MEASURING & ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE: EXHAUSTIVE AUDIT OF OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH PROGRAMS
In order to meet the changing demands of business, occupational health services continue to evolve, offering a wide span of options for businesses. Traditional single-nurse clinics continue to prevail, however the use of advanced practice clinicians have broadened the scope of service for both occupational and non-occupational health services. Additionally, some employer-sponsored on-site clinics now offer both occupational and primary care services. In today’s business world, there is a drive to offer a variety of service types based on the needs of the worker population at various sites.
As with all other aspects of business operations, business leaders expect a return on investment from their occupational health services that is evident to the productivity and profitability of the company. It is therefore critical that the occupational health services exude excellence in both compliance and clinical realms. Businesses that hire and staff occupational health professionals should be able to provide data that exemplifies solid operations and consistency of delivery of service. Businesses that outsource occupational health staff from suppliers should be able to expect those same measures of excellence from their suppliers. The ultimate product should also meet the needs of all business stakeholders.
Are you confident that you can provide this assurance to senior management?
Ask yourself:
- Is/are your clinic(s) delivering a consistent service that is in compliance with regulatory and professional standards?
- Do you have a means by which you measure and evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the services?
- Are external sourcing providers meeting your expectations?
- Are the occupational health services really meeting the needs of the business and the stakeholders?
Arlene Guzik, COHN-S, MSN, ARNP, will be presenting: Measuring & Achieving Excellence: Exhaustive Audit of Occupational Health Programs, at the SEAK National Workers’ Compensation & Occupational Medicine Conference. The session will focus on the integration of a customer-focused approach that engages business leaders and stakeholders in an in-depth audit process of evaluating occupational health services.
A service audit aims to:
1) identify the service delivery that is being provided in the clinic(s);
2) provide guidance and recommendations for establishing consistency and quality of services provided in the clinic(s);
3) assess strategies that enhance stakeholder relationships with Human Resources, Environmental Health & Safety, and business management (customers); and
4) introduce strategies that enhance the coordination of services, maximize the use of clinic/supplier services, and communicate outcomes. The intended consequence is to enhance the confidence of workers and management in the value of your occupational health services. This can be accomplished by defining outcome measures that will be used to communicate the value of the service, along with identifying opportunities to broaden the scope of service that will continue to add value to the business.
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Arlene Guzik, COHN-S, MSN, ARNP is recognized as an exceptional leader and content expert in the specialty of occupational health with more than 20 years’ experience as a clinician, author, lecturer, researcher, and consultant. Dr. Guzik has extensive experience in occupational health. She has held positions with responsibility for all aspects of the company-wide health, safety, and disability programs. These responsibilities included the development and management of company-based clinics, integrated health and safety programs, workers’ compensation, and disability management. Dr. Guzik has led one of the nation’s largest occupational medicine practices in achieving phenomenal success. Dr. Guzik has assisted many businesses, both public and private, in developing or restructuring their occupational health and safety programs. Using a grounded approach based on the concepts of Quality, Utilization, Access, and Cost, businesses have saved millions of dollars in workers’ compensation and health insurance costs under Dr. Guzik’s guidance.