A superior Quality Assurance (QA) program must be objective and include a systematic approach to monitoring and evaluating quality and appropriateness of a facility’s health care delivery systems. A sound QA program produces measurable outcomes and gives direction for improvement. The CovetCare automated QA system is:

• Objective
• System-specific

Its design guides users to create an objective audit tool and address the threshold of excellence (% of accuracy) for each quality indicator.

Tools created using the QA program are designed to allow users to specify the form(s) of monitoring through one or more of the following methods:

• Record review
• Observation
• Interview

This results in the creation of audit tools which:

• Translate outcomes into quantifiable (measurable) terms
• Permit specification of the projected and reasonable re-audit date
• Subsequently reminds users of need to re-audit
• Meet the need for a timely plan of correction

Objective QA audit tools are key to a corporate culture that values quality of care, quality of life, risk management, compliance with regulatory requirements and rightful reimbursement.

CovetCare QA does all of the latter and more…

CovetCare QA Library

Upon logging into the CovetCare QA program, the user’s discipline/department QA Library of audit tools appears on screen.

The library tracks the number of QA tools in each discipline, the frequency by which each indicator of quality (topic) is monitored, and a history of audit outcomes, over time and per topic. The program then automatically displays an analysis of trends and patterns of usage.

The user can create, edit and/or delete audit tools, as well as enter statistical data into an existing tool. From there, and automatically, root-cause analysis of findings, with a quantifiable outcome is reported.

The library provides the Administrator/QA Coordinator or Department Head with an overview of the nature of the quality indicators being monitored, per discipline.

Implementation of an Audit Tool

Using the Audit System is easy!

After creating or printing out an audit tool, the tool can be used to conduct an audit. Once an audit has been conducted, the user can then go to the QA website, select the audit topic and enter the statistical data onto the audit tool.

Root Cause Analysis

After the user enters the statistical data, CovetCare QA will automatically calculate the percent of accuracy, per QA question and overall, and compare that outcome to the pre-established threshold (%) of excellence. CovetCare QA will automatically compute if, and by how much, the threshold was met or unmet.

Users indicate a “Corrective Action Plan” for all audit questions that resulted in a negative outcome, and the intended completion date of the plan. On or before the projected completion date, a repeat audit should be conducted.

Audit History of a selected QA topic: Getting to Root Cause

The CovetCare QA System provides users with an audit history of each QA topic. The history produces an automated analysis of trends and patterns, per topic monitored, and detects and reports what and where variances are present, i.e., the root cause.