TX Quality

TAHQ NEWSLETTER

A quarterly publication of the
TEXAS ASSOCIATION
FOR HEALTHCARE QUALITY
P.O. Box 117612
Carrollton, Texas 75011-7612


Volume 1-2001	February 2001

Welcome to the TAHQ Newsletter, the official source of news and information for members of the Texas Association for Healthcare Quality. If you’re already a member, there are some important bits of news herein. If you’re not a TAHQ member but would like to be, read on...

From Gary Anderson, TAHQ President

Challenges at every level of quality in the recent past are raising the bars of accountability for us personally and professionally. A higher level of state and federal compliance is facing each and every one of us. Public and governmental scrutiny will continue, and resources to handle the new challenges seem to be shrinking in various ways. Patient safety has a whole new twist from what we knew it to be just eighteen months ago. Are we ready to handle these new waves of accountability? Is your organization ready for the pressure of medication administration regarding errors and adverse events? Has your organization grasped the pain management philosophy? Are you prepared to adopt the newly released HIPPA privacy requirements?

The Texas Association for Healthcare Quality (TAHQ) Board of Directors recognizes the need to support our members in the ever-increasing environment of change and accountability. At our January Board meeting, we began making the transformation to a new direction in an effort to prepare our members for some of the most rigorous changes since the profession began. Our Education Committee is planning topics for an upcoming conference to help our members deal with some of today’s changes. We are also proceeding with the development of the TAHQ website to assist with the communications, sharing of resources, and networking of members. Additionally, developments are in process for launching new local associations in Austin and East Texas to help with networking abilities that exist with other local state associations. Focus on developing leaders in healthcare quality is paramount.

The Board will continue to evaluate ways to help our members. Your involvement and suggestions are not only most welcome, but also invited. Please let any member of the board know of any questions or concerns you might have as we continue on this road together.

TAHQ has scheduled its annual educational conference, "Quality Strategies: The Bridge to Enhanced Healthcare," to be held on Friday, August 24, 2001, in Austin. Tentative topics include new JCAHO standards, "Rapid Cycle Improvement," HEDIS, HIPAA, and CPHQ overview. Our keynote speaker will be Dr. Josie Williams, a distinguished expert on healthcare quality issues. Plans are still in the making for this workshop as TAHQ strives to offer you the best in educational offerings. Be watching for more details on conference content, location, etc.

Don’t go there yet, but TAHQ has just procured its new website domain, www.txquality.org. While still under construction, this website will be ready in the very near future, bringing you ready access to TAHQ information and links to other useful websites. We will inform all members as soon as the site is accessible.

The following Texas healthcare quality professionals have successfully completed the November, 2000, national CPHQ certification exam and are certified for a period of two years effective January 1, 2001.

Lauralee Brown	Kathryn Burgess
Michael Chance	Julie Chenoweth
Victoria Clark	Mary Dimick
Barbara Draper	Lois Fredrickson
Judith Gerst	Cheryl Harding
Sara Helm	Patricia Hiam
Ken Hopper	Patricia Hughes
Brae Jacobson	Vicki Jones
Rhonda Kitchen	Trudy Millard Krause
Sharon Merfield	Pamela Milam
Carol Miller	Cynthia Mize
Terri Morris-Nichols	Bridgette Murray
Elicia Nicosia	Katherine Palmer
Sherilyn Pillack	Sharene Richardson
Margaret Roberts	Colevia Roquemore
Marilyn Schultz	Mary Schultz
Robert Shapiro	Norma Sheridan-Leos
Cynthia Sims	Frances Slater
David Snow	Linda Speer
Cathey Stewart	Debra Still
Faith Taylor	Debra Weaver
Deborah Wells	Constance Whorton
Patricia Wolford	Ngok Wong
David Wright	Kathleen Zadel

New and Renewed Memberships

If you’ve forgotten to renew your TAHQ membership, or if you want to belong to a progressive membership organization that will offer you:

Relevant and dynamic education programs with continuing education credits for your CPHQ;

Strong, interactive affiliation with the National Association for Healthcare Quality;

Timely, valuable, and pertinent information through the TAHQ newsletter and upcoming website; and

Opportunities for networking with quality professionals in a wide range of clinical settings and areas of responsibility and expertise;

… then now is the time to act! The next step is up to you. Please take advantage of these opportunities by renewing your TAHQ membership or by joining TAHQ - today. Please complete the accompanying membership form (see back page) and mail it in. Our membership year runs from January to December each year. For questions, call Carol Lee Hamilton at 817/871-8619, or Randy Boston at 512/338-9294.

Ann Asnashaari, immediate past President of the Texas Gulf Coast Association for Healthcare Quality, has joined the TAHQ Board as Local Associations Chair. Ann joins your other TAHQ Board members, who are listed as follows:

President, Gary Anderson
President Elect, Carol Lee Hamilton
Immediate Past President, Jack Peterson
Secretary, Linda Liewer
Treasurer, Pamela Green
Education Chair, Lori Brandes
Communications Chair, Randy Boston
Nominating Chair, (Open)
Membership Chair, (Open)

The National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) presents the NAHQ Award for Association Excellence in order to recognize state healthcare management associations that provide exceptional membership services and benefits. The NAHQ Award for Association Excellence is awarded annually on a three-tier system of gold, silver, and bronze (began in 1997). TAHQ is committed to serving our members and has set a goal to meet the expectations that NAHQ has established in order to receive this recognition.

Eligibility

The NAHQ Award for Association Excellence is based on the following:

Achievement of goals and objectives consistent with, and supportive of, NAHQ, which are directed toward development of the state association and its members.
Quality of the newsletter
Quality of the educational programs sponsored by the association
State membership’s involvement in NAHQ
Support of CPHQ certification, National Healthcare Quality Week, and the Healthcare Quality Foundation (HQF)
Publication and poster contributions of individual members within the state organization
Has not received the NAHQ Gold Award for Association Excellence in the past two years

The TAHQ Board is following through on many of the items, but as members, you can assist, as well, by letting other individuals know about TAHQ and how to join. Participate on the educational team, support your local association if one exists, and write articles for NAHQ and TAHQ publications. In addition, plan now for activities that demonstrate your support for National Healthcare Quality Week this coming October. As that time approaches, feel free to send information regarding your particular healthcare quality week activities to TAHQ, P.O. Box 117612, Carrollton, TX 75011-7612 or information@txquality.org. Include pictures and organizational newsletters that highlight the event. Call any of the TAHQ officers if you have questions or other suggestions.

Federal Regulations Published on Limited English Proficiency and Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services
By Randy Boston, TAHQ Communications Chair

In the past few months, two separate sets of federal regulations have been published in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) which will have an impact on healthcare entities that provide care and other health services and receive federal or state funding (Medicare, Medicaid, Medicaid waiver programs, etc.). The first of these publications, entitled "Policy Guidance on the Prohibition Against National Origin Discrimination As It Affects Persons with Limited English Proficiency" also known as the "LEP" guidelines, were issued by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) on August 30, 2000. The second publication, known as the "National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services" or "CLAS", was issued on December 22, 2000, by the DHHS Office of Minority Health (OMH). While these two documents were published separately by different entities under DHHS, they are closely related and contain several common themes and provisions.

The LEP policy guidance is "effective immediately" for all "providers of health and social services who receive Federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services." Its purpose is to "clarify the responsibilities" of those providers and "assist them in fulfilling their responsibilities to Limited English Proficient persons, pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964." The guidance does not impose any new requirements but reiterates longstanding civil rights principles relating to the provision of meaningful access to adequate health services by providers who render care and services to LEP individuals. Essentially, these guidelines address the agency’s responsibility to identify the LEP populations that exist in its service area, develop written materials in each of those languages to facilitate communication in the individual’s native language, assure the availability of an appropriate interpreter for each language, provide appropriate training to all agency staff, and monitor its language assistance program on an annual basis. The LEP Federal Register notice also includes a sample "model plan" that providers may use for planning purposes.

The CLAS standards represent "national standards" and include mandates, guidelines, and recommendations relative to the "ability of health care providers and health care organizations to understand and respond effectively to the cultural and linguistic needs brought by patients to the health care encounter." These standards, which are intended "to make healthcare services more responsive to the individual needs of all patient/consumers," were developed over a two-year period by the National Project Advisory Committee under the guidance of the OMH. There are 14 national standards, four of which are "mandates" that are based on the LEP policy publication mentioned above. Basically, the four CLAS standards that are considered mandates include the following:

Health care organizations (HCO) must offer and provide language assistance services, including bilingual staff and interpreter services, at no cost to each patient/consumer with limited English proficiency at all points of contact, in a timely manner during all hours of operation.

HCOs must provide to patients/consumers in their preferred language both verbal offers and written notices informing them of their right to receive language assistance services.

HCOs must assure the competence of language assistance services provided to LEP patients/consumers by interpreters and bilingual staff. Family members and friends should not be used to provide interpretation services, except on request by the patient/consumer.

HCOs must make available easily understood patient-related materials and post signage in the languages of the commonly encountered group or groups represented in their service area.

The remaining ten (10) of the 14 statements listed under the CLAS standards virtually mirror the recommendations included in the LEP policy described earlier. As in the LEP guidelines, the primary focus of the CLAS standards is on developing and implementing a language assistance program, identifying the LEP population mix in the HCO’s service area, assuring the availability of interpreters for the LEP groups identified in that area, providing appropriate orientation and training for staff, and periodically evaluating the effectiveness of the overall CLAS process. To view or download the CLAS standards, go to www.omhrc.gov/clas/frclas2.htm.

The 77th Legislature and Healthcare

The biennial Texas Legislature got off to a rousing start last month under the leadership of our new Governor, Rick Perry, and new Lieutenant Governor, Bill Ratliff. Although there have already been several bills introduced in the House and Senate, it is too early to predict outcomes or to know how many bills impacting healthcare in Texas will be addressed. Over the course of this session, TAHQ will attempt to keep its members informed about any healthcare legislation, and, as well, we may solicit your input if the situations arise. Be watching the next newsletter for more information…

TAHQ has three (3) local affiliate healthcare quality organization chapters. The Texas Gulf Coast Association for Healthcare Quality (TGCAHQ), based in Houston, the Quality Tarrant-North Texas (QTNT) in the Fort Worth area, and the Dallas Area Healthcare Quality Association (DAHQA), covering the Dallas and surrounding areas. As previously noted in another section of this newsletter, plans are already in the making for new local chapters in Austin and the El Paso/far west Texas area.

One of TAHQ’s primary goals is to support local healthcare quality chapters and to assist in the organization and establishment of such chapters wherever there is an expressed interest. It is our belief that together, we can strengthen and further the practice of healthcare quality in Texas, and, at the same time, encourage the professional development of individuals who can lead and guide us into the future.

We extend an open invitation for any local or regional chapter to affiliate. Or, perhaps you live and work in an area that does not have a local chapter and you’d like to start one. If interested, please let us know. Contact Gary Anderson at 512/901-2516.

TGCAHQ to Hold February Workshop

The Houston-area affiliate will hold its monthly educational meeting on Wednesday, February 21, 2001. This month’s presentation will be, "Healthcare Quality Policy: A Federal and State Snapshot," by TAHQ’s President-Elect, Carol Lee Hamilton, JD, MPA, BSN, CPHQ. For more information, contact Hazel Vaughn at 713/728-4041.

Congratulations on the installation of TGCAHQ’s 2001 President, Jacqueline Trotter, RN, BSN, and President-Elect, Claire Lauzon-Vallone, RN, BSN, CPHQ. Ceremonies took place January 17, 2001.

Q-TNT Holds Fall Meeting

On March 8, 2001, at 3:30 PM, the Quality Tarrant-North Texas chapter will offer a presentation entitled, "Patient Bill of Rights: The Policy Debate". For additional information and to register, contact Linda Liewer, TAHQ Board Secretary, at 816/922-7226 or by e-mail at linda.liewer@txquality.org.

Q-TNT also invites you to join and become a part of their chapter team if you live and/or work in the Tarrant County/North Texas area. For more information, contact Carol Lee Hamilton, President, at 817/871-8827 or e-mail carol.lee.hamilton@txquality.org.

Austin Area Forms Affiliate

The Austin/Central Texas area healthcare quality professionals had their initial organizational meeting on Monday, January 22, 2001. The group established a task force to handle the organization and development of this new affiliate. If you live in the Austin area and are interested in participating, please contact Gary Anderson at 512/901-2516, or Lori Brandes at 512/288-8271.

Other Items Needed

If your local quality chapter has items of interest that you’d like to include in this section of TAHQ’s quarterly newsletter, just let us know. Contact Randy Boston at 512/338-9293 or e-mail randy.boston@txquality.org.

TAHQ is announcing a dues increase effective for the year 2001. The yearly individual membership fee will rise from $25 to $35. This change is due largely to the cost of maintaining current operational expenses. This is the first increase since TAHQ split from the Texas Hospital Association (THA) in 1995, which charged a much higher membership rate for our members. Increase in cost for publishing newsletters, presenting educational programs, developing the TAHQ website, and other related association expenses have necessitated the need to increase membership dues. Please note that despite this slight increase in dues, Texas continues to be one of the lowest state associations with regard to membership dues. We will continue to bring you, our members, the best value for your membership dollar.

If you have questions or comments about the contents of this newsletter, or if you have an article relating to healthcare quality that you would like to submit for inclusion in the next edition, due for publication in April, 2001, please contact Randy Boston, TAHQ Board Member/Communications Chair, at 512/338-9293 or e-mail randy.boston@txquality.org. Articles should be submitted not later than April 6, 2001 (MS Word document is preferred).

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