What every QAPI project must contain
| Element | What it shows |
|---|---|
| A measure | A number you track: rates, percentages, or counts. |
| A baseline | Where you started, from your own data. |
| An intervention | What you changed — training, process, or tool. |
| Re-measurement | The same number, after the change. |
| Governing body oversight | Minutes showing leadership reviewed it. |
Five example projects you can adapt
1. Reducing hospitalizations
Baseline the acute-care hospitalization rate from OASIS data; intervene with front-loaded visits for high-risk patients and a standardized red-flags teaching sheet; re-measure quarterly.
2. Timely initiation of care
Measure the percentage of referrals seen within 48 hours; intervene with a same-day referral triage step; this is also a publicly reported measure so improvement shows up twice.
3. Medication reconciliation completeness
Audit 20 charts monthly for a completed drug regimen review; intervene with a hard-stop in the intake workflow and clinician re-education.
4. Aide supervisory visit compliance
Measure on-time supervisory visits against the required schedule; intervene with calendar-driven alerts and weekly exception reports.
5. Infection control: bag technique
Use direct observation audits during joint visits scored against policy; intervene with return demonstration at competency evaluation.
The mistake that undoes all of it
Picking a project, running it once, and filing it undoes the value of the project. QAPI is cited not because agencies lack projects but because they cannot show the cycle — data, action, re-measurement, oversight — still running. Keep two or three projects live at all times and reviewed in governing body minutes.
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