Outreach, Benchmarking on Board Agenda
The NAOHP Board held its quarterly meeting via conference call on Aug. 18. Executive Director Frank Leone and NAOHP staff member Karen O’Hara were also in attendance.
The following Board members participated: Jewels Merckling, Tom Brink, Mike Schmidt, Dr. Steve Crawford, Michelle McGuire, Leonard Bevill, and Karen Kosidowski-Bergen. Denia Lash and Rick Rankin were unable to attend.
Member Recruitment: Mr. Schmidt reminded the Board to send out e-mail blasts to members reminding them to renew their association membership.
National Conference Update: Ms. O’Hara reported that faculty recruitment for the Natural Conference was finalized and that efforts were now focused on promoting the conference. Board members were invited to offer suggestions for boosting conference registration.
Mr. Bevill advised fellow Board members to send out personal e-mail invitations to members in their regions. Dr. Crawford proposed using American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine pre-conference courses as a way to attract physicians to RYAN Associates’ conference. Dr. Crawford expressed enthusiasm about the NAOHP’s collegial relationship with ACOEM. He also said he believes NAOHP publications are an effective way to reach out to physicians.
Staff and Clinician Relationships: Ms. Merckling reiterated that team-building is a major focus. She reported that she and Dr. Crawford would lead a session at the National Conference on staff and physician relationships, the medical director’s role and responsibilities, and how to address conflicts in the workplace. Ms. Merckling said she would use a worksheet with team-building exercises during the conference workshop.
Member Education and Services: Ms. O’Hara reported the NAOHP has been promoting individual re-certification (Certificate of Competency in Occupational Health Program Management) in conjunction with the National Conference curriculum. In addition, she said several sites that were certified three years ago are coming up for renewal.
Benchmarking: Ms. O’Hara reminded Board members to complete the NAOHP’s bi-annual national survey of provider-based occupational health programs if they haven’t already done so. She said the survey produces a considerable amount of useful information for industry benchmarking.
Mr. Brink reported that he recently sent out a request for proposals and that Press Ganey had responded with a proposal to help the NAOHP develop a set of questions to assess patient satisfaction specific to occupational health programs. Mr. Brink said one of the objectives is to create a vehicle for the NAOHP to engage in benchmarking while also generating revenue to support association activities. The next step would be program-to-program benchmarking.
Information Management: Ms. McGuire said she is developing a coding spreadsheet for various levels of office visits. She explained that she perceives the practice of medicine more as a science and coding more as an art and that it is important to break down the elements that are required for appropriate coding.
Ms. Merckling reiterated plans to reach out to companies offering coding and billing expertise to help develop a more coordinated approach for provider-based programs.
Promoting National Visibility: Mr. Leone reported progress with efforts to reach out to occupational health nurses. Ms. Kosidowski-Bergen mentioned that her organization has been engaged in discussions with Reed Group, an NAOHP Vendor Member and publisher of the Medical Disability Advisor, on effective disability management through the use of guidelines and electronic medical records. She suggested presenting a session on the model at the 2011 National Conference.
Elections: Ms. O’Hara reminded Board members that some terms will expire at the end of the year and that elections will be held before then.
Additional Comments: Mr. Leone asked the Board for input on issues and challenges they have observed in the industry. Ms. Kosidowski-Bergen said a key issue is teaching consumers how to use health care wisely and cost-effectively. Mr. Brink said his focus has been on developing occupational health’s role in population health management initiatives and blending occupational medicine with urgent care and primary care services at the worksite.
