Chief Financial Officers Protocol

Attachment B

MOPS-HP (Management and Organizational Practices Survey – Hospitals)
Chief Financial Officers

April 20, 2018

DRAFT

Research Questions

• Are respondents able to provide information from 2012 with the same quality as 2017?

• What extra burden would respondents have for providing data from 5 years in the past?

• Could the survey request for the CFO and clinical manager’s pieces be sent together?

• How can we target the right respondents for the CFO and clinical manager forms?

• Do the respondents understand the questions and can they provide responses that match the intent of the inquiry?

• Do you respondents have access to the necessary records that may be required for this form?

Introduction

• Thank you for your time today.

• Purpose of meeting – We are currently in the process of evaluating the content that is being proposed for this new survey that asks about management and operational practices at hospitals.

Our purpose today is to have you review the proposed content and provide your feedback about how you would go about answering these questions.

• I want to emphasize that our goal is to look for ways to improve this survey.

• All of your responses will be completely confidential and not shared with anyone not directly involved in this research project. You are free to decline any question you’re not comfortable answering.

• Is it OK to audio record our discussion? This is strictly for note-taking purpose. (Ask to sign consent form)

Background questions

• What is your role in the hospital? How long have you been in that role?

• Are you responsible for any surveys that are requested by the government? Which ones?

• Are you familiar with the Services Annual Survey? Have you completed it in the past for your hospital?

Section A – Management Practices

1. In your own words, what does care delivery mean?

   1. Can you give me examples of the problems in care delivery that you experienced in 2012?

   2. Can you give me examples of the problems in care delivery that you experienced in 2017?

   3. How did you go about answering this question for 2012? Would you have to consult with any others?

2. In your own words, can you define what a ‘key performance indicator’ is?

   1. Does your hospital use this terminology? If not, what terminology do you use?

   2. Where were the key performance indicators that your hospital monitored in 2012? 2017?

   3. How did you come up with your answer for both years?

3. How does your hospital define a manager?

   1. How did you go about answering this question for 2012?

   2. How did you go about answering this question for 2017?

   3. Would you need to work with any others to answer these questions?

4. In your own words, what does frontline clinical workers mean to you? What are some examples?

   1. Would you have to work with others to get these answers?

   2. Would you have the information available for 2012?

5. What are your experiences with financial targets for the hospital?

   1. Who sets these targets?

   2. Do you have access to this information for 2017? 2012?

   3. Would you have to work with anyone else within the hospital to get this information?

6. How did you come up with your answer to this question?

   1. What would you define as a ‘normal amount of effort?’

7. How did you come up with your answer?

8. Are you familiar with the way in which managers are promoted within the hospital? Tell me more about that.

   1. Would you have to talk to anyone else in order to answer this question?

9. Are you familiar with the procedures for dealing with under-performing managers in 2017? 2012? Tell me about them.

   1. Are you the most knowledgeable person about this topic?

10. Have you worked in other locations within the hospital since you began working here?

11. n/a

Section B – Management Training

12. n/a

13. Tell me more about the training you participated in.

    1. Besides MBA or executive courses, is there any other management training you have participated in?

Section C - Coding

14. Do you have access to this information? If not, how would you go about answering this question?

    1. Do you have coding staff? If yes, what are their main responsibilities?

15. Do you have access to this information? If not, how would you go about answering this question?

    1. How would you go about answering this question for 2012?

16. Tell me more about your answer.

17. How do frontline clinical workers obtain training on documentation and coding at your hospital?

    1. What typically happens if there are issues with the documentation or coding done by a clinical worker?

    2. If there is an intervention, how is it determined that one is needed?

18. How do physicians obtain training on documentation and coding at your hospital?

    1. Are physicians rewarded for good documentation/coding?

       1. How are they rewarded?

       2. How is it determined that they had good documentation/coding?

    2. What typically happens if there are issues with the documentation or coding done by a physician?

       1. If there is an intervention, how is it determined that one is needed?

Section D – Validation Questions

19. How did you determine this answer?

    1. Did you have to access records for this information? What records did you use? Were they easily accessible?

20. Did you have to access records for this information? What records did you use? Were they easily accessible?

    1. Did you have any temporary or contract employees?

    2. Were those employees excluded from the figure you accessed from records?

    3. Are there any other types of employees not listed that you have excluded?

Wrap-Up Questions

• How long would it take you to complete this form including any time that you would need to consult with others?

• What would be the biggest challenges in completing these questions?

• How many others would you have to work with to complete this?

• Other than obtaining the information for the staffed beds and employees, would you need to look at records to answer any questions?

• Does your hospital have a cardiac unit? Are you familiar with the head of that unit?

• Does your hospital have a surgical unit? Are you familiar with the head of that unit?

  • We anticipate having a similar survey that would include all of these questions with the exception of the coding/documentation section targeted towards a high or mid-level manager within the cardiac unit. The survey would ask for more detail about management practices as well as the use of protocols.

    • What would be the best way to collect this data from them?

    • Can we mail you one letter with login information and trust that the information will get routed to the proper respondents? Or should we be sending two/three separate letters with separate login information directly to the respective desired respondents?

• Is there a person or office that handles all inbound paper mail?

  • Would they route mail marked ‘CFO’ to you?

  • What other mail without a name would be routed to you, if any?

  • Is there another person besides you that fills out government paperwork, for example, quality statistics for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (could also add – that are used for the Medicare Compare website)?

• Do you have any other comments or suggestions about the survey?

Thank you for your time