When do you need a PI manager?
When do you need a PI manager?
How - and why - one agency made the leap
[Editor's note: In the first part of a two-part article, we'll look at how Total Health Services decided it needed a performance improvement manager, as well as how it selected the candidate best suited to its own specific needs. And next month, Total Health will provide tips and tactics on how to bring on a PI manager in the most efficient, effective way.]
It was the middle of 1997, and for Total Health Services, business was booming. Ken Gianettino, RPh, vice president of clinical operations for Total Health Services, a Bridgeport, WV, home infusion, durable medical equipment, and respiratory services provider, was getting busier by the day as the company went through the growing pains that accompany a small-yet-flourishing provider's growth.
Faced with additional job responsibilities, Gianettino saw that something had to give. It was then that he made a decision that likely had the greatest impact on Total Health Services. He decided to cut back his own workload by hiring a performance improvement manager who could devote the time necessary.
"The company was - and is - growing, and along with the complexity of the whole clinical process, the interaction between other agencies and also the necessity to begin to document our outcomes, we realized that we needed someone to focus on that," notes Gianettino.
So he brought on board Tim Wiles, MPA, as Total Health Services' new PI manager.
"I came on board because Total Health Services is a growing company," says Wiles. "Ken was primarily in charge of handling [Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations] and the PI processes, but as the company started to grow, he needed someone to fill that position. He was moving into a position as a leader in this company, and he needed to concentrate on that."
Starting the search
The first step for Total Health Services was to get a grasp on what it needed in a PI manager. Gianettino had been consulting with a PI manager from a local hospital. After deciding Total Health needed its own full-time, in-house PI manager, Gianettino picked the PI manager's brain on what to look for.
"He gave us some hints and tips, such as the experience, background, and education we should look for," says Gianettino.
This led to a change of focus. "In the beginning I was primarily looking for educational background," he recalls. But he soon came to realize that a wide breadth of experience was more important. Because of the diverse nature of the position, Total Health had to find an individual with a wide variety of skills and background.
"We wanted someone who had an understanding of the whole quality improvement process and, in particular, someone who had good organizational skills, computer skills as far as developing spreadsheets, and someone with a good background in statistical analysis," says Gianettino.
Wiles agrees that experience should be every home infusion provider's main focus when interviewing candidates for a PI position.
"I would look for someone who is going to be an organizer, who will be able to take the PI process with both JCAHO and other regulatory agencies, implement them, and put them to work," he says.
According to Wiles, there's an easy way to find out if a candidate can do just that.
"You want to look at what they've done in the past and where they have come from," he says.
In fact, Wiles' background as a JCAHO assistant coordinator at a state psychiatric facility was critical in his being hired by Total Health, says Gianettino.
"He'd been involved with PI and accreditation with his previous institution, so that was important," he says. "He had excellent computer skills and the ability to do statistical analyses."
Wiles was able to show these skills by bringing examples of his previous research work. But just as important was an asset that doesn't show on a résumé.
"Not only did he have the background and education, but Tim was also the kind of person who could intermingle with our staff and get them to respond," says Gianettino.
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