I wanna go HOME

1
I wanna go HOME!!!

• Rosemary F. McKee, CTR
• Manager, Methodist HealthCare System Cancer
  Registry

2
Problem

• Behind in abstracting
• Way behind getting close to survey time!!
• No Room for additional abstractors
• Hired PRN abstractors no place to put them
• Abstractor retention
• One of the reasons we were behind abstractor
  moved to another hospital for more money

3
Solution

• Leave really considered that
• Finally convince my administrator that we needed
  to move the abstractors home
• Allow room for PRN abstractors to work longer
  hours
• Keep current abstractors happy

4
How to Approach Administration

• Prepare written Plan of Action
• SOPPA
• Do your homework
• Information Services
• Medical Records availability
• Policies and Procedures

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SOPPADA!

• It's a great framework for selling ideas
• Here's what to say when you want to make a
  recommendation or a proposal!
• S Subject What's to be done?
• O Objective What's to be gained?
• P Present Situation What's happening now?
• P Proposed Situation How different?
• A Advantages Highlight Benefits
• D Disadvantages Identify issues for
  credibility
• A Action Plans Tell us what's needed

How to influencethings
Let's do a SOPPADA!
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Improve Productivity and Retention of
Abstractors Increase the productivity of
abstractors and allow additional hours to be
worked by PRN abstractors Abstractors are
working in the office. Office space is limited.
Additional PRN abstractors who have been hired
are limited in the hours they can work thus
limiting the number of abstracts they can produce
to help eliminate the backlog we currently
have. Research the Establish policies and
procedures that will allow abstractors to work
from home while measuring productivity and data
quality Abstractors will be able to work without
the distractions found in a crowded workspace.
PRN abstractors will have space to work many more
hours. Abstractors will have to be monitored
closely for productivity. IS will have to
establish network connections and provide
hardware for home. Staff may become
disconnected from the team. Develop solutions
to above problems
Subject Objective Presently Proposed
Advantages Disadvantages Action Plans
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What is this going to do for you?

• Make you stop and think
• Just because you wanna go home doesnt mean that
  you should.
• Just because you go home doesnt mean that you
  are going to stay there
• At the very least, you must maintain the level of
  productivity have now.

8
Considerations before going Home

• Job
• Me

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Can I my job be done from home?

• All or parts of your job must be appropriate for
  teleworking.
• Usually 100 of your job is not appropriate for
  teleworking.
• You must be able to perform your job at least as
  efficiency or effectively as if you were in your
  office.
• You must not spend more time trying to do the
  same job at home as you do in the office.

10
Can I work from home?

• To be a successful working from home, you should
  be an organized, disciplined, and conscientious
  self-starter who requires minimal supervision.
• Working from home will give some employees more
  time for their family responsibilities, you may
  not use duty time for providing dependent care or
  any purpose other than official duties

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Are You Suited For Working from Home?

• Are you well organized and goal-oriented? At the
  very least, you'll want to brush up on
  time-management skills.
• Are you effective at controlling distractions?
  Family, neighbors, and pets will compete for your
  attention.
• Do you work well with a minimum of supervi-sion?
  Are the social aspects of the office environment
  relatively unimportant to you?
• Are you an effective communicator? You'll need to
  because most of your interaction will take place
  over phone or email.

12
Are You Suited For Working from Home?

• Can you set aside an area of your home to be used
  exclusively as an office?
• Are you comfortable with the idea of working
  solo?
• Can you get along without office support systems
  and personnel? (No more copiers, message-takers,
  typing pools. No PC guru or network administrator
  at your beck and call.)
• Can you easily get along without in-office
  reference material (or arrange to get copies for
  home)?

13
Productivity

• You must be able to prove that at a minimum you
  will maintain your current level of productivity.
• You must set productivity levels, monitor them
  and maintain them.
• You have to develop a method of checking in each
  day and checking out if you are an hourly employee

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Working Space

• Must be ergonomically safe to work in.
• Must meet HIPPA requirements
• Hardware and Software will have to be a IS and
  Facility decision.
• We provide the Computers they are not allowed
  to use them for anything except work. (HIPPA)
• Workers provide a high-speed connection at their
  expense. (doesnt cost as much as gas)
• Should have access to electronic medical record.
  we allow no hard copy pt info
• Dual monitors will increase productivity.

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Productivity Sheet
16
Date turned in_______________________________ Th
e times and dates above are a true and accurate
accounting of my working hours for the time
period covered. Signature________________________
_____________
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Productivity
18
Abstracting by Month
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Process

• Suspense file sent to abstractors by e-mail.
• Abstract done electronically with electronic
  record no paper at home
• Treatment letters printed from home to office
  printer.
• Abstractor comes in one day a week to send out
  treatment letters/update abstracts with treatment
  information received.

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Process

• Abstractor e-mails me when she is signed in and
  ready for work and when she is signing off for
  the day.
• Working hours must be normal working hours
  (exceptions can be made with permission)
• E-mail must remain open and accessible so we can
  communicate during working hours.
• End of week sends me a copy of the sign in
  sheet
• End of two weeks brings in hard copy of sign in
  sheet with signature attached.

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Back in the Office

• Casefinding and follow up still done in the
  office
• Follow up cannot be done from home
• Too much printing from home.
• Cant have hard copy information at home
• Cancer Conference attendence is optional
• One day a month everyone comes in for staff
  meeting (usually Conference day)

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Summary

• CONFIDENTIALITY MUST BE MAINTAINED!!
• Productivity must be at least maintained at
  current level
• Policies and procedures must be developed and
  understood

23
I cant go HOME