Rehab outcomes experts enter home health
At least three rehabilitation-oriented outcomes systems are introducing home health components this year. All three have a long track record in the rehabilitation industry. Here is a look at them:
• Uniform Data System for Medical Rehabilitation is field-testing an outcomes measuring instrument for home care cases for which there is a rehabilitation intervention.
The system uses the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), an 18-item scale developed by Buffalo, NY-based UDS, and a set of instrumental activities of daily living appropriate for the home care setting.
The FIM already is used in acute rehab and subacute rehab settings, enabling providers and payers to compare outcomes across the continuum, says Samuel Markello, PhD, director of analytical services and outcomes assessment for the UDS and project director of the home care program.
The UDS has been compiling national outcomes databases for rehabilitation patients since 1987. Participating providers receive quarterly reports that compare their outcomes to national, state, and regional norms.
Details on the outcomes measurement for home care still are being worked out during the field testing stage. Other products from UDS have met the JCAHO criteria.
For more information, call the UDS at (716) 829-2076.
• Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes Inc. (FOTO) is introducing this month an outcomes measurement system for neuromuscular rehabilitation that includes home care.
The system is designed to also be used in skilled-nursing facilities, long-term care facilities, and outpatient treatment.
FOTO’s system includes measures of activities of daily living, safety/falls/restraints, functional progression, the OASIS pressure ulcer/ wound scale, ASHA functional communication measures, patient motivation, and family support. It is designed to complement HCFA’s OASIS measures.
A spokesman for Knoxville, TN-based FOTO says he expects the home care outcomes system to be included in JCAHO’s next round of approved measuring tools.
For more information on FOTO, call (800) 482-3686.
• Formations in Health Care Inc., a Chicago-based subsidiary of Medirisk Inc., is conducting a pilot study with home health patients using its Medical Outcome System (MOS).
The MOS was designed to measure outcomes in acute rehabilitation, subacute, and home health settings. MOS uses a combination of scales to collect data on functional independence, activities of daily living, cognitive function, and comorbid disease status. Scales include wound, respiratory, and pain with infection, nutrition, oncology and cardiac to be added.
The company has a national database and issues quarterly reports to subscribers.
The Joint Commission has asked the company not to comment on whether or not it has applied for or made the list of "approved" outcomes systems vendors.
For more information on Formations and its products, call (312) 849-4200.
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