Australian Ageing Agenda September-October 2023 Cover Story

SEP- OCT 23

australianageingagenda.com.au

Lifting the load

QI Companion eases the burden

AN ADVERTISING

FEATURE

SPONSORED FEATURE

QI Companion allows providers to redeploy data collecting efforts into direct care

Lifting the load, easing the burden With aged care providers increasingly under the pump to deliver quality performance reports, Health Generation has developed a solution to help.

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ith staff thin on the ground, it makes little sense for their time to be diverted to collecting data instead of delivering care.

The problem is, there is so much data providers need to collate. As the name suggests, residential aged care providers are obliged to collect data for the National Aged Care Mandatory Quality Indicator Program.

The QI Program previously required providers to report on five areas of care – unplanned weight loss, pressure injuries, physical restraint, falls and major injury, and medication management.

Since 1 April this year, activities of daily living,

Heath Downie

QI Companion can help providers: • submit accurate and meaningful data • submit QI data in line with government guidelines • report the QI data by the mandatory due date • save unnecessary staff time and resources on data collection • gain further insight into your QI data • drive ongoing improvements.

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incontinence care, hospitalisation, workforce, consumer experience, and quality of life have been added to the list.

These 11 quality indicators have been developed in consultation with aged care experts so as to ensure the health and wellbeing of residents living in aged care homes is monitored by the Department of Health and Aged Care.

Providers, meanwhile, can use the QI data to improve the quality of care they provide to their residents. They must also report on the 11 quality indicators for each resident every three months.

“This is time-consuming and collecting the data adds to existing workload pressures,” says Health Generation managing director Heath Downie.

Which is why – in collaboration with QPS Benchmarking – Health Generation has developed the Quality Indicator Companion service.

“QI Companion aims to reduce time, effort and energy spent collecting QI data and allows providers to redeploy this resource effort into direct care,” Downie tells Australian Ageing Agenda. “It also supports providers to accurately collect the QI data and understand its reporting requirements whilst providing dedicated clinical resources on the ground to

SPONSORED FEATURE drive meaningful outcomes in the clinical care of residents.”

QI Companion brings together aged care experts and technology that supports fail-proof collection and direct submission of the data.

As an added value service, QI Companion also provides an easy-to-understand, customised performance report, says Downie. “Through our partnership with QPS we provide a tailor-made resource called the QI Intelligence Report, which highlights trends and benchmarks.”

Rather than just a bunch of numbers, the QI Intelligence Report – which is available within seven days from the quarterly submission date – puts the QI data into context. This information enables providers to compare their performance with industry competitors.

“The information fosters innovation and a desire among providers to up their game,” says Downie. “It helps them identify the areas in which they shine so that they can maintain a leading edge in delivering quality care.”

QI Companion also offers each facility a QI coaching session for key clinical staff. “The coaching sessions are incredibly helpful,” says Downie. “Hosted by aged care quality experts, the sessions drive ongoing improvement.”

Whilst not long launched, QI Companion is already delivering impressive results for residential aged care providers. The service has been trialled by three providers with a combined 1,000 beds.

During the trial, Health Generation analysed the time and resources spent on collecting the QI data across the quarter. “Providers spent anywhere from 100 minutes to 200 minutes per resident per quarter on QI reporting,” says Downie. “Sometimes, up to 10 different people were involved in the process.”

As the results of the trial showed, when providers began using the services of QI Companion, the time spent on QI reporting was reduced significantly. “It can save anywhere from 100 to 190 minutes per resident per quarter,” says Downie.

Moreover, the results of the trial also showed that QI Companion reduced the involvement of key personnel in the QI reporting process by 90 per cent. “This gives valuable time back to your staff and reduces staff stress,” says Downie.

And, as Downie points out: “The aged care workforce is stressed and stretched enough.

QI Companion massively eases the effort that is required by staff when having to collect the QI data.”

As well as minimising stress, Downie tells AAA that QI Companion also offers providers peace of mind.

Once the data is submitted, providers all-too often discover that it’s found to be non-compliant.

There are several possible reasons for this: a misinterpretation of the QI Program Manual, a late or rushed submission, or incorrect data.

“With QI Companion, providers can be assured the data collected is 100 per cent accurate and, most importantly, the information provided is meaningful,” he says.

Providers will also no longer have to sweat about missing a reporting deadline. “The data we collect will be submitted to government in a timely manner across the four quarters of the year,” says Downie.

The Health Generation team supports clients with QI reporting requirements (L to R): Kane Draper, Kalin Eade, Paddy Spillman and Heath Downie

“Providers can be assured the data collected is 100 per cent accurate and, most importantly, the information provided is meaningful.”

These reductions in time, stress and mistakes can naturally also save providers money, he says.

“This could be thousands of dollars for small and medium providers and hundreds of thousands of dollars per quarter for large providers,” Downie tells AAA. Health Generation’s QI Companion service is live and available now to providers through subscription. Already, QI Companion is servicing five providers and collecting QI data on behalf of 12 aged care homes.

“Our team is currently focused on supporting our residential aged care clients with the October to December reporting period,” says Downie.

It’s worth noting that the federal government has plans to introduce a QI Program for the in-home aged care sector. AAA understands that the program will consist of at least five quality indicators.

This is good news for the industry, says Downie. “The QI Program is designed to bring about positive change to the industry and create a worldclass aged care system. Who wouldn’t want that?”

But, due to operational pressures across the sector, the reporting process can be overwhelming for providers and staff alike, says Downie. “And that’s where QI Companion can help. It can lift the administrative load, ease the burden of reporting and free up staff to concentrate on what they do best – delivering quality care.” n Contact Health Generation E: team@healthgen.io T: 1300 909 913 W: healthgen.io

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