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Davis Clinical Consulting – Providing Regulatory Compliance and Leadership Support for the Long-
Lauren Davis
Founder & Owner
Davis Clinical Consulting
Contact:
Lauren Davis
608-
Interview conducted by:
Lynn Fosse, Senior Editor
CEOCFO Magazine
Published – September 4, 2023
CEOCFO: Ms. Davis, what is the idea behind Davis Clinical Consulting today?
Ms. Davis: Davis Clinical is a clinical consulting agency that supports the long-
CEOCFO: Would you give us an example of a somewhat typical engagement? When might an organization reach out to you, what they might ask from you, and how do you ensure the end result is the best it can be?
Ms. Davis: Our consultant agency offers a unique approach with the compliance component. We might be referred to by a state agency or some surveyors themselves who might have identified some issues with the network organization. Our unique approach is that we offer 90-
We go through the process with them of writing a plan of correction and ensuring that staff training and education, as well as audits, are completed. Then we slowly taper down our services, so that way, throughout the first 90 days of implementing change, we can ensure that the leaders are set up to be successful. We make sure that they have the tools and resources so that their staff can remain compliant with the changes needed to meet regulations.
CEOCFO: Would you give us a simple example of what might be out of compliance and what needs to be done, and why the party that is contracting you does not recognize that themselves?
Ms. Davis: Within the long-
It seems simple, but when you are in the situation it can get extremely complicated with the audits, with the education, with the policy changes, and the protocols that need to happen to ensure that the facility is able to meet those compliance areas. As I said, we would then assist that facility with providing staff education, assist with writing the plan of correction, or mentor the new leader who might be writing that plan of correction that is then submitted to the regulatory body. Then we can ensure that that facility, again, has the tools and resources, so they can ensure the safety of residents. They put in all the measures that they feel are appropriate to ensure that high patient outcomes are met.
CEOCFO: Do you need to stay on top of the changes, not only in the federal regulations but in the states you cover? Do they change often?
Ms. Davis: Yes, they do. They just came out with some new regulations specific to different quality metrics that facilities are measured on. I would say that the changes within CMS occur fairly frequently, and we are constantly getting updates and memos on new guidance for surveyors or for the facilities on how to interpret different guidelines. Therefore, with all those different things that are coming out to the organizations, as consultants, and as the organization, we are staying on top of all those changes, so we can be proactive with new requirements that are coming down the pipeline. We can share that with all our members who use us for a consulting service.
We also have newsletters that go out just to keep people apprised of what is happening within the industry as well as some of the changes or trends that they might be seeing, and how to stay on top of those.
CEOCFO: Do you need to go physically to the facilities, in some instances, in all instances, or is that not necessary?
Ms. Davis: For our compliance, we do go onsite to the facilities, and we usually do an initial intake assessment. We ensure that whatever is happening at that organization, we can identify an action plan as to what is the best course to get that facility in compliance. We provide recommendations, and we can tailor our service based on their budget requirements or things that they are looking to have completed. This allows us to work with the facility to create an individualized facility plan.
CEOCFO: When a facility is calling you in, are the employees, down the line, willing to talk with you or listen to what you have to say, or is there some resistance?
Ms. Davis: At Davis Clinical, we have a standard of leadership style, that when we go into an organization, despite which consultants are going in from our organization, we pride ourselves in having very similar leadership styles to work with the staff. We have a non-
An employee is only as successful as they have their leadership available. Therefore, the employees will be more successful with the sustainability of whatever changes are happening if they are provided the proper education, tools, and resources to be successful.
Within long-
CEOCFO: What are some challenges that new people coming in face, or does it really vary on the facility and personality of the new person?
Ms. Davis: I think it varies on that new person’s personality, for sure. One of the struggles coming in that I see as a consultant is that when you have not done the work, specifically within long-
Everybody is looking to you as a leader within long-
I think that our recent COVID outbreak has caused many of our seasoned leaders to retire, which has left a big gap in the industry. Therefore, we are relying a lot on new graduates or people from outside industries, moving into the long-
CEOCFO: What has changed in the Davis Clinical Consulting approach over time?
Ms. Davis: Really understanding the leaders of that organization, their styles in leadership, and learning how to really play on the strengths of their peers to fill any gaps that they might have within their structure. Many times, specifically in a director of nursing role, they try to take it all on. The reality is, there will always be work. You will always have stuff on your desk for tomorrow. I think that is a different challenge sometimes specifically for people who are a type A personality who want to come in and want to finish a task. However, when you are in that position you never complete every task on your list for the day, and being okay with that, and knowing that when you come in tomorrow it will still be there, and you can pick up where you left off. Also, being able to share the load and being able to share those tasks and things that you need to hand off or delegate to someone else.
The long-
CEOCFO: What do you look for in your people, and how do you find people to support your organization?
Ms. Davis: What I really look for when hiring consultants is their personality. I want people on my team who can be a positive influence. When they are going into these buildings that are really struggling, whether it be with new clients or a staffing crisis I want the consultants at Davis Clinical to be able to walk in with a smile, stay positive through the situation, and bring hope, joy, and kindness to these leaders who could really be struggling. Again, we really pride ourselves on having that leadership style of being non-
CEOCFO: Davis offers some training classes; you work on some home healthcare. Would you tell us about some of the other items that you cover at Davis Clinical?
Ms. Davis: Yes. We have many service lines. We recently have identified a gap within the organizations, specifically for homecare. With new rules and regulations and length of stay monitoring for patients in the rehab setting, or maybe going home from the hospital and do not qualify to go to a rehab setting, there is a lot of opportunity for people to have a skilled nursing visit, maybe short stay, maybe just filling a gap in between when home health might be able to come in and provide services.
We are looking to help service a brief period of time so that way the patients and families can ensure that their loved one has a good discharge plan. They are going home, they are set up to be successful, and whether it is for a month or continuous medication monitoring, we want to be able to provide a service that can be helpful in ensuring good patient outcomes. That is our newest line, and we also offer training.
One of my passions is long-
CEOCFO: How did you get to South Carolina?
Ms. Davis: We have a preferred vendor relationship with a large healthcare provider there, and we work closely with them with a Medicare Advantage plan, specifically for the institutional eligible special needs program. With that, we have a partnership to offer third-
We are slowly branching out into other states. It could be based on where our different partnerships are located, whether it is the IE-
CEOCFO: Do you see going into other areas? Are there other services as well, or other geographic areas?
Ms. Davis: Yes. Our goal is to be in all 50 states. We have a growth and scalability program that we are rolling out here in Wisconsin, and we plan to transplant that same program into other states as our services are needed. We do have a national partnership with the Nancy Morgan Wound Care Program, as implementation specialists that will allow facilities who are struggling in wound care to use an evidence-
We also have another partnership with a company called Medsense Health working with medication adherence. Within that program, we are able to offer our homecare service line, but then be able to track the medication adherence of patients who are under our care and services to be able to better watch their outcomes and their plan of care that is directed by their physician.
CEOCFO: Are there any regulatory histories that you need to follow for your company? Are there people that are checking that you are doing it right?
Ms. Davis: Yes. We work with state health agencies when we are looking to open a new service line in a new state. We are in contact with those organizations to ensure that we are following each state’s requirements. We hire nurses within those states as we expand to be experts with their rules and regulations, whether it is the homecare line or whether it is our clinical compliance line, we not only want to be following the federal guidelines but also the individual state guidelines as well.
CEOCFO: Why choose Davis Clinical Consulting? What sets Davis Clinical Consulting apart from your competitors?
Ms. Davis: At Davis Clinical, we really pride ourselves on the people we hire. We hire experts within the industry who have experience in different areas that can really help organizations be successful. We do not want to be just another consulting agency that comes in and sets a plan in place, and then says, “Good luck with that plan.”
We really want to ensure that we come in and help those leaders, we mentor those leaders, and we really provide those tools and resources to help them be successful and stay within long-
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