Skill Development & Learning Retention Tips
By Lorraine Schnelle, CPA
Whether you have responsibility to set the direction for the revenue cycle staff development program or have the day-to-day responsibility for educating new hire and existing staff – understanding and utilizing the learning pyramid, from the National Training Laboratories, can improve individual skill development and retention. The learning pyramid provides information on the average learning retention rates based on the delivery method.
Each time you create a teachable moment, whether it’s in a staff meeting, a memo or in classroom, consider integrating a variety of learning methods and activities to improve understanding and retention of the material. Here are a few examples:
New Insurance Card: In addition to explaining the details of a new card at a staff meeting that’s been issued by a local employer, hand out a copy of the card to each team member. Include a print of the ADT screen and ask everyone to read the card and fill in the information on the ADT screen. Review the correctly completed ADT screen. Then, ask if there are any questions. Staff time: 5 minutes.
Medicare Secondary Payer: MSP is a complex and “high” risk process in the revenue cycle. It is imperative that your front-line team members are competent in determining MSP. Again, integrating a variety of learning methods and activities, including refreshers, into your training program will boost retention. Consider the following activities throughout the year. Each of these activities take about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Complicated MSP case demonstration at each staff meeting.
- Open discussion at each staff meeting on MSP issues and challenges.
- MSP case study handout that is emailed to every staff member, on a quarterly basis, and must be completed and turned in. Staff time: 5 minutes + reviewer time variable (use as education documentation).
- Request every team member make an appointment with a reviewer on an annual basis and demonstrate how s/he interviews the patient and completes the MSP questionnaire.
Depending on the complexity and importance of the information, having a variety of educational opportunities available for your team members is key. This not only improves retention but also addresses different learning styles.
Happy training everyone and good luck!