2010 Goals Revisited

Earlier this year, I wrote about goals for 2010. Here are the goals I documented:

• Complete all tasks as assigned for HEDIS 2011
• Submit HEDIS 2010 measures to NCQA
• Complete any post-HEDIS analyses
• Complete an internal leadership course
• Coordinate two projects to completion
• Complete another AHIP course
• Complete another SAS course (advanced macros or programming 3)
• Share SAS tools (e.g., macros, autoexecs) with other users

Obviously, these goals were very tied to my previous position at the local health insurance company, Dean Health Plan. Since then, I have accepted a new position at a clinical practice organization, the UW Medical Foundation, so my goals had to change significantly. I'm still in the process of familiarization, but I have completed several projects already. So what should my goals look like? Here's an attempt at a revision:

• Complete all tasks related to assigned quality-of-care measures for submission to Wisconsin Collaborative for Healthcare Quality (WCHQ)
• Complete any ad-hoc analyses
• Automate and update assigned production reports and processes (e.g., bulk emails)
• SAS: Document setup; organize user group to share knowledge, processes, and macros; and implement security procedures for stored Oracle passwords
• Provide support for other projects as needed
• Familiarize with organization structure, including existing process/data/knowledge silos, and begin the communication process to reduce such silos

I have already completed some of these goals, including a submission to WCHQ, ad-hoc requests, automating several reports/processes, and the SAS list. Next year, I should be sufficiently familiar with my position and the organization to have a more in-depth understanding of what I can help the organization with aside from my assigned duties.

Goals for 2010

At work, upper management set corporate and division goals, and asked everyone to submit personal goals that align with the corporate and division goals. Here are my official goals:

• Complete all tasks as assigned for HEDIS 2011
• Submit HEDIS 2010 measures to NCQA
• Complete any post-HEDIS analyses
• Complete an internal leadership course
• Coordinate two projects to completion

In addition, I have these goals:

• Complete another AHIP course
• Complete another SAS course (advanced macros or programming 3)
• Share SAS tools (e.g., macros, autoexecs) with other users

I would really like to increase the communication between SAS users at work, so we can share processes, tips and tricks, macros, and programming methodologies. In part, this would enhance my skills as a SAS programmer, and it would also help make our SAS programs more standardized, increasing consistency, efficiency, and competitive edge.

What goals do you have for 2010?

HEDIS 2009 Complete

We just completed HEDIS 2009!

For those of you who don't know what HEDIS is, the acronym stands for Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set. In order to obtain accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance, health plans must analyze their health care data to generate percentages related to the quality of care provided by the health care providers. The data is used to compare health plans and provide information about where health care can be improved, for the health plans specifically and for our nation in general.

An easy is example of a HEDIS measure is the percent of pregnant women who obtain the recommended number of prenatal visits before giving birth. This percent is part of the FPC measure (Frequency of Ongoing Prenatal Care). Another example is the percent of children who obtain the recommended vaccinations at specific times during their development. This comprises the CIS measure (Childhood Immunization Status). More complex measures, such as CDC or the set of RRU measures, measure the quality of care for diabetics or the cost of care for specific disorders across the health plan (respectively).

Toward the end of HEDIS, I invented a couple of new words related to the process:

• HEDISache - A headache brought on by working on HEDIS.
• THEDIS - Pronounced tuh-he-dis. Alternatively, THEDIouS, pronounced tuh-he-di-ous. - An adjective describing what it's like to review HEDIS data: tedious.
• HEDIlunch - Lunch with other people who worked on HEDIS, usually after successful completion.
  

I also see a car with the license plate "PBH" on my way home from work just about every day. It reminds me of the measure, "Persistence of Beta-blocker Treatment After a Heart Attack." Each measure has a three-letter acronym, and this one is abbreviated PBH. My wife rolls her eyes whenever I recite the name after seeing the license plate. I guess I"ll remember that one for a while!

Update: I noted the wrong pregnancy measure, PPC, instead of FPC. It is now correct.