Metrics Matter: How Efficiently Are You Using Your Staff Resources?
Is your agency using its clinical and paraprofessional staff efficiently? To help you answer that question, this month’s metric presents the number of visits per episode on the state level. Since the visit is the basic resource unit of activity and the episode is the basic Medicare revenue unit, this metric is a good measure of resource utilization efficiency. This statistic is most influenced by the diagnosis mix of patients, as well as community practices including acute care discharge patterns and service expectations of the community.
By looking at Healthcare Market Resource data of visits per episode on a state level – compiled from the 2006 Medicare claims database – we can conclude the following:
- The variation among state averages for visits per episode is striking, with the top quartile being more than 50% higher than the lowest quartile.
- Variations between the individual states are even greater. For example, Utah has the highest average at 29.5 visits per episode, while Oregon has the lowest with 11.9 visits per episode.
- While the national average of 18.47 visits per episode is a weighted figure, the quartiles in this metric include state averages that are not weighted.
- An interesting observation: With 19 visits per episode, California falls in the highest quartile of state averages. This is contrary to the industry theory that managed care practices would drive Medicare outcomes in California to result in one of the nation’s lowest visits per episode.
In order to set realistic and competitive operational efficiency goals, it is important that providers be aware of where they stand compared to other agencies – both regionally and nationally – in terms of visits per episode. Click here or call us at 215-657-7373 to learn more about this metric and other ways Healthcare Market Resources industry data can help your agency succeed today.