Proven Results Using National BenchmarksChildren
seen in speech therapy at Waldo County General Hospital make more
progress than children seen in other settings across the United States. Click here to see proven results for children.
National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS)The
Speech Language Pathology Department at Waldo County General Hospital
documents speech therapy treatment outcomes using the National Outcomes
Measurement System (NOMS) 1. Our Goal: B.E.S.T.Our
goal is to assure speech therapy services children receive at Waldo
County General Hospital (WCGH) are as good as or better than any in the
United States. We would want no less for our own families and it's a goal we continuously strive toward in our community. The NOMS Quality SystemEach speech-language pathologist at WCGH has completed a national competency test to use this system. The
treatment outcomes for all children ages three to five who are discharged from
speech therapy at WCGH are anonymously entered into the national reporting
system. The NOMS system compares speech therapy outcomes achieved at WCGH with other facilities across the United States. The
outcomes represent children who were at least three years of age
assessed and discharged from speech therapy in the last year.
- NOMS:
A study funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
has named NOMS as one of
four patient assessment tools suitable for CMS testing in the
development of Medicare Part B outpatient payment policies.
Speech Therapy ResultsNOMS
documents changes/progress by at least one level of improvement for
each child as measured on NOMS Functional Communication Measure (FCM) 2
and then compared to national outcomes for other children.
Speech therapy services provided at Waldo County General Hospital exceed
national performance measures, established through NOMS. Children seen in speech
therapy services at WCGH make, on average, more significant gains than
children seen by other providers in other reporting settings across the
United States. Continued National BenchmarkingWCGH is accountable in national benchmarking to assure parents, physicians and referring agencies of: - highest quality service.
- best value service being provided.
- most preferred practice patterns.
- comparable treatment outcomes to aggregated national results.
- compliance with state/federal licensing and regulatory agencies.
High Quality Service for Maine Children & FamiliesData
will be used to support appropriate treatment for young children when
dealing with changes in state regulations defining quality and
frequency of service. Endnotes1. The National
Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS) is a data collection system
developed to illustrate the value of speech-language therapy provided
to children with communication disorders. 2. The Functional
Communication Measures (FCMs) are a series of disorder-specific,
seven-point rating scales designed to describe the change in a child's
functional communication over time. Based on an individual's treatment
plan/IEP, FCMs are chosen and scored by a certified speech-language
pathologist on admission and again at discharge to depict the amount of
change in communication abilities after speech and language
intervention. By examining the scores from admission and discharge, the
amount of change and, thus, the benefits of treatment can be reviewed. 3.
As trends to contain costs by reducing/limiting services to children
emerge, WCGH recognizes the efficacy of providing appropriate levels of
treatment to children. Data from the National Outcomes Measurement
System report that children seen individually and who receive more
treatment are "much more likely to show measurable gains…" 4.
Data from the National Outcomes Measurement System reports that
children who receive 40 hours or more treatment make the greatest
measurable functional gains.
For more information, contact the Speech-Language Pathology Department.
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