When It Comes to Action Plans, One Size Does Not Fit All

INSIDE PROVIDER SERVICES with David Rosales

Welcome to the latest installment of my Frontline column, “Inside Provider Services,” where I talk about what’s going on with our Home Care, Hospice, Behavioral Health, Personal Care and Care Management Organization teams.

It’s hard to believe it’s already November. Before you know it, it’ll be Thanksgiving.

Here’s something else that falls into the “before you know it” category: our 2024 Employee Engagement Survey, which was just sent out. This is the survey where we ask you to tell us about your work and how you feel about working for this organization. 

Since this year’s Employee Engagement Survey just went out, both my column and John’s “Inside Health Plans” column this month are focused on the Action Plans that have been happening across the organization this past year to address feedback that you and your colleagues shared in last year’s Employee Engagement Survey.

So here are a few thoughts on those Action Plans.

One size does not fit all.

By this, I mean no two lines of business are alike. While, yes, we want to break down siloes at VNS Health, we also know that different business lines have different needs. Which is the beauty of our Employee Engagement survey. It allows us to create Action Plans that are specifically tailored to each individual line of business’s needs, as well as the needs of various groups within each business line.

Each line of business is succeeding with their own unique Action Plans.

Business lines across the organization—including those in Provider Services—have created and implemented their own unique Action Plans, following a “You Asked, We Did, What’s Next” format. Here, below, are some examples of the unique Action Plans being carried out within Provider Services. Please note these are just a few of the many Action Plans each business line has implemented.

Home Care

In last year’s survey, Home Care team members asked to be more involved in decisions that impact their work. What we did: To help accomplish this, the Home Care team implemented a Rapid Daily Check-in process that gives field clinicians more involvement in planning their upcoming assignments. Home Care is also now involving clinicians in the testing of all new devices and tools being considered for use in the field. In addition, Home Care Clinical Advisory Boards have been created for each discipline, with seven frontline clinician representatives on each board.

Care Management Organization

Our CMO team members asked for more and better collaboration within the CMO itself. What we did: To help address this, all CMO team members now have regular one-on-one meetings with the CMO leadership, where they can share their ideas and concerns. The CMO also launched an in-house newsletter that includes profiles of different team members.

Behavioral Health

Our Behavioral Health team asked for more opportunities to engage with senior leadership. What we did: Jessica Fear, Senior Vice President of Behavioral Health, has begun holding quarterly in-person Town Halls in every region. These Town Halls give BH team members from different programs an opportunity to interact with BH senior leaders and share information and ideas for workplace improvements.

Remember…

You’ll be receiving the 2024 Employee Engagement Survey this week. When you see the survey in your in-box, please take a few minutes to fill it out. The survey, which is anonymous, is coming from a third-party independent research firm named Perceptyx.

We want to hear what you think is working and what’s not. That way, you and your colleagues can create Action Plans for 2025 that specifically address areas where you’d like to see improvement.

Because when it comes to Action Plans, one size does not fit all.