Working Well goes the extra mile to raise the quality of its employee health programs in Northern Indiana and Illinois, said NAOHP Senior Principal Donna Lee Gardner, R.N., M.B.A. In a site survey of its clinics this spring, Working Well earned a 98 percent certification score in compliance with NAOHP standards, paving the way for a three-year NAOHP Quality Certification award.
Working Well Occupational Health operates 10 clinics in addition to offering an array of mobile, on-site services including drug screens, FIT tests, wellness and prevention programs.
“They pay very specific attention to building infrastructure for meeting standards and monitoring quality,” said Ms. Gardner, who was the NAOHP site surveyor. “This forces them to look at what they’re doing and make sure it meets the standards.” They are always looking at ways to improve what they’re doing, Ms. Gardner added.
Michael Polich, F.N.P.-B.C., M.B.A., Working Well program manager, said one of the things they have focused on recently is quality monitoring across a range of services including patient satisfaction, employee satisfaction, drug screen errors, patient wait times, and patient rechecks. Quarterly chart auditing is one of the winning techniques. Taking a five percent sample of charts, program managers review documentation of outcomes, diagnoses, plans of care, and more to ensure patient
information is being recorded correctly. Mr. Polich has plans to begin monitoring patient outcomes in 2014. Patient wait times are also reviewed monthly and monitored as a trend.
Working Well is an affiliate of the Franciscan Alliance (formerly Sisters of St. Francis Health Services), which operates 13 hospitals in Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. Franciscan is one of the largest Catholic healthcare systems in the Midwest. Working Well has 70 employees and thousands of employer clients across a range of industries including police and fire departments, manufacturing plants, supermarkets and public transportation drivers.
One of its standout programs is the Working Well mailbox employees use to pick up lab results. It was designed by Physician Assistant (P.A.) Brandon Filtz outside of an electronic medical record system on a limited budget.
Also notable is its explanation of client rights and responsibilities, a document given to every new client.
“They just do an outstanding job,’ Ms. Gardner said.
To receive NAOHP certification, occupational health programs are evaluated in comparison to NAOHP standards in six categories––administration and organization, operational framework, staffing resources, clinical services, quality management, and sales and marketing. Preparing for the certification site survey was a catalyst for Working Well, according to Mr. Polich, helping to launch the program’s journey to excellence.
To receive NAOHP certification, occupational health programs are evaluated in comparison to NAOHP standards in six categories.
They had to develop, among other things, standard policies and procedures, clinical standards for injury management, quality metrics to ensure they were continuing to improve, plus employee competencies. Once they had all that, managers felt confident enough to seek certifications from the International Organization for Standards (ISO) and Baldridge Performance Excellence Program, succeeding in both.
From here, Working Well managers say they will continue working closely with clients, providing more on-site services and an expanded focus on wellness.
