Building a Culture of Safety: A Shared Commitment During Patient Safety Awareness Week

Each March, Patient Safety Awareness Week highlights the importance of reducing preventable harm and strengthening safe practices across all health care settings. For Buckeye Health Plan and our provider partners, this is a timely reminder that patient safety starts with a strong culture of safety.

A culture of safety exists when providers and staff feel supported to speak up about concerns, report errors or near misses, and learn from them without fear of blame. This approach is especially important in outpatient offices and community based settings, where most patient care occurs and gaps in communication or follow‑ups can lead to avoidable harm. [ihi.org]

Encouraging open reporting and continuous learning helps identify critical issues early and supports safer, more reliable care for Buckeye members.

Key Takeaways for Buckeye Providers

• Encourage staff to report safety concerns and near misses.
• Review events to improve systems, not assign blame.
• Communicate clearly during referrals, transitions, and follow‑up.
• Engage patients as active partners in their care.
• Use Patient Safety Awareness Week as a reminder to reinforce safe practices year‑round.

Buckeye Health Plan appreciates your continued commitment to delivering safe, high quality care.

References

• Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Patient Safety Awareness Week.
  https://www.ihi.org/partner/initiatives/patient-safety-awareness-week
• Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality. Resources and Tools on Patient and Healthcare Workforce Safety  https://www.ahrq.gov/patient-safety/index.html

We’d love to hear how you are celebrating Patient Safety Awareness Week in your organization. Share your experiences with us at BuckeyeQualityofCare@centene.com.

CAHPS Monthly Tips: Getting Appointments & Care Quickly and Getting Needed Care

Timely access matters to patients—and CAHPS scores. Simple workflow and communication practices can improve how patients experience access to care.

Tips to help patients get seen quickly:

• Reserve same‑day or urgent appointment slots
• Use NPs/PAs for short‑notice or routine visits
• Apply clear triage processes for urgent needs
• Communicate delays and offer options when wait times exceed expectations

Tips to ensure patients get the care they need:

• Assist with scheduling tests or specialist visits before patients leave
• Follow up on referrals to confirm appointments were made
• Provide clear instructions for next steps, authorizations, and after‑hours care
• Offer telehealth options when appropriate

Making access easy, timely, and well‑coordinated helps patients receive the right care at the right time—and strengthens the patient’s experience.

Monthly HEDIS Tips: American Heart Month: Early Detection Saves Lives

February is American Heart Month, a reminder of the importance of early identification of cardiovascular risk. Routine blood pressure screenings, cholesterol testing, and diabetes screening help detect conditions early—often before symptoms appear—and support improved long‑term outcomes.

Incorporating blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes screenings into routine visits promotes early detection of cardiovascular risk and helps close gaps in care.

• CBP – Controlling High Blood Pressure, which evaluates blood pressure control for members with a diagnosis of hypertension.
• BPD-E – Blood Pressure Control for Patients with Diabetes, which focuses on members ages 18–75 with diabetes whose blood pressure is adequately controlled.
• SPC-E – Statin Therapy for Patients with Cardiovascular Disease, which assesses appropriate statin use for members with clinical ASCVD and is supported by cholesterol assessment.
• SPD-E – Statin Therapy for Patients with Diabetes, which focuses on members ages 40–75 with diabetes and emphasizes cholesterol evaluation to guide statin therapy when clinically appropriate.

By incorporating blood pressure checks, cholesterol testing, and diabetes screening into routine visits, providers can identify cardiovascular and metabolic risk sooner, close gaps in care, and support HEDIS‑aligned prevention and chronic condition management. Early detection enables timely intervention, reduces complications, and helps improve outcomes for the members we serve.

Monthly Health Outcomes Survey (HOS) Tips: Improving or Maintaining Physical Health

Supporting patients’ long‑term physical health starts with consistent preventive care and proactive chronic condition management. Everyday clinical interactions are opportunities to reinforce healthy habits, close care gaps, and help patients stay well over time.

Ways providers can make an impact:

• Prioritize preventive care by encouraging annual wellness visits, age‑appropriate screenings, and immunizations.
• Promote healthy habits such as physical activity, balanced nutrition, tobacco cessation, and medication adherence.
• Monitor and manage chronic conditions with regular follow‑ups, goal setting, and clear care plans.
• Address barriers early by discussing social needs, transportation challenges, and access to medications or services.
• Reinforce self‑management with clear education, written instructions, and referrals to care management or community resources.

When preventive care and chronic disease management are well‑coordinated, patients are more likely to maintain their physical health, avoid complications, and experience better overall outcomes—reflected in stronger HOS results and healthier lives.

Monthly OPMH Tips: Collaborative Goal Setting & Goals That Guide the Care Journey

The Outpatient Mental Health (OPMH) Survey highlights how well patients feel heard, involved, and supported throughout their care. Key OPMH composites—such as shared decision‑making, communication, and care coordination—are directly influenced by how providers partner with patients to set and follow meaningful goals.

Collaborative goal setting is central to a positive patient experience. When goals are clearly defined, documented, and revisited, patients are more likely to feel respected, engaged, and confident in their care plan.

Tips to strengthen OPMH performance through goal‑driven care:

• Co‑create goals with patients. Ask what matters most to them and align clinical priorities with patient‑identified outcomes.
• Use goals to guide the care journey. Connect treatment decisions, follow‑ups, and referrals back to the patient’s stated goals.
• Promote shared decision‑making. Clearly explain options, risks, and benefits—and invite patients to participate in choosing next steps.
• Document goals clearly and consistently. Ensure goals are visible in the medical record so the entire care team can reinforce them.
• Revisit and adjust goals regularly. Acknowledge progress, address barriers, and update goals as patient needs evolve.

When patients see their goals reflected in conversations, care plans, and documentation, they experience care as more personal, coordinated, and respectful—key drivers of stronger OPMH survey results and better outcomes.

Provider Planner: New Tool for Your Practice: Patient Pre-Visit Checklist & Clinical Follow-Up Form

We’re excited to introduce the Provider Planner that includes an unbranded Patient Pre-Visit Checklist and Clinical Follow-Up Form, designed to improve care coordination and enhance patient experience.

What’s included:

• Pre-Visit Checklist: Captures key patient information such as recent specialist visits, hospitalizations, medication concerns, preventive care, and social/emotional well-being.
• Clinical Follow-Up: Provides clear instructions for rooming staff to address flagged responses, gather additional details, and complete follow-up actions.

How to use:

• Review flagged responses during rooming.
• Obtain additional information and complete the appropriate sections.
• Report findings promptly to the provider for timely interventions.

Unbranded Video for Waiting Rooms: Making Every Visit Count

We’re excited to share a new unbranded video that can be played in provider office waiting rooms. The video emphasizes our commitment to patient health and comfort at every visit and encourages open conversations about:

• Balance and mobility
• Mood and mental health
• Pain, fatigue, or anything that feels “off”
• Bladder health
• Memory changes
• Preventive care and medications

Your patients matter—ALWAYS. This video helps remind them that their questions are welcome and their care is a partnership.

These tools help streamline communication, close care gaps, and empower patients with education and resources. The Provider Planner introduces a Pre‑Visit Checklist and Clinical Follow‑Up Form to improve care coordination, along with an unbranded waiting‑room video that encourages open conversations about key health concerns.

Together, these tools support stronger communication, close care gaps, and enhance the overall patient experience.

Monthly CAHPS Tips: CAHPS Season Is Here: Make Every Interaction Count

The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, or CAHPS, is a nationally standardized survey program overseen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CAHPS is a registered trademark of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and was developed to capture the consumer and patient perspective on health care quality.

CAHPS includes a family of survey tools used across different health care settings. These surveys focus on what patients can directly observe and report—such as access to care, communication, coordination, and overall experience—rather than clinical outcomes alone.

The CAHPS survey is conducted annually and administered to an anonymous, random sample of members, typically between February/March and June.

The purpose of CAHPS is to evaluate consumer experience and understand how members perceive key aspects of the care they received in the previous six months.

Questions focus on how easy it was to get care, how well providers communicated, and whether members felt supported throughout their care journey.

It is important to understand that member experience and patient satisfaction are not the same thing. A member may report a positive experience—such as feeling listened to or receiving clear instructions—even if the clinical outcome was not what they hoped for. CAHPS specifically measures the experience of care delivery, which is why provider communication, access, and coordination plays such a critical role in CAHPS performance.

Quick Tips to Boost Scores:

• Improve Access: Offer timely appointments and reduce waiting times.
• Communicate Clearly: Use plain language, listen actively, and confirm understanding.
• Coordinate Care: Explain referrals, medications, and follow-ups thoroughly.
• Create a Positive Environment: Keep patients informed and welcome.
• Engage Patients: Use reminders, portals, and education to keep them involved.

Monthly HEDIS Tips: Preparing for the 2025 Hybrid Season

The 2025 HEDIS Hybrid Season runs January through April 2025, and your partnership is key to its success. During this period, our health plan may request medical records for dates of service in 2025 or earlier for measures not captured by claims. Requests may come via office visits, fax, mail, or EMR.

Looking ahead, if you are part of our Hybrid sample, expect outreach in Q1 2026 for any additional records needed. Your timely response ensures accurate reporting and supports quality care for our members.

Provider Tips for a Smooth Season:

• Stay Organized: Maintain up-to-date records and ensure EMR access is ready for retrieval.
• Respond Promptly: Quick turnaround on requests helps meet deadlines and avoid follow-ups.
• Verify Documentation: Double-check preventive care and chronic condition measures are clearly documented.
• Use Secure Channels: Confirm fax numbers and EMR permissions to streamline record sharing.
• Communicate with Staff: Brief your team on the process to avoid delays and confusion.

Thank you for your continued commitment to delivering high-quality care and supporting HEDIS success!