P006: Office of Facilities Management (FY18 Parent)

P006: Percent of operational beds occupied

Current Value

81.7%

FY 2018

Definition

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Story Behind the Curve

New Mexico Department of Health facilities serve a large variety of New Mexico citizens around the state in areas of long-term care, behavioral health, chemical dependency treatment, medical rehabilitation, adolescent programs, and community programs.
Measuring the census can help explain how efficient a facility is managing the tax dollars by measuring the number of patients that are receiving services.
Operational beds are those for which sufficient staff are available to provide safe and quality care. The average percentage of operational beds occupied across the five facilities and the community program in Fiscal Year 2018-Quarter 3 was 79.7%, with a cumulative 9-month outcome of 81.0%. The target of 90% was not met.
The facilities experience challenges such as direct care staff recruitment and retention issues, inconsistent levels of patient referrals, and stringent Medicare requirements for acceptance and admission.
The Turquoise Lodge Hospital will focus its efforts on increasing the number of adult patients needing medical detox and inpatient chemical dependency services in an effort to fill more available beds. The New Mexico Rehabilitation Center is continuously working on recruitment efforts to hire sufficient staff to resume all services and fill available beds at that location. Fort Bayard Medical Center continues to explore an expansion of long term care services for veterans as well as trying to minimize denials through thorough review of potential resident needs.

Partners

Children, Youth and Families Department
State Personnel Office
New Mexico Department of Health Developmental Disabilities Supports Division
New Mexico Department of Health Public Health Division
State District Courts
Referral agencies – clinics, hospitals, long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities
United States Department of Veterans Affairs and New Mexico Department of Veterans' Services
Community members

What Works

Marketing the services and care available.
Increasing census helps demonstrate quality of care and ongoing communication with referral sources.
Working with payers to make sure prior approvals and authorizations are in place to assist in making admission process more efficient.
Full staffing levels in all facilities and services.

Strategy

Continuous staff recruitment efforts such as Rapid Hire Events to recruit health care staff.
In-service education and staff development to help improve the quality of care that is being provided. Sharing outcomes with referral sources will assist in generating more patients for the facilities.
Working with payers to clearly communicate financial needs and services.
Strengthen admission processes by developing marketing strategies and efforts to assist with increasing referrals.

Action Plan

Q1-Q4: Support of facility administrators to assist in marketing and recruitment efforts such as with social media and community events. Hold Rapid Hire Events as able to facilitate hiring. Ongoing.
Q1-Q4: Develop and provide educational opportunities for professional staff that will provide credits toward licensure. Ongoing.
Q1-Q4: Work with State Personnel Office as able to fill vacant positions through partnering and assistance of facility staff thus allowing increased census. Ongoing.
Q1-Q4: Increase recruitment efforts by working with New Mexico professional schools (e.g., nursing, therapy) quarterly to bring students into the facilities. Ongoing.
Q1-Q4: Improve communications with payers through financial department staff to collaborate as a team in provision of services. Ongoing.
Q1-Q4: Facilities will increase local community awareness of services provided to encourage interest in their facility usage. Ongoing.

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