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brought to you by the Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign
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October 2016 Agency of the Month
This month, HHQI recognizes Fidelity Health Care in Dayton, Ohio for their dedication to improving home health care quality. |
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Home health agencies that are active in the HHQI National Campaign and closest to the national, risk-adjusted ACH 20th percentile and/or the national, risk-adjusted Oral Medication Improvement 80th percentile (or better) are eligible for random selection as HHQI Agency of the Month.
Be in the spotlight. Nominate your agency today, and if you are selected, your organization will be prominently featured here in HHQI Inside Edition - which reaches more than 16,000 subscribers - and on the HHQI website. Your achievement will also be shared via HHQI's social media channels.
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How Will You Celebrate Home Care & Hospice Month?
Next month is National Home Care & Hospice Month, and HHQI would like to help you celebrate your team. Please email your favorite staff photos and notes of appreciation that we can share with the HHQI community. You may also post them to the HHQI Facebook page or tweet them and tag @HHQI to share with our followers. |
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Serving Up the Industry's Most Valuable Resources
The amount of home health care information available online can be a bit overwhelming, and finding key resources to support your quality improvement efforts can be a job in and of itself. How do you find the time to evaluate resources while prioritizing patient care? You start with HHQI.
Here at the Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign (HHQI), we leverage our strong, long-standing industry relationships and are constantly digging through that never-ending sea of home health information to bring you the industry's most valuable free evidence-based resources. Our website is chock-full of these educational tools, information, and webinars. In this monthly newsletter, we'll feature those that apply to the current month's health-related observances. Looking for resources on a different topic? Just email us, and we'll be happy to help.
National Physical Therapy Month
Diversity Awareness Month
World Stroke Day (Oct 29)
to access the BPIPs. Registration is fast and free.
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Quarterly UP Network Webinar | October 20, 2016 | 2:00-3:00 pm ET
LIFE MAPS:
Treating the Whole Patient, Not Just the Disease
Join the Home Health Quality Improvement (HHQI) National Campaign in welcoming All About You! Home Care Services for our quarterly Underserved Populations Network webinar. All About You! primarily serves a high-risk, underserved patient population and has developed an innovative model that addresses patient non-adherence in order to improve outcomes.
During this free, 1-hour webinar appropriate for agency leadership and clinicians, you'll learn more about the four areas of the agency's Life Maps Model:
- Identification of a Support Person
- Safe Living
- Psycho-Social Support
- Community Support
FREE CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR NURSES
Nurses who complete the corresponding course in HHQI University will receive 1.25 hours of continuing education credit, approved by the Alabama State Nurses Association (ASNA). ASNA is an accredited approver of nursing continuing education through the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation (ANCC).
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Save the Dates
 "Third Thursdays" Event Schedule
Home health professionals are busy. Now, there's an understatement. In order to make the most of your limited time, HHQI's three primary online Networking events -- LiveChat, Cardiovascular Learning & Action Network (CardioLAN) webinars, and Underserved Populations (UP) webinars -- will each be held quarterly.
Events will rotate to always begin at 2pm (ET) on the third Thursday of the month.
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| OCTOBER 20 | JANUARY 19 | APRIL 20 | JULY 20 | LiveChats
| NOVEMBER 17 | FEBRUARY 16 | MAY 18 | AUGUST 17 | | CardioLAN Webinars | DECEMBER 15 | MARCH 16 | JUNE 15 | SEPTEMBER 21 |
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QIO News: October 2016
Person Engagement & Health Literacy
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Maaden Eshete Jones, CMS
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The October 2016 issue of QIO News , the QIO Program's monthly e-newsletter, focuses on how promoting person engagement and health literacy through medication education and multicultural communication can improve health outcomes for seniors.
In Person and Family Engagement Q&A with Maaden Eshete Jones, the CMS Technical Advisor for Communications and Outreach discusses the mission, focus and impact of the agency's Person & Family Engagement Affinity Group.
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Current & Upcoming Health-Related Observances
Each month, the healthcare industry puts the spotlight on a variety of health & wellness issues that impact home health patients and professionals. Follow the links below for more information and resources to get involved and help spread awareness. You can also follow HHQI on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for ongoing related content. Post your favorite photos and free resources & events on our Facebook page, and we'll share them with our followers too!
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National Hispanic Heritage Month
Health Literacy Month
Breast Cancer Awareness Month
National Physical Therapy Month
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National Home Care & Hospice Month
National Alzheimer's
Disease Awareness Month
American Diabetes Month
Lung Cancer Awareness Month COPD Awareness Month
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National Family Caregivers Month
National Home Care Aide Week
World Diabetes Day | Nov 14
Great American Smokeout | Nov 17
National Rural Health Day | Nov 17
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Upcoming Webinars & Other Events
*Continuing education credit is included or available.
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How Home Health Can Ace the Updated ICD-10 Codes
As of October 1, 2016, the FY2017 ICD-10 code set is in effect. In order to ride out the change successfully, there are certain things all health care providers should keep in mind, according to Jennifer Gibson, RN, a certified coding specialist who conducts trainings for Dallas-based home health software vendor Axxess. Gibson shared some last-minute tips for providers with Home Health Care News. 
Additional CMS Resources:
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Important New Information for the 2016-17 Flu Season
 LAIV Recommendation Change
Due to concerns about its effectiveness, LAIV is NOT recommended for use during the 2016-17 season. Only injectable vaccines should be used.
New Vaccines Available
There are two new vaccines on the market:
- FluadTrivalent with MF59 Adjuvant - an adjuvant is added to a vaccine to create a stronger immune response. Recommended for use in adults 65 years of age and older.
- Flucelvax Quadrivalent - a cell-based vaccine for use in persons four years of age and older.
Egg Allergy Recommendations Updated
People who have experienced only hives after exposure to egg can get any licensed flu vaccine that is otherwise appropriate for their age and health.
People who have symptoms other than hives after exposure to eggs, such as angioedema, respiratory distress, lightheadedness, or recurrent emesis; or who have needed epinephrine or another emergency medical intervention, also can get any licensed flu vaccine that is otherwise appropriate for their age and health. In these cases, the vaccine should be given in a medical setting and be supervised by a healthcare provider who is able to recognize and manage severe allergic conditions. Suggested settings include hospitals, clinics, health departments and physician offices.
Visit the CDC's website to learn more about all these 2016-2017 flu season updates.
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Cardiac Rehab Reduces Risk of Future Cardiac Events
Cardiac rehabilitation is a proven 6-week program designed to improve the cardiovascular health for patients with diagnosis such as heart failure, stable angina, myocardial infarction, and post-heart surgery (e.g., CABG, valve replacement, PCI). The goal is to provide an individualized, multidisciplinary approach to reducing the risk of future cardiac events.
Unfortunately, the under-utilization of cardiac rehab (CR) is epidemic. How can those in home health improve participation rates? Consider the frequency of CR referrals in your agency once the patient is no longer homebound. Is this incorporated into your agency's discharge planning and physician talking points? How are your patients educated on the
 importance of the CR program? Home health clinicians are in the right place at the right time to significantly improve participation rates leading to the reduction of future cardiac events.
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49 States & DC Reduce Avoidable Hospital Readmissions
To address the problem of avoidable readmissions, the Affordable Care Act created the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program, which adjusts payments for hospitals with higher than expected 30-day readmission rates for targeted clinical conditions such as heart attacks, heart failure, and pneumonia. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has also undertaken other major quality improvement initiatives, such as the Partnership for Patients, which aim to make hospital care safer and improve the quality of care for individuals as they move from one health care setting to another. The data shows that these efforts are working. Read more on the CMS Blog.
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Key Dates: Home Health Compare & Star Ratings Reports
The latest Quality of Patient Care Star Ratings Preview Reports are now available in the CASPER folders. These reports contain data that will be publicly reported on the Home Health Compare website in January 2017.
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OCT 2016
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JAN 2017
| | Preview reports available in CASPER | 6/30/16
| 9/30/16 | | Quality of Patient Care Star Rating suppression request deadline | 7/18/16 | 10/24/16 | | Deadline for submitting missing or corrected data | 8/19/16 | TBD | |
Home Health Compare updated
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October 2016
| January 2017 |
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Geriatric Home Health Resources from CHAMP
The Collaboration for Homecare Advances in Management and Practice (CHAMP) Program was the first national initiative to advance geriatric home care excellence. CHAMP's valuable resources and e-presentations are still available online.
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This material was prepared by Quality Insights, the Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality
Improvement Organization supporting the Home Health Quality Improvement National Campaign,
under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. The views presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy.
Publication number 11SOW-WV-HH-MMD-100716
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