CLINICAL SERVICES INITIATIVE

Metrics Task Force
March 14, 2003

Minutes

Members Present:       
Stan Taylor, M.D. – Co-Chairman     
Alice Marcee, D.V.M.      
Margie Maier      
Tina Ninan
Pam Peiffer      
Ron Peshock, M.D.
Ann Tate
DuWayne Willett, M.D.
Iain Burchell, ex officio
Julie Landesberg, ex officio
Andrea Marshall, ex officio
Trish Smith, ex officio

Members Absent:
David Auerbach, M.D.
Lyman Bilhartz, M.D.
John Holtz
Kirk Kirksey
James McCulley, M.D.
Claus Roehrborn, M.D.
John Rutherford, MB.ChB. - Chairman
Stuart Rosenberg, M.D.
Cindy Lochte, ex officio

I. Business Rules Workgroup

Dr. Taylor opened the meeting by reviewing the list of individuals chosen to serve on the Business Rules Workgroup and the group’s charter.  A meeting schedule for the Workgroup is currently being developed.

II. IDX Scheduling

Dr. Taylor led a discussion which examined how the committee should examine simplifying and changing the encounter codes; how quickly can a definition for “new patient” be developed and implemented; and if this should be done by the committee as a whole or by a subgroup?
The Task Force agreed that we should define “new patient” as 1) new to the institution and/or 2) new to the provider.  (Medicare rules state that a patient is “new to a provider” if they have never been seen or have not been seen for a period of three years.) 

The Task Force discussed simplification and standardization of the IDX encounter code.  They agreed that limits must be set, but they also inquired as to the options in IDX that will allow for clinic customization beyond the standardized codes.  It was suggested that IDX system adjustments could be best discussed with Ms. Sharon Siddon, Supervisor of Information Systems at UT Southwestern Health Systems.  A meeting will be set to include Ms. Siddon, Andrea Marshall, Pam Peiffer, Cindy Miller, Dr. Willett, and Stacey Rychtyk.

III. Pilot Scorecard

The Task Force reviewed and approved six measures:

• Measure: Wait time (days) for next available
a. new visit (by clinic or physician)
b. test
c. procedure

• Provider bumped appointment rates (cancellation and reappointment rate by provider/clinic)

• Average visit, test, or procedure time (checkout time lag)

• Percentage of non-abandoned calls answered in 30 seconds and average answer time by time of day and day of week.

• Phone abandonment rate

• Total patient volume per room, per provider, per session (new patient to provider and follow-up with provider.

The Task Force also suggested adding two financial measures to the pilot scorecard including:

• Percent of invoices failing edit screen, requiring rework by clinic/department and percent that are paid correctly after first submission to payer by clinic/department.

• Charge entry lag time.

The meeting concluded with a presentation prepared by Dr. Willett, Andrea Marshall, Kirk Kirksey and Iain Burchell regarding the plan for gathering electronic data and reporting of the pilot scorecard.

The next meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 4th from 12:00 – 1:30 p.m. in the B5 conference room.