Spiritual Care Initiative for Professional Excellence (SCIPE)
e-News
(Formerly the Ideal Intervention Project e-Newsletter)
Volume 6, Number 3 Summer 2013 John J. (Jack) Gleason, Editor
We want you to take steps to ensure that your vitally important ministry of spiritual care and education will survive and thrive in the rapidly emerging Pay-for-Results (P4P) U.S. healthcare paradigm. First, present this one-day workshop outline to your administrative supervisor for approval. Then, with that approval, invite the workshop presenter to your facility soon. For further details contact the Editor at .
Survival of the Fittest: How to Survive and Thrive with Pay-for-Results
A One-Day Workshop for Health System Spiritual Care Departments
Led by John J. (Jack) Gleason, DMin, BCC (retired), ACPE Supervisor Emeritus
One-Day Workshop Desired Outcomes
· Heightened awareness of the emerging Pay-for-Results paradigm in U.S. healthcare
· Increased understanding of the expectations of administration regarding contributions to institutional bottom-line improvement
· Increased cooperation with intra-system resources
· An emerging action plan toward institutional cost containment and income generation
One-Day Workshop Agenda
9:00 am Workshop leader and Spiritual Care Department (SCD) director review the day’s process and desired outcomes
9:30 am Workshop leader and all Spiritual Care Department members gather for a presentation on the emerging Pay-for-Results paradigm, the departmental survival kit, and workshop desired outcomes
11:00 am Workshop leader, SCD director, and SCD’s administrative supervisor meet to discuss ways that the SCD can contribute to the institution’s bottom line with emphasis upon cost containment and income generation as well as institutional resources needed; in particular, those resources with research expertise (research possibilities include studies regarding spiritual care interventions’ impact on length of stay, improved patient satisfaction, and complaint/lawsuit reduction)
12:00 pm Luncheon with workshop leader, all SCD members, SCD administrative supervisor, and selected patient care and research-oriented department representatives
1:00 pm Workshop leader, SCD director, and SCD’s administrative supervisor meet with patient care department directors and directors of units with research expertise to share desired outcomes and seek cooperation/support
2:00 pm Workshop leader and SCD director meet to create an action plan toward SCD contributions to institutional cost containment and income generation
3:00 pm Workshop leader and all SCD members meet to discuss ways to expedite the emergent action plan toward SCD contributions to institutional cost containment and income generation
4:00 pm Adjournment
This workshop is a project of SCIPE (Spiritual Care Initiative for Professional Excellence).
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Spring Issue Request Responses
In the Spring 2013 issue of the SCIPE e-News readers were asked this question: Have any hospitals, rehab facilities, nursing homes or similar institutions in your area (city, state, or region) recently cut back or abolished their professional spiritual care departments? This is for a study of the impact of Pay-for-Performance (P4P) on professional spiritual care. Responses to date are as follows.
1. Asante Health System, Medford OR had 2 FTE chaplains at Rogue Regional Medical Center, Medford, and 1 FTE chaplain at Three Rivers Community Hospital, Grants Pass. In late 2008 110 positions were eliminated, as were 115 more early in 2009 due to financial difficulties. The pastoral care department was consolidated under voluntary services. The director position was` eliminated. One chaplain is now serves each hospital, along with a contingent of volunteers. The CPE supervisor-in-training went into the VA system and continues there. The impact of P4P is not clear.
2. Community Health Network, Indianapolis IN The Chaplaincy Services department was “decentralized” in October 2010. The department director and a CPE supervisor were retitled as staff chaplains and chaplains at the five sites were made accountable to each site’s director of guest relations. In 2013 the Heart and Vascular unit chaplain’s hours were reduced from full-time to .6 FTE, at least in part as a result of P4P.
3. Mount Nittany Medical Center, State College PA Upon the retirement of the clinical chaplain, several unsuccessful replacement efforts were made, but there is no chaplain in place currently. The impact of P4P seems minimal.
4. St. Vincent Health, Indianapolis IN This 22-hospital system has announced an extensive review of its employees and programs that will lead to the loss of an undisclosed number of jobs due to “budget shortfalls, a decrease in patient volume and looming changes in health care...” (Shari Rudavsky, The Indianapolis Star, May 24, 2013. A9.) P4P is strongly suggested in the latter part of the quote.
Please email the Editor at with your knowledge of similar situations, to include: 1) facility name(s) and location(s), 2) approximate date of program termination or reduction, 3) names and contact information for terminated chaplains and/or CPE supervisors, and 4) a primary reason for the cutback if known. Possible primary reasons include: inability to attract qualified staff, cost-effectiveness related issues, unsatisfactory performance, personality conflicts, and other. Choose only one reason if possible, and if “other” is chosen, please explain.
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A Standing Invitation
Please visit http://www.acperesearch.net/IIP.html (click on KNOWLEDGE BASE OF SAMPLES) to see a
professional spiritual care knowledge base of 395 entries—actual care situations with critiques, literature resources, and effectiveness ratings—approximately 40% of which were provided by experienced spiritual care practitioners and educators at conference workshops. Other entries are the work of community clergy and CPE students after verbatim presentations to peers and supervisors.
The collection is freely available to you and your colleagues to offer second opinions in difficult cases, to educate administrators and the public about the nature of chaplaincy work, and to provide baseline data for effectiveness research—to include replication of effective interventions toward designation of evidence based spiritual care best practices. Given the rapidly emerging pay-for-performance/results (P4P) health care reimbursement paradigm, effectiveness research is essential perhaps to the very survival of professional spiritual care practitioners and educators as paid staff and treatment team members.
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