With staff pressed on every side, ensuring clinical meetings are an effective use of time and resources is essential. Strong meeting processes can facilitate key objectives are met related to clinical quality, MDS assessment accuracy, risk management, and reimbursement. Facility processes should include an ongoing review of the need for skilled level of care, care planning review, utilization review, change in condition, IPA completion, and triple check. However, as we have all experienced, meetings can feel overwhelming and be counterproductive when not run well. Identifying roles each member of the interdisciplinary team play should play to ensure a collaborative approach to clinical meetings is essential. As you evaluate your clinical meeting processes consider these guidelines:
- Appoint a leader for the meeting: The leader can change depending on which meeting is being conducted. Morning stand-up meetings are usually conducted by the facility administrator, while triple check may be the MDS nurse collaborating with therapy or the business office manager. Whatever the meeting and regardless of who is leading, the leader should keep the team focused on defined objectives, ensure there is active participation among all members based on assigned responsibilities, and keep the meeting moving.
- Timing: All members of the IDT should come to the meeting prepared with their department’s input and recommendations. Members of the IDT should be ready to speak when it is their turn. The speaker should stay on topic and be cognizant of their time and others. Give a time the meeting will close and follow an agenda to ensure time limits are respected.
- Structure: Every meeting should have established objectives and structure. Team members should share items that are occurring within their individual departments and any difficulties they need help with related to the meeting topic. Unrelated topics should be held for a different time to ensure the meeting stays on task.
- Follow-up: Designate someone to take notes during the meeting as appropriate. Meeting minutes should serve as a way in which to follow up on important items and allow team members who were unable to attend the meeting to have information available that may affect their job or department. Assignments for specific follow up action items should be clarified with timeframes whenever possible.
The resident, family, nursing, therapy, and the interdisciplinary team should all be working in collaboration to manage effective meetings to coordinate services and plan for safe discharge transitions. Contact Proactive for assistance in ensuring your meetings are hitting the mark!
References
- Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2021). MDS 3.0 RAI Manual. Retrieved from: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/NursingHomeQualityInits/MDS30RAIManual.html
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (2019). Patient-Driven Payment Model. Retrieved from: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/SNFPPS/PDPM.html
- Medicare Benefit Policy Manual Ch. 8 https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/downloads/bp102c08.pdf
- Medicare Claims Processing Manual Ch. 6 https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Guidance/Manuals/Downloads/clm104c06.pdf
- SNF PPS FY2020 Final Rule: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/08/07/2019-16485/medicare-program-prospective-payment-system-and-consolidated-billing-for-skilled-nursing-facilities
