A capstone experience was completed to fulfill academic requirements for a doctoral degree in occupational therapy. The primary goal of the doctoral capstone experience was to develop advanced leadership and administrative skills within the profession of occupational therapy. To accomplish this goal, operational strategies were implemented to adapt to the care delivery system in the skilled nursing facility (SNF) environment to achieve optimal clinical and operational performance. A review of current literature revealed that transformations in healthcare have yielded increased demands for SNFs to demonstrate quality services and data-supported evidence of reduced hospital readmission rates. Results from the literature review and a needs assessment indicated the need to develop an outcome tool that therapists can use to measure hospital readmission risks for patients who discharge from SNFs to home. From an operations perspective, the outcome tool helps to delineate the SNF organization from its competitors, market quality metrics to establish partnerships with hospitals, and fulfill healthcare system requirements. Clinical use of the outcome tool also aims to assist in the identification of potential system and population issues, and to verify consistent provision of high quality care. This capstone paper summarizes the development and implementation processes of the outcome tool, describes plans for continuous quality improvement, and highlights administrative and leadership skills gained throughout the doctoral capstone experience.

Creator

• Clem, Curtis

Contributors

• Bednarski, Julie

Publisher

• University of Indianapolis

Language

• en

Identifier

• Clem.Curtis.pdf

Keyword

• Health Sciences

• Occupational Therapy

Date created

• 2018-05

Rights statement

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/