Anyone done HEDIS with Outcomes Inc?

wincha · Nov 28, 2006

I got a bad feeling from them. They took forever to send me any info. Took along time to check my references. I never sent anything else. They kept calling me. It just wasn't right. I have heard there are other companies that pay much more to do this job. I would walk away from this.

outcomesfirst, BSN, RN · Nov 30, 2006

I did some very brief HEDIS with Managed Access last year - thought it would be a good way to spend time between class terms - not worth it, poor organization and I would go to an office do two charts, drive across town, wait an hour, do 13 charts - 4 of which would not be compliant - no pay etc, then spend 4 or 6 hours every other day trying to get appointments (find correct phone numbers/locations/who to speak with/when they were available to speak with you/office hours etc.)with the MD office - this time was not paid, it was a mess. Outcomes Inc. also contacted me - the money is ridiculous and the planned methodology is poor - basically, they want you to xerox, perhaps scan the appropriate piece of paper (s) and then mail the whole thing in, the talker had very little knowledge about Hedis - which can require obtaining data from several different places in a record, and frankly I was amazed how disorganized many office charts are. In short, even if you are #1 nurse, 20 charts an hour - no way - it is time consuming, I thought I was good at 4 or 5. Oh and that CD training, it took a good 10 hours to complete and do the online tests - and I am not slow or inexperienced.

Also after hearing some of the reports - something about prenatal care being improved and aspirin/beta blockers after MI greatly improved I doubted the quality of data - the offices I went to were not compliant. So basically I would say - go with your guts ladies, this is a sham. One agency shift will make you more - and this is not a career.

cookie102 · Dec 19, 2006

i think if you are looking for work to fill a short period of time, this might be the ticket , they told me as of jan 1 , mileage reimbursment is 48.5 cents/mile, yes $4 per chart with an average of approx 50/day.... they don't send you to an office if it is less than 5 charts....not great money but not all that bad either.

wincha · Dec 20, 2006

Depends on the company. I forgot but I talked to one company and it was disorganized and I saw red flags and did not do it. Later I heard other people talk of how you went to an office and did a couple of charts and then were sent miles away for another couple of charts. Not worth my time!

changeagent1 · Jan 8, 2007

i have done hedis data collection many times. i have worked in the managed care arena for quite a while. the first thing to tell you about hedis data collection is that it is not a full time job. it is a part time job. it is not intended to give you a salary that you can live off of, but to supplement and give you extra spending money. it is especially a good deal if you work 12 hour shifts because you can do this on your day off.

it is tedious. you have to schedule your appointments in physician offices. if it is a solo practice there may be only 5-6 charts to review. on some companies you are scheduled by support staff. i do not recommend this type of data collection because usually the schedulers are in another location and are not aware of local traffic patterns. so only take a job where you are in control of the scheduling. get on map quest and map out the offices you have to attend and plan the route.

the physician offices, for the most part know about hedis, but you may come upon new people that have not been exposed to it before. be aware, this data collection effort is not to measure the physicians per se; it is to measure the health plans of managed care. therefore, there may be only a few charts per office.

some offices are nice and helpful and others are rude. be that as it may, your responsibility to is to be appropriate to them. their job is to take care of the customer/patients, not nurses doing chart review. you are on their turf. be pleasant and flexible. they will try to accommodate you, but never allow them to accommodate you at the expense of the customer. you may be placed in a small room, on a stool or in storage room. be flexible and smile.

it can be a fun thing to go around to different offices and see another side of the health care continuum. it is a change from the normal routine of nursing. i have done this type of data collection for years and always enjoy being in the community. also, if you goal is to get into qi or managed care, getting this type of experience can always help with that. put it on your resume.

remember hedis are quality measures for managed care, not individual physicians. they cover the whole gamut of health care areas such as diabetes, heart, depression, immunizations and prenatal care.

sailorgal · Jan 20, 2007

I just got hired with Outcomes, Inc. out of Tarpon Sgs, Florida for the HEDIS project. I am a green employee meaning I use environmentally safe and conscious lifestyle choices in work, purchases, and everyday life. Included in that is using rapid transit. Three days later I was told that because I did not own a car and planned to use rapid transit for work, which is superior in the Denver Metro areas by the way, that I would only be used if "there were no other people able to do the job". I was pretty disappointed. Do I have any recourse? The town I live in is a green town and signed the Kyoto agreement and other world wide initiatives going against the US gov choices regarding green living. Ironically the company sited "equipment safety" as a reason. WEll, the patient sensitive data stolen from our american vets recently that was all over the news was heisted from the back of a car! Wow, and I was willing to do the task for a paultry 4 bucks a chart! What do you all think about this hiring practice?

CathyRNCCS · Jan 31, 2007

I'm goi

CathyRNCCS · Jan 31, 2007

baaaad idea to take hourly pay for hedis or other chart reviews. this will be my 2nd season with outcomes and they pay $4 a chart to scan them--the abstraction part is separated for qa. i get up to 80 charts a day so that's $40 an hour. i never had any pay issues and the nurses i worked with didnt either.

downside: the training was a little long (but at least they pay you for it). also their recruiters aren't clinicians so of course they cant tell you everythign about hedis!

overall, the work is pretty good and i made a lot of money. cathy

alley67 · Feb 23, 2007

I have collected HEDIS data for 10 years and decided to apply to Outcomes Inc this year because the other company I worked for went out of business. When I received the training dvd I opened it and was absolutely amazed at the volume of information they wanted me to copy from the chart. Since I am so familiar with each HEDIS measure I found their process to be very time consuming not to mention unnecessary. Why have one person copy multiple pages of a chart, mail it and then have another person sort through the chart at their home office. Why pay two people to do the job of one. Why incur the postage expense for those charts that are copied and not scanned. The only information that really needs to be copied is the supporting documentation for each measure. I cannot imagine that the physician offices will be happy with a person tying up the copier for extended periods of time as well as using their paper and toner. (some charts will be scanned) I also spoke with someone who has been scanning charts for Outcomes and they said that it can sometimes take up to two hours to upload the information. There is no reimbursement for that time at home. Can you imagine copying ALL progress note in a chart for the colorectal screening measure from 1997-2006, as well as all consults for that time period, and all radiology and operative reports for those 10 years. I did not feel that it was reflective of the expertise I have for this project.

ARBY · Feb 25, 2007

I think you should try to get to the "highest up" there, it's my bet that all you've talked to are the "flunkies". Their method is just too tedious and time consuming. :eek: Heck, when we sent stuff in for IRR we only sent info supporting our answer. I could see where they might have a "newbie" to HEDIS copy all this but anyone who has ANY experience (and certainly you, with 10 years experience) should only have to send in the supporting documentation.

CathyRNCCS, do you have to copy as much as was indicated to alley67? What happens if you get a chart where the pt. hasn't done or wasn't given the proper follow-up...are you still paid for that chart since you reviewed it even if the results were negative.

By the way alley67, :welcome:

romiia · Apr 6, 2007

IS ANYONE DOING HEDIS in North Carolina this year??

Does any one know of the individual insuarnce companys that do thier own hiring for Hedis Nurses???? Or are there any??

be care ful with outcomes, they may promise you steady work in the beginning of the hedis season, but depending on where you live, you may be out of work fairly sooner than later!! even though its not a permanent position thye should be able to give you some idea of how much work is available in your area!!

~i advise asking lots of specific questions~ and if thier answer dosent make sense then, rephrase it in laymen's terms!! :nono:

I also advise, if they are doing your scheduling for you, that you call the providers/ doctors office before leaving home to confirm your appt. "the right day & right time, etc.,"

mssassyfras · Apr 24, 2007

I completed Outcomes' entire employment process several months ago, including reserving at least 20 hours a week for the duration of their record review process and passing their competency test. I had repeated urgent emails and phone calls regarding "we've gotta get you scheduled."

End result? I still have no assignment and their season will be closing in a few weeks. I emptied my calendar or rearranged it, bargining in good faith. No one has ever called to say "hang in there with us, we'll get you set up in the next few weeks." For the last month there has been no communication on their end and my phone calls go unreturned.

For most of us, setting aside at least 20 hours a week for several months is a monumental task. When one agrees to do this there is an assumption that one's time will be utilized. I have no idea of what to make of this. Outcomes seems like an honorable company. Perhaps their reps are just too overwhelmed to be responsive. I don't know.