FP6004 | Dashboard Benchmark Evaluation

Dashboard Benchmark Evaluation

Kindred Healthcare offers support and care to individuals recovering from injury or illness. The organization addresses both the emotional and clinical needs of its patient population.  Kindred Healthcare also customizes its services to the needs of the patients. The facility provides diverse services to its patient population, including contract rehabilitation services, sub-acute units, inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, hospice, home care, and transitional care hospitals (Kind red, n.d). In the context of end-of-life care, the organization provides hospice services to eligible Medicare patients, especially those with six months or fewer life expectancies. Patients from diverse backgrounds access these services as long as they qualify for Medicare benefits. Clients who enroll in hospice care only access palliative care to minimize their symptoms (Watts, 2016). Medicare caters for inpatient or in-home services like grief counseling, respite care, and pain relief.  Kindred Healthcare’s mission is to provide compassionate care to those diagnosed with a terminal illness and other health-related conditions.

Federal Healthcare Policies that Set Benchmarks

State and Federal governments have standards of care that protect patients and their loved ones. The United States implemented the Social Security Act (Provisions 1102, 1861, and 1871/42) to recognize hospice care. The US Code of Federal Regulation, hospice regulations spell out the conditions that must be met by hospice agencies to qualify for Medicare hospice benefits (Hospice Patients Alliance, n.d). Any hospice agency that violates the existing regulations risks being decertified or penalized.  For instance, Kindred Healthcare was punished by the Department of Health and Human Services for violating the corporate integrity agreement (CIA). The facility had to pay a penalty of more than $3 million because it forged its Medicare billing (Watts, 2016). The faking of Medicare billing also infringed on the False Claims Act. The facility was found guilty of billing Medicare for patients who did not qualify for hospice services, especially the expensive category. The company had failed to implement corrective measures as stipulated in the CIA agreement resulting in Medicare overpayments. The federal government is stringent on medical facilities that violate its healthcare policies and fail to meet the set benchmarks.

Evaluating Kindred Healthcare Benchmarks against National Benchmarks

 Family Caregivers’ Experience Dashboard from Kindred Hospice

To Kindred Hospice Director

Kindred Hospital focuses on enhancing the experience of hospice care patients and their families. However, from my evaluation of data regarding the facility’s performance, there are areas that need significant improvements to enhance the experience of those receiving hospice cares. Below is an analysis of the data and the challenges that underperforming metrics pose on the overall performance of the facility

Dashboard Metrics Evaluation

Kindred Hospice underperforms in some metrics that are crucial in improving the experience of hospice care patients. However, there are some performances that are above and within the stated national standards. For instance, there is effective communication between patients and healthcare provi