In alignment with its new Framework for Health Equity, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently proposed two new Hospital Inpatient PPS quality measures instructing hospitals to collect and report on patient health-related social needs, or social determinants of health (SDOH). The two proposed measures focus on the percentage of patients asked about food insecurity, housing instability, inadequate transportation, interpersonal safety, and difficulties paying for electricity and other utilities; and the percentage of patients who screen positive for each of these needs. Eligible Washington hospitals participating in the annual Medicaid Quality Incentive (MQI) program will receive credit for screening and referring patients with SDOH.
To assist hospitals in achieving this measure and to prepare for the new proposed CMS SDOH quality measure reporting, WSHA is offering a free 2-day virtual skills-building training session with Collaborative Screening methodology founder Ariel Singer.
This highly interactive workshop imparts concepts and skills that participants can use right away to improve strategies for SDOH screening and referral. The virtual workshop will take place Aug. 2–3, 2022. This session will be tailored to the needs and experiences of rural hospitals, but all interested hospitals are invited to participate. If you are interested, click the sign-up link to register. Space is limited and will be capped at 40 participants.
In the Collaborative Screening workshop, participants will:
- Connect the dots between their social health, demographic, health behavior screening and referral processes and big-picture trends in the health care marketplace
- Explore trauma-informed and person-centered design principles for conducting screening, referral conversations and system design
- Practice new skills using simulated patient scenarios
- Receive a robust set of implementation tools to use and share with colleagues
- Have a fun, engaging and evocative learning experience
- Connect with peers and share ideas between colleagues
- Spend time thinking through an action plan and next steps for creating a more person-centered approach locally
This training is sponsored by the Northwest Safety and Quality Partnership. There is no cost to attend. For a more in-depth overview of the training or for details on what it’s like to participate and the intended audience, please contact Abigail Berube at abigailb@wsha.org.
