Identifying, Communicating, & Documenting Patient Change in Condition
presented by Tina Marrelli & Cathleen Armato

This course provides team members with the fundamental framework about effectively identifying, communicating, and documentation a change in a patient’s condition or status. One fundamental standard in home care and hospice is that the physician has a unique and multifaceted role in regards to orders, care, and the treatment plan. Care and orders are based on the patient’s care needs and findings, usually at the initial assessment. As patient’s care and status improve, decline, or otherwise change, physicians are notified and the plan of care may change, based on orders. These processes are a part of the care planning, nursing or problem-solving cycle. There are a number of standards of practice, best practices, and regulations about these components of care and this course provides examples and key strategies for effectively addressing a patient change in condition. Learn more

Fundamentals of Chronic Condition Management
presented by Tina Marrelli & Cathleen Armato

Fundamentals of Chronic Condition Management will prepare clinicians to form a successful partnership with their patients who are managing complex health conditions on a daily basis. This course provides an overview of chronic condition management in the United States and how it has changed over time. Chronic condition management models will be reviewed, with emphasis on patient self-management. This course provides practical tips and tools to help the patient and clinician map out a plan and successfully navigate that plan to healthier living with managed conditions. Learn more

Coaching and Counseling: Tips for Success
presented by Tina Marrelli & Cathleen Armato

In a perfect world, everyone would complete their jobs flawlessly and without any management intervention or monitoring. The good news is that the skills of coaching and counseling are key to success in all organizations and that effective skills can be modeled and learned. This course provides the fundamentals of effective coaching and counseling, with strategies for beginner and experienced managers. Examples, role-playing, the answer to “What do I do next when this coaching is not working?” and more are addressed in this course. Taught in a collaborative and practical manner, this course provides the how-to needed for managers and others to help achieve personal, program, and organizational goals. Learn more

Writing for Professional Publication
presented by Tina Marrelli & Kim Corral

Writing can be a daunting chore or a pleasure–it all depends on the skill set; this shows most clearly when it is time to start thinking and writing/typing in the words! There are a number of reasons to write (and sometimes as many not to write). This foundational course reviews the reasons to consider writing, the barriers to writing success, and some of the practical nuts, bolts, and pitfalls. Created by an experienced book and journal author and editor, information includes reasons to write, picking a topic, understanding the journal and book worlds, working with editors, navigating peer review, and how to turn your idea into a successful manuscript. Join us on the path to making an impact on quality in health care—through effective polished writing and successful publication. Learn more

Presentations Part 1: Development, Strategies and Tips for Success
presented by Tina Marrelli & Kim Corral

This course is part 1 of a two-part series and is designed to assist those new to developing, implementing, and evaluating effective professional presentations. Developing presentations is a complex activity that must be planned carefully. At times, this process can be overwhelming as the design, development, and preparation of the presentation typically consumes more time than the delivery of the material. Part 1 of this course will explore the key elements required and strategies for effective development of polished and professional presentations. Learn more

Presentations Part 2: Principles of Learning and Effective Communication
presented by Tina Marrelli & Kim Corral

In Part 1 of this program the course provided information on the technical elements of developing effective presentations. In Part 2 the course will continue with the discussion of the softer skill set that is required for YOU as the presenter for effective delivery of presentation material. Chances are if you are checking out this program you are either wanting to improve your current presentation skills or you are new to giving presentations. The topics included in this course are those that can have the greatest impact on the effectiveness of how the message is delivered in any type of presentation. This course includes strategies to support overcoming the fear of public speaking, strategies to support and improve the effectiveness of your communication, as well as a review of adult learning principles. Having an awareness of these topics can increase your comfort level with public speaking and ensure your very important message is delivered effectively. Learn more

What is Case Management in Home Care?
presented by Tina Marrelli & Kim Corral

The home health industry demands that patient care be provided in an efficient and effective manner. Case management is a strategy which supports this demand. This course defines the concept of case management and discusses the skills and core knowledge concepts required to manage not only individual patient episodes but entire caseloads of patients. Strategies for applying this process to individual patients and caseloads will be discussed with practical examples that can be applied in the care practice setting. Learn more

How to Make an Effective Home Visit
presented by Tina Marrelli & Kim Corral

This foundational course addresses the three parts of the patient home visit and information and processes that surround and support effective and holistic home visits. This includes a practical and holistic definition of a home visit, the use of the care planning process through the visit, the patient-related and other activities that occur during a skilled visit, and strategies to document care that was provided during the visit. This course will also explain why having exemplary organizational, clinical, and interpersonal skills is key to making value-based home visits. This is because numerous and complex facets of care, including the patient's goals, the plan of care, physician orders, care team members, the patient's environment, care coordination, and communication, all come together in this structured, person-centered encounter. Learn more

Welcome to Home Care: An Overview
presented by Tina Marrelli & Kim Corral

This foundational course offering provides a big picture overview of home care. Home care comprises many models of care delivery systems and types of home care. A brief history of home care, a snapshot of where we are now by the numbers, and the differences between home care and any other health care practice setting are addressed. A holistic and practical definition of home care is also presented. Additionally, this course will also explain why having exemplary clinical, self-motivational, organizational, and people skills is key to success in home care practice and management. Learn more

Orientation: An Overview of Documentation Requirements in Home Care
presented by Tina Marrelli & Kim Corral

Today's home care clinicians must have an understanding of the trends, regulations, and other external factors that impact care provided and the documentation surrounding care. Home care is a global term, and home care services can range from solely personal care services (non-medical) to very skilled levels of care with licensed nurses providing care to medically fragile adults and children. Because of this, there are many models and methods of delivering home care. For purposes of this course, we will be focusing primarily on the provision of “visits” as the primary model of home care vs. hourly care. Medicare is the largest payer of home health services, and visits are the usual unit of care delivery. Medicare sets the standards for home care, regardless of the payer. It is for this reason that an overview of documentation requirements is the first course. The differences in documentation requirements for home care versus other settings (e.g., OASIS) will de discussed, and the purposes of documentation, supporting medical necessity, and coverage criteria will also be addressed. This course is designed to provide tangible tools for both clinicians and leadership/management to apply as they improve their processes and practices related to effective documentation in home care. Learn more

Orientation: Care Planning
presented by Tina Marrelli & Kim Corral

The ability to perform an accurate comprehensive assessment and develop an individualized plan of care for home care patients is the foundation for care delivery in home care. This course will review the steps of the care planning process, a type of problem solving method. A discussion will be provided regarding the application of this process and the value it brings to patient care. Learn more

Orientation Program: Team Member Safety in the Community
presented by Tina Marrelli & Kim Corral

This course addresses the common safety-related factors in the community and home environments. Home care team members can be exposed to a number of potentially serious hazards which range from dangerous pets (eg. biting) to firearms (ie. guns) in homes. Environmental hazards include smoke, needlesticks, unhygienic homes, germs and pathogens, structural house problems, hoarding and many others. This course seeks to identify some of these safety hazards and dangers so that clinicians and managers/leaders can better understand and apply their risk management and safety policies related to such situations and protect their team members. Learn more

Medicare Coverage and Documentation Requirements: The Fundamentals
presented by Tina Marrelli & Kim Corral

The value of the clinical documentation that supports the tenets of coverage and quality cannot be overstated. Clinicians and managers/leaders need to proactively describe care and services in the terms detailed in the Medicare Benefit Policy Manual, Chapter 7. This, then, is the guidebook when seeking answers, examples, and clarity. This overview describes the fundamentals of Medicare coverage and the associated required documentation to support medical necessity, the individual patient's need for the skilled care and service, and the tenets of the home care program. Learn more