Bassett Healthcare’s Journey to Patient Access High Performance Staff Report Cards

Teri Bell, Manager Patient Access Services, Bassett Physician Group Kim Thompson, Manager Patient Access Services, Network System Support and Training Sandi Manley, Director Patient Access Services

Objectives – Identify how staff “report cards” can draw attention to a particular issue for staff performance and expectations. – Identify how staff “report cards” can serve as an objective, “credible” source for evaluating performance. In this way, report cards also encourage individual accountability. – Identify how staff “report cards” can highlight models of success, and lead poorer performing staff toward improvement simply by their “public” nature.

Integrated Health System – 6 Affiliated Hospitals – 23 Primary Care/Family Practice Health Centers – 16 School-Based Health Centers – 8 Specialty Health Centers – square miles / 8 + counties – Physician Employed Model

Patient Access Services IDX-Centricity Scheduling / Registration / Billing System Relay Health Insurance Verification / Eligibility System Automated Reminder System Manual Quality Monitoring Process Centralized Training and Support Centralized and decentralized front-end employee model Revenue Cycle Impact = Process, Denials and Co-Pay Collections

Phase 1 Key Competencies – People, Processes, Technology, Metrics, Communication and Culture People – Establish High Standards for hires – Devote significant resources to education – Career Approach to positions – Leverage compensation for employee satisfaction

The Transformation New JDs ( higher standards) – Representative – Associate – Specialist Increase expectations – Experience – Orientation – learning/education, milestones – Competency requirements – Permanent appointment Certification – Career Improved Grade and Salary – Associate – Specialist

Phase II – Metrics Performance Monitoring and Motivation Staff Dashboards – “Report Cards” Key Competencies – People, Processes, Technology, Metrics, Communication and Culture Metrics – Monitor and report frequently (at least monthly) – Close the loop between monitoring and reporting for improvement – Look beyond traditional metrics (patient satisfaction, turnover, cost of retraining) – Measure the patient perspective – quality of the interaction with the patient as well as after the visit (denials reworked due to front end errors)

Bassett Approach Quality – System Review – Co-pay monitoring Reliability – Episodes unscheduled absence – Flexibility – willingness to work other locations, overtime, different shifts Satisfaction – Patient – Co-workers Denials – Eligibility – Demographics

Staff Report Cards

Next Steps – Phase III and beyond Technology / Process / Culture From Status Quo to Best in Class Technology – Increased electronic solutions – Exception work flows – Process improvement focus – System specialists Processes – Standardization and accountability – Eligibility Support Specialist – Staff practice councils – Clinical/business/access work teams Culture – Getting to Yes – Owning the entire patient experience – Relationship-Based Care – Senior Specialist designation