Frequently asked questions

Q: I unchecked a box to see how it would change a QM in the Treatment care domain and the bar in the Hospitalization graph went away. What happened?

A: Some actions impact more than one care domain. Unchecking a box will remove its impact for all QMs associated with those domains.

Q: How were the impacts of the actions on the care domains distributed across the QMs within that domain.?

A: The impact of the action was distributed equally across the QMs. This, however, is just one scenario for how the impact may be distributed at your agency. It is possible that your agency could see the effect of taking an action impact just one or two QMs out of several within the domain.

Q: What do the numbers in the Actions table mean?

A: The numbers originate from a set of linear regression equations predicting the impact of the actions on quality. The greater the magnitude of the number, the larger the impact. If the number is positive, then the action is associated higher quality. If the number is negative, the action is associated with lower quality.

Q: How do I understand the “Total Cost of Selected Actions” on the Actions Tab 2?

A: The estimated cost increase or savings were calculated using the baseline QMs and total overall expenditures input on the QMs Tab 1 in combination with the actions selected. A negative cost indicates a cost savings. A positive cost indicates an increase in cost. The equations were developed from regression models that predicted cost using measures of quality and other agency characteristics. A separate regression model was estimated for each quality domain leading to one equation/cost estimate for each domain. The estimates provided are based on the average agency in our sample.

Q: How do I understand the “Total Effect of Actions on Super QMs” on the Actions Tab 2?

A: The individual effects from the actions selected are summed to provide the total you see. The individual effects originate from a set of linear regression equations predicting the impact of the actions on quality. The greater the magnitude of the number, the larger the impact. If the number is positive, then the action is associated with higher quality. If the number is negative, the action is associated with lower quality.

Q: What if I need to leave the app in the middle of inputting data? Will my work be saved?

A: You can use the Import and Export buttons at the top of the QMs and Actions tab to download your inputs and selected actions to your computer and upload those data later. If you are on the QMs tab and click the Export button, your QMs will be saved to a .csv file on your computer with a name like HHA_QM_Default_Exp.csv. If you are on the Actions tab and click the Export button, your currently selected actions with be saved to a different .csv file on your computer with a name like HHA_ACT_Default_Export.csv. To use your saved QM data, go to the QMs tab and click the Import button. Choose the previously saved QM file (HHA_QM_Default_Exp.csv) and click Save. To use your saved Action data, go to the Actions and click the Import button. Choose the previously saved Actions file (HHA_ACT_Default_Export.csv) and click Save.