Consulting Solutions

Avera Education & Staffing Solutions consultants are experienced professionals, whose ultimate goal is to provide analysis and direction to today's health care leaders.  Utilization of an outside resource with expertise in health care issues provides an objective approach that facilitates a positive outcome.

Leadership Development

Leadership is the ability to influence individuals or groups to take positive action to achieve specific goals.  Our programs help health care leaders recognize the importance of company values, develop effective leadership styles, build communication skills and confidence, improve coaching skills, promote positive team building, empower teams and manage professional stress.

Core Operational Review & Evaluation (CORE)

A Corporate Operational Review and Evaluation (CORE) focuses on business processes, best practices, and compliance of the health care organization.  Areas of review are: Organizational Structure; Planning and Marketing, Financial Management, Materials Management, Purchased Services, Operations Management, Facilities & Environment, Human Resources, Risk Management, Quality Assurance, Corporate Compliance, HIPAA.

Survey Preparedness

In our present regulatory environment, many facilities need assistance in evaluating their survey readiness.  We work on an individual basis with each facility to develop a  survey preparedness plan. Our survey consulting process includes:

• Assessment—Comprehensive baseline assessments evaluate your current level of compliance and provide the basis for developing a customized action plan to ensure survey success.
• Simulated Surveys—Simulating the survey agenda and process provides a critical learning opportunity for your staff.
• Plan of Action—Our consultants work with the facility to develop follow through plans to best deal with identified areas of concern.

MDS Consulting

The Minimum Data Set (MDS) can and should be the LTC facility's most powerful clinical management tool. It is integrally important for compliance and positive survey performance and provides the basis for care planning, outcomes measurement and reimbursement accuracy. Properly executed and implemented, the MDS is instrumental in achieving continuous quality improvement while optimizing PPS, coding and RUGs decisions. It further provides important documentation for the prevention of fraud, abuse and other legal problems.  Avera Education & Staffing Solutions’ MDS consulting helps you achieve your goals in improving resident care quality outcomes. 

Director of Nursing Support

This program is designed to work with new, inexperienced or struggling DONs.  It will help them develop systems, best practice, policy and protocol tailored to fit needs of individual DON and facility.  The consulting service will build competency in senior nursing leadership skills. 

Service Excellence: The Ultimate Experience

Success with customer satisfaction is largely determined by leadership’s ability to engage others in a mutually supported vision of customer service for the future—getting people’s whole-hearted support and participation.  Commitment to excellent service starts with leadership and extends to each member of the organization.  The program is based on The Baptist Journey and The Nordstrom Way.  Following the study and planning sessions, your organization will consciously incorporate Service Excellence:  The Ultimate Experience principles into their daily activities. 

Drug Diversion in the Health Care Workplace

Drug diversion in the health care workplace is a sensitive and emotional situation.  We will assist you in its prevention; we will assist you through the process of its discovery.  This consultation program will assist the facility leaders to establish safeguards of drug diversion prevention, recommends identification practices of substance use and drug diversion, and assists with establishment of quality improvement protocols.   The consultant will assist in conducting internal investigations, reporting to the state and federal agencies, and initiating plans of correction.

Strategic Planning Consultation

Community, local resources, physicians and hospital staff are engaged in surveys, focus groups, and forums to analyze the situation. Internal SWOT conducted. Mission, Vision, Objectives, Strategy development.

Cardiac Rehab

For facilities with outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation program, consulting services can include recommendations for best practices, policies and procedures, motivating and retaining participants, and building cost-effective maintenance (Phase III) programs.  Our consultant can also provide strategies for managing a rural program with a small census.

Consulting Support also available for:

• Dietary
• Social Services
• Survey Preparedness
• MDS
• Leadership
• Focus Groups
• Peer Review
• Clinical Review
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Legal Issues
• Cultural Diversity
• Conflict Resolution
• Grant Writing
• Multigenerational Work Force
• Interim CEO, hospital or long term care.
• Interim Director of Nursing, hospital or long term care.

The use of a consultant is not a reflection of a facility's shortcomings; it is a wise decision in preventing future problems.