Is your FQHC prepared for the February 2018 UDS reporting deadline?
The deadline is approaching: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) must submit Uniform Data System (UDS) reports to HRSA by February 15, 2018.
Preparing the report correctly is critical since it forms the basis for additional funding requests. Plus, it’s used to establish national benchmarks.
Are you ready? Or will your organization need a last-minute dash to gather and incorporate data?
Let’s find out:
- Does your organization already report patient demographics and clinical outcomes as defined and requested by HRSA?
- Does your clinic enter patient data into a practice management system (PMS) year-round?
- Have you reviewed year-to-date summary data yet?
- Has your UDS reporting team met?
- If HRSA asked you to pull UDS data directly from your PMS today, would you be ready?
If you answered “no” or “not sure” to any of these questions, you’ve got some work to do. And it’s time to get started.
How to prepare for the UDS reporting deadline
Not sure where to begin? Here’s what we recommend:
- Define data like HRSA: Make sure you’re reporting patient demographics and clinical outcomes in alignment with HRSA definitions. Otherwise, you could insert improper statistics in your report. Or, you’ll have to manipulate electronic health record (EHR) and PMS data into HRSA’s formats. For now, start identifying internal data sources from your PMS and validate the data in HRSA’s terms.
- Put patient data in the PMS all year: Your summary report should accurately reflect the patient services you provided. Enter patient data into the PMS, the way HRSA wants it, all year long. If there are errors, you’ll catch them sooner instead of scrambling to rework a year’s worth of patient information. One way to validate the data as you go is to analyze current-year stats against the prior year’s submission.
- Get started: Ignoring the deadline won’t make it go away. Start small if you must but get started. Appoint a leader, assemble a team and map out a plan. The team should set deadlines to complete each required table and hold team members accountable for progress.
- Ask for help: If reporting UDS data is overwhelming or you’re new to the process, get help. Find a mentor or hire a consultant to walk you through this important reporting requirement so you know how to complete all the required tables.
And in California …
Community clinics that are licensed in California must submit an annual Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) report for each licensed site. The OSHPD report includes similar data to the UDS report. Consider planning for both reporting requirements together so your data sources are unified and correlated.
How Wipfli can help
UDS and OSHPD reporting require a lot of work. But they don’t have to be challenging. Our team can provide on-site training and hands-on guidance to make the process smoother for staff. Work with Wipfli to plan an accurate, on-time submission to HRSA. Contact us today.
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