Improving HCAHPS: Satisfying Patients - and Your Bottom Line

Learn Strategies to Achieve Optimal Reimbursement Rates

Note: This is Part 1 of the series: Mastering Hospital Value-Based Purchasing (You can access Part 2, Boosting Quality Process Measures: Steps to Success for Your Hospital)

About the Webinar

Program Objectives

Webinar Will Answer These Questions

Attend from your desktop or conference room. Invite your whole team to attend at one low price.

Rates: $329 per location, unlimited viewers per location (a special rate is also available for solo practitioners and the military). Please call 301-354-1769 for promo code for a price reduction if you qualify.

Each registration comes with access to the archived version of the program and the materials until December 31, 2012.

Continuing Professional Education: This program is approved for 1.5 contact hour for nurses, social workers, and certified case managers

Are you paying attention to patient satisfaction? If you answered no, your bottom line is screaming “Why not?”

The fact is that patient satisfaction ratings, represented by HCAHPS scores, have a direct impact on your facility’s reimbursement rates. Combined with the core quality measures of value-based purchasing, these two elements can mean the loss or gain of real dollars for your facility.

Join us on June 27, 2012, for a comprehensive look into why your facility should make it a priority to improve your HCAHPS scores – and what strategies you can use to improve patient satisfaction rates and secure the appropriate levels of reimbursement for your healthcare facility.

About the Webinar

HCAHPS stands for Hospital Consumer Assessment of Health Providers and Systems; it is a government survey for measuring patient satisfaction at hospitals across the country. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) sponsor the survey, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.

According to experts, hospitals that continuously improve HCAHPS scores do two things differently. First, before making changes, they understand what patients experience at their hospital and how that compares to their expectations.

Secondly, they recognize that not all patients served by their hospital are the same. Needs and expectations vary by type of patient. In addition, not all patients are equally important. When you understand and address the needs of key patient segments, the collective satisfaction rating improves for the whole hospital.

Why is this important? HCAHPS ratings are not static. As your hospital works to improve patient satisfaction, other hospitals including those in your area are also doing the same. Medicare payments will be based on your HCAHPS scores relative to other U.S. hospitals. So even if your HCAHPS scores improve, if your improvement lags other hospitals, your percentile ranking will drop and negatively impact reimbursements.

The “winners,” if you will, are not simply hospitals that improve but hospitals that learn how to improve their HCAHPS at a faster rate than their peers.

Program Objectives

Define HCAHPS and identify the value proposition behind patient satisfaction.
Learn how HCAHPS are tied to Medicare reimbursement rates.
Learn what leading facilities are doing to achieve top-flight HCAHPS scores.
Identify actionable strategies that hospitals can use to improve satisfaction.

Our Webinar Will Answer These Questions

What specific changes will have the greatest overall impact on patient satisfaction?
How do you balance needs in this area against equally urgent quality improvements?
How do you begin to improve HCAHPS scores using a targeted approach?
How can I identify key patient segments?
How can I understand the patients and families in these segments when they visit my hospital?
Why is continuous improvement not sufficient?
Why are dissatisfied patients a financial risk?
How can I gain a competitive advantage over other facilities in my area?
What roadblocks will prevent improved HCAHPS scores?
How does priority-setting and good communication influence my scores?
What strategies can I implement to create an HCAHPS blueprint?
What are leading facilities doing to accomplish significant gains?

Faculty

Mary Kay O’Connor is a senior executive specializing in using customer feedback to initiate effective change within organizations. She founded StartingPoint in 1994. The company uses patient stories about their hospital experiences to identify what is needed to increase patient satisfaction, improve quality and lower costs. Located in Kansas City, StartingPoint harnesses patient feedback through a unique process called StraightTalk™ as a way to guide business decisions and significantly improve patient satisfaction and your HCAHPS scores.

Mary Linda Rivera, RN, ND, is the Executive Director, Cleveland Clinic Office of Patient Experience, where she leads a team that serves as an advisory resource to provide patient experience expertise for critical initiatives throughout the the Cleveland Clinic enterprise. The Patient Experience team provides HCAHPS education, resources and data analytics; identifies, supports and publishes sustainable best practices; provides holistic services for patients, families and employees; supports employee experience, service excellence and patient advocacy initiatives; and collaborates with a variety of departments to ensure the consistent delivery of patient-centered care.

Rivera has nearly 30 years of healthcare operations experience, including three years with Cleveland Clinic Health Care Ventures. Before joining the Cleveland Clinic, she served as the Chief Operating Officer for an infusion and home care network service in Cleveland, where she was responsible for the strategic planning, management and quality of service delivery.

Moderator:
Anne Llewellyn RN-BC, MS, BHSA, CCM, CRRN
Editor in Chief, Case Management Products
Dorland Health, a division of Access Intelligence

Who Should Attend

Physicians
Nurse Practitioners
Physician Assistants
Pharmacists
Case Managers
Social Workers

Quality Improvement Professionals
Behavioral Health Professionals
Managed Care Directors
Benefit Design Professionals
Practice Management Professionals
Patient Centered Medical Home Consultants

Purchase Options

$329 per location, unlimited viewing per location (a special rate is available for solo practitioners and the military. Please call 301-354-1769 for promo code for a price reduction if you qualify.
Live Webinar Registration – $329 (per-site fee)
Webinar Recording on CD-ROM – $329
Live Webinar and CD-ROM – $379

Continuing Professional Education

Nurses: This program is approved for 1.5 contact hours for nurses by Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES). As an APA approved provider, CES programs are accepted by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Every state Board of Nursing accepts ANCC approved programs except California and Iowa. However, CES is also an approved Continuing Education Provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing, (Provider Number CEP 15567) which is also accepted by the Iowa Board of Nursing

Certified Case Managers: This program is approved for 1.5 contact hours for case managers through the Commission for Case Manager Certification.

Social Workers: This program is approved for 1.5 CE hours for Social Workers. Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) is approved as a provider for Social Work Continuing Education (ACE Provider #1117) by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB, 400 South Ridge Parkway, Ste B, Culpepper, VA 22701) www.aswb.org. ASWB Approval Period: 10/6/09-10/5/12.

Questions?

For questions regarding the Webinar or to register by phone, contact Hope Kabik at 301-354-1769.

For content questions regarding this Webinar, contact Anne Llewellyn at 954-254-2950 or email allewellyn@dorlandhealth.com.

*Dorland Health does not offer any refunds for the webinar. All sales are final.

For technical support questions, you can contact the Webex technical support line at 1.866.229.3239.

How Does the Webinar Work?

The live audio is delivered to your location over the telephone or your computer speakers. The Power-Point presentations are presented over the Internet and are available to print out before the program. This is like a talk-radio program with visuals on the Web. You and your team will be able to have a live Q&A with all the speakers.

More details on webinar equipment and connections