Hospice QAPI Coordinator

The Regional Hospice Quality & Patient Experience (QAPX) Coordinator is responsible for monitoring and facilitating improvement in agency quality, regulatory, and service delivery outcomes for designated hospice provider(s). The Regional Hospice Quality & Patient Experience (PX) Coordinator is accountable for the management and coordination of an integrated Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement program in the assigned region, including on-going preparation for licensure and/or accreditation surveys. Must be willing to travel, on a scheduled and emergency basis, as needed, to different Hospice locations. This person must be able to anticipate needs of the region and take appropriate action.

Must have the ability to accommodate 50% travel, approximately 14 days per month, including airline travel.

• Perform site visits to agencies to drive the development, modification, and implementation of improvement plans and to provide oversight of activities to ensure improved quality performance.
• Conduct on-site surveys of assigned locations to assess compliance with meeting the regulatory and payer source guidelines, as well as to ensure high quality care delivery.
• Provide face-to-face exit conferences with agency leader(s) or designee after each site visit to communicate findings and to discuss initial and/or updates to plans for improvement.
• Provide on-site and remote education and support to agency staff to drive quality and clinical improvements.
• Oversee Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement projects identified through the on-going Hospice data driven quality and service delivery programs for designated hospice agencies, including clinical outcomes, internal process measures, regulatory quality reporting programs, and patient experience outcomes.
• Identify needs and concerns through analysis of hospice quality, service, compliance, and operational metrics, and assist with the development, implementation, and oversight of corrective action plans through the performance improvement process.
• Work directly with agency leadership to develop actionable performance improvement plans that are time limited and specific.
• Monitor improvement and sustainability of improvements through agency data collection processes.
• Review data and reports, both internal and external, to aide in the risk prioritization of improvement opportunities for designated hospice providers.
• Collaborate with agency and regional leadership in the prioritization of performance improvement activities.
• Perform survey preparedness activities at assigned Hospice providers to ensure regulatory survey readiness and promote processes which result in minimal survey deficiencies, including zero condition-level and immediate jeopardy survey deficiencies.
• Keep abreast and informed of happenings within the provider location(s), providing support and guidance to provider leaders as needed, to support efficient operations while also ensuring excellence in regulatory, quality, and patient experience outcomes.
• Perform root cause analysis to address adverse events, complaints, and occurrences and communicate results, verbally and in writing.
• Complete summary reports targeting areas of opportunity and providing analysis of improvement efforts and needs within the assigned hospice provider(s).
• Provide support and guidance to provider leaders to ensure completion of various written reporting and activities such as state plans of correction, governing body meetings, and monthly and quarterly quality reporting.
• Keep abreast of state and federal regulatory requirements and coordinate and provide education for hospice staff at the provider, region, division, and service-line level.
• Provide subject matter expertise on Hospice CoP's, quality measures (both internal and external), and excellence in delivery of the patient care experience at the agency and regional level, including providing support to Medical Directors, hospice physicians, agency operations and clinical leaders, field and office staff, and regional operations leaders.
• Ensure that assigned hospice providers are operating within individual state and federal guidelines and standards of practice appropriate to the agency and agency staff.
• Maintain expert knowledge of hospice quality measures both internal and external, including HVLDL, Hospice CAHPS, Hospice STAR rating, HCI, ESAS, EGSS, HOPE, etc.
• Other duties as assigned.

Education, Experience, & Skills Requirements

• A minimum of 3 years of health care experience. Hospice experience preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in a health care related field.
• Associate's degree acceptable for RN candidates only.
• Certification in HealthCare Quality is preferred within first two years of service.
• High level of understanding of CMS Hospice Conditions of Participation and state licensing standards.
• High level of understanding of CMS Hospice Quality Reporting Program measures.
• Knowledge and experience in healthcare performance improvement.
• Knowledge and background in various patient care systems including HCHB, SHP, MUSE Medalogix, Optum RX, and Microstrategy.
• Strong computer literacy and ability to communicate in various platforms such as Outlook, Teams, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Effective presentation and communication skills, both in person and virtually; ability to present information in a clear and concise manner, to large groups of people, as well as to smaller, more intimate groups.
• Effective team-building skills particularly when working across disciplines and across reporting hierarchies.
• Must have excellent organizational skills and ability to manage and complete tasks in circumstances where competing priorities exist.
• Must have the ability to work independently with minimal supervision and be self-motivated.

Job Requirements:

• Must have a reliable means of transportation and must have current valid driver's license and auto insurance.
• Must have the ability to accommodate 50% travel, approximately 14 days per month, including airline travel.
• Goal oriented and ability to positively impact change.
• Fiscal responsibility and accountability.