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April 2006

Importance of Standardization in Home Health

In the world of home health, there are myriads of regulations, recommendations and experts that contribute to the need to continually change the way we do things. Each time a new director takes over an agency, a surveyor visits the agency or a clinician attends an expert’s seminar, they impose their opinions on how things should be done.

When a company grows rapidly, these variables multiply until soon there is no resemblance between the two agencies in the same company. Clinician’s notes, assessments and care plans take vastly different tracks from one agency to another. This impacts a number of areas, including:

  • Increased cost of printing multiple versions of the same tool
  • Inability to standardize training
  • Difficulty in developing audit tools due to different content and order
  • Confusion among clinicians

As with any business the ultimate goal is success. To accurately measure success, we must be able to identify the elements that contribute to a successful agency and quality of care. The only way to be able to identify the elements and create a template for future success is to be able to duplicate the same circumstances in each agency. The only way that can be done is through standardization. Policies, forms, training and processes all become more efficient and more cost-effective by standardization. When everybody is “on the same page”, better comparisons can be made because we are comparing similar circumstances. This allows us to compare agency “A” to agency “B” and choose the processes and procedures that contribute to success. Confusion decreases with standardization because everyone knows the rules and processes. As each process, form or policy is standardized, the “template for success” emerges that can be replicated and the success perpetuated.

Yes, it is a “cookie-cutter” approach that lacks personalization and customization. But it works!

Cindy Dauner-Rider RN, MPH, CPHQ
Director of Clinical Oversight, Amedisys, Inc.

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