10 things you should ask your outsourcing partner; management companies can still be your friends, and then some, under PPS.Management companies can still be your friends, and then some, under PPS (Packets Per Second) The measurement of activity in a local area network (LAN). In LANs such as Ethernet, Token Ring and FDDI, as well as the Internet, data is broken up and transmitted in packets (frames), each with a source and destination address. Skilled nursing facilities skilled nursing facility n. Abbr. SNF An establishment that houses chronically ill, usually elderly patients, and provides long-term nursing care, rehabilitation, and other services. (SNFs) confronted by the Medicare Prospective Payment System (PPS) are taking a look at their outsourcing (1) Contracting with outside consultants, software houses or service bureaus to perform systems analysis, programming and datacenter operations. Contrast with insourcing. See netsourcing, ASP, SSP and facilities management. . Because PPS puts a premium on cost control, many facilities debate whether they might have better control and flexibility by taking services in-house. The marked decline in the number of contract rehabilitation rehabilitation: see physical therapy. therapists working in SNFs is a sign of these times. The fact is, though, that outsourcing can give facilities customized cost control and continuing service quality and expertise in many areas, for example, food service and housekeeping. Success depends on what the outsourcing partner has to offer in helping facilities cope with this new environment. There are characteristics to look for in an outsourcing partner that can provide some assurance about this. I would offer ten: 1. Outcomes focus Can the company help me to reduce costs and increase resident satisfaction at the same time? Can it guarantee that those goals will be achieved within a specific time frame? In a multifacility organization, can those goals be guaranteed not just at a single site, but across the entire network of facilities? In a multilevel mul·ti·lev·el adj. Having several levels: a multilevel parking garage. Adj. 1. multilevel - of a building having more than one level campus, does the company understand the needs of different levels of long-term care long-term care (LTC), n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. , e.g., independent living, assisted living as·sist·ed living n. A living arrangement in which people with special needs, especially older people with disabilities, reside in a facility that provides help with everyday tasks such as bathing, dressing, and taking medication. and skilled nursing? 2. Partnership Do we want to be partners with this company? Does the company share our goals and values? Will performance goals be set collaboratively among staff, residents, the community and the management company? 3. Innovation What can a management company do that my facility cannot do on its own? What are the benefits? What role does technology play in the company's systems? 4. Flexibility Can the recommended management services be customized and tailored to my facility and the needs of my residents, both now and for the foreseeable future? 5. Change Management How does the company manage the change necessary for achieving our performance improvement goals? Does it meet with residents and the community to better understand and meet their needs? How does it prepare my staff for this change? 6. Benchmarking Does the company provide comparison data to ensure that its customers are receiving the highest quality of service in the field? How does it measure success? How is resident and employee satisfaction measured? 7. Resources Does the company's management team have a depth and breadth of experience in the long-term market? Does it offer resources specific to this market? What resources will be made available to my department manager? 8. Employee Development Does the company provide comprehensive and ongoing training and professional development for employees? 9. Continuous Quality Improvement Once initial goals are achieved, does the management company have the willingness and ability to meet long-term goals Long-term goals Financial goals expected to be accomplished in five years or longer. ? What additional services can it manage over time? 10. References What other facilities are currently served by the management company? What has their experience been with the company as an outsourcing partner? You might even want to ask if your outsourcing partner has an interest in innovative business arrangements. As an example, our company's recent alliance with Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems brought together major providers of key services and products so that they could coordinate for more cost-efficiency and add value to their customer relationships. In sum, if you can size up your prospective outsourcing partners using the criteria suggested, you can end up with the best of both worlds: cost control and continued high-quality services and products. Constance B. Girard-diCarlo is president of ARAMARK Healthcare Support Services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services , which manages a full range of nonclinical support services for long-term care, including food and nutrition Food and Nutrition See also cheese; dining; milk. accubation Rare. the act or habit of reclining at meals. alimentology Medicine. thescience of nutrition. allotriophagy Pathology. , environmental services The various combinations of scientific, technical, and advisory activities (including modification processes, i.e., the influence of manmade and natural factors) required to acquire, produce, and supply information on the past, present, and future states of space, atmospheric, , plant operations and maintenance, and laundry and linen. For more information, please call 1-800-556-4477. |
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