CMS Home Health Compare scores. There is an excellent home health marketing tool available through CMS that many agencies are not utilizing. CMS’s Home Health Compare site provides potential patients and referring physicians a published track record of how your agency’s performance stacks up to the competition. Physicians want to refer patients to proven home health agencies, so naturally promoting your above average compare scores is an excellent way to boost referrals.

The five quality measure questions under the patient care category:

• Managing daily activities

• Managing pain and treating symptoms

• Preventing harm

• Preventing unplanned hospital care

• Payment and value of care

Your agency may not excel in all measures, but you can highlight areas where you do excel and work on the areas where your team is falling behind the state and national averages.

Let’s look at the preventing harm questions, and what a low score in this home care basic might be an indication of:

1.    How often the home health team began their patients’ care in a timely manner? This question generally rates a high score by most patients surveyed. A score less than 94% could be an indication that patients are waiting extended periods of time for their home health nurse, or that the actual nursing visit is too brief; both indicate overscheduling and/or understaffing. (National Average 94.8%)

2.    How often the home health team taught patients (or their family caregivers) about their drugs? A less than 98% score to this question indicates a review of best practices on medication education and the amount of time staff nurses are spending on the subject. (National Average 98.4%) https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2018/05000/Improving_patient_medication_education.16.aspx

3.    How often patients got better at taking their drugs correctly by mouth? National scores on this question are lower. This task can be complicated as some patients may have a progressive condition that inhibits swallowing, such as esophageal or oropharyngeal dysphagia. Speech therapists can work with patients who struggle with oral medication. If your agency does not offer speech therapy, you may want to consider doing so to improve your score on this question. (National Average 68.5%) https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dysphagia/symptoms-causes/syc-20372028

4.    How often the home health team checked patients’ risk of falling? A less than 99% score on this question could indicate an insufficiency in OT staffing, or overscheduling of therapists and/or nursing staff. (National Average 99.6%)

5.    How often the home health team checked patients for depression? A less than 97% score on this question could indicate the need for more social work involvement between care teams. (National Average 97.5%) https://journals.lww.com/homehealthcarenurseonline/FullText/2016/07000/Depression_in_Home_Based_Care__The_Role_of_the.3.aspx

6.    How often the home health team made sure that their patients have received a flu shot for the current flu season? National Average scores are a little lower on this question as many people have strong opinions about immunizations. However, this score can be boosted by making sure to question the patient in the presence of a family member or caregiver, and by educating them about the vaccine. (National Average 78.6%) https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/misconceptions.htm

7.    How often the home health team made sure that their patients had received a pneumococcal vaccine (pneumonia shot)? The national average fares a bit better for the pneumonia vaccine score. Patients often refuse the vaccine because they believe they have had it or they don’t need it. This score can be boosted by making sure to question the patient in the presence of a family member or caregiver, and by educating them about the vaccine. (National Average 81.7%) https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/pneumo/public/index.html

8.    For patients with diabetes, how often the home health team got doctor’s orders, gave foot care, and taught patients about foot care? These are routine tasks that home health nurses should include in their care of a diabetic patient. A less than 97% score on this question could indicate overscheduling of nursing staff and/or adequate training. (National Average 97.9%) https://www.netprintmanager.com/public/edit_print.asp?idCart=6392001000726124597963

9.    How often physician-recommended actions to address medication issues were completed timely? A less than 92% score on this question indicates the need to review best practices regarding staff communication and accessibility to current patient information. Consider introducing Transition Care Management to your referring physicians. TCM will likely improve communication, bridge gaps in care, and improve HHC scores.  (National Average 92.9%) https://www.tagwebstore.com/transitional-care-management.php

Reviewing your agency’s scores should be a routine part of your continuous improvement program. Superior patient care and satisfaction are both firm foundations to build your business on. Your above average scores can translate to referrals, and we offer a referral building tool to highlight them. Visit https://tagwebstore.com/ or call us at 866-232-6477 for more information

Thyroid Awareness, a Marketing Opportunity

December is that time of year when families and friends gather to celebrate, reminisce, and eat! People who struggle with their weight sometimes avoid social gatherings where rich holiday foods will be featured. Talk about jump starting those holiday blues!

What if their weight struggles were the result of a thyroid condition that a simple blood test (TSH) could identify? It’s a good possibility. After all, thyroid conditions are more common that diabetes or heart disease and half the people who have one are unaware of it.

The thyroid gland is the puppet master of our body’s metabolism, and over 30 million Americans have some form of thyroid malady. An under-performing thyroid (hypothyroidism) does not produce enough hormone to properly execute body functions and maintain a healthy metabolism.

Symptom recognition is the first step toward diagnosis and treatment. Home health caregivers help their patients recognize and understand their thyroid condition. Once a thyroid condition has been identified it can be treated with a high rate of success. 

Symptoms of hypothyroidism:

• weight gain

• fatigue

• dry skin

• extreme sensitivity to cold

• memory problems

• constipation

• depression

• decreases heart rate

Helping people live fuller and happier lives should be the goal of every health care professional. Plan now to don your blue paisley ribbons and include Thyroid Awareness Month as part of your January home health social media blitz.

Visit TAGWebstore.com for your home health marketing print media. 

Resources: http://www.thyroidawareness.com/, https://www.empoweryourhealth.org/Overactive-Thyroid

The Healing Power of Pets

Pets have the power to heal! Research shows that pet parenting can help prevent loneliness, relieve stress, lower blood pressure, and alleviate anxiety. Caring for a pet provides purpose and helps a person feel needed. They give unconditional love, companionship, and a sense of security for those living alone.

Dogs in particular can help combat isolation and improve socialization. Dog walking promotes moderate daily exercise and opportunities to socialize with neighbors and other dog parents. Cats as companions can often reduce anxiety further as they do not require as much maintenance, making them ideal emotional support animals.

Pet care may not come to mind when considering home health, home care, or hospice, but these agencies specialize in personalized care plans that often include caring for beloved pets along with their human parents. 

Medical providers are also getting on board with the healing power of pets by embracing Pet therapy. It is a growing practice at hospitals and skilled nursing facilities across the country. Pet therapy uses dogs and other domesticated animals to help lower anxiety, facilitate healing, and relieve separation anxiety for patients suffering from severe physical or mental illness.

Pet Therapy can relieve anxiety and depression for:

• Chemotherapy recipients

• Long-term care residents

• Dementia patients

• PTSD sufferers

• Children undergoing medical procedures

Therapy animals also lift the spirits of hospice patients. A visit from a happy dog can transform a hospice patient from despondence to delight, and they can be an incredible comfort to a grieving family, especially children.

Home health and hospice provide benefits far beyond the convenience of receiving quality health care in the comfort of home, they keep families together. Most people would prefer to have their pet by their side when recovering from surgery or while battling a chronic illness. Choosing home health, home care, or hospice can help make that a reality. Many of these agencies offer pet care services as part of their routine caregiving.

Promote the healing power of home in your home health, home care, and hospice marketing. TAG partners offers a variety of personalized print media to assist your agency in delivering that message. Visit TAGwebstore.com or call us at 866-232-6477 for marketing assistance.

Acknowledging your Referral Partners at the Holidays

The holidays provide an excellent opportunity to recognize your referral sources while distinguishing your agency as a dedicated health care partner.

 Some Holiday Appreciation Ideas:

• Stand out by giving holiday cards to reinforce the value of your professional partnership. Make sure to sign it by hand -- extra points for having your entire leadership team sign it.

• Make a charitable donation to a group that supports a relevant health care issue (American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, etc.) and let your referral sources know that in lieu of gifts, your company has chosen to support the worthy charitable cause.

• Organize an evening of caroling at local hospitals and skilled nursing facilities with your staff and some willing referral partners. The greatest gift is always giving of yourself.

• Deliver holiday treats and small swag gifts to the offices of referring physicians.

Visit our web store for your home health and hospice client appreciation gifts. We are a full-service print shop and an ASI member, so if you don’t see what you are looking for give us a call at 866-232-6477. We specialize in special!

You might want to brush up on few health care reform guidelines and statutes to make sure you are on the straight and narrow: http://www.partnerwithtag.com/home-care-blog?month=11-2018

Since the gifts given can't reflect the volume of referrals provided, the best solution is to give the same gifts to everyone. If you keep the guidelines in mind when you are holiday planning, you can stay compliant and still show your appreciation for the excellent working relationships you've developed.