AOTA member spotlight: Lauren Robins, OTD, OTR/L, CLT

Lauren Robins, OTD, OTR/L, CLT, is a Continuous Quality Improvement Analyst at Methodist Health System. She shared her quality journey with Julie Malloy, MOT, OTR/L, PMP, CPHQ, Director of Quality at AOTA.

Julie: How did you become interested in health care quality?

Lauren: My first position was working as an occupational therapist for Methodist Health System in oncology and lymphedema. I was assigned to work on developing an oncology rehabilitation program. In this role, I was able to sit on several committees as one of the oncology representatives and be a part of multiple accreditation projects. I really enjoyed these projects and saw that I could have a positive effect on patient care at the system level. This led me to get my master’s degree in Healthcare Operations Management. During that program, I loved the courses on quality and outcomes. After receiving my master’s degree I started looking for a position focused on quality.

Julie: What is your role in quality now?

Lauren: For the past year I have been a Continuous Quality Improvement Analyst at Methodist Health System. In this role I have a variety of responsibilities:

Analysis of data, including

• patient experience and HCAHPS (Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems),
• Social Determinants of Health (SDOH),
• length of stay, costs, and spending, and
• population health.

Program development, including

• building partnerships with local skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) as part of a Post-Acute Care Collaborative,
• building patient care protocols as part of a cardiac program,
• Value-Based Purchasing (VBP), and
• integrating processes with a health system added to the patient care network.

Application administration for clinical tools, including

• building and analyzing reports, and
• new user administration.

Julie: How did your occupational therapy background prepare you for a position in health care quality?

Lauren: Occupational therapists are trained to think strategically. We are experts in activity analysis, and that fits in very well with quality. Our clinical training allows us to be the liaison between clinical and technical teams. In addition, most of the occupational therapists I know are very adept at interpersonal skills. This is very valuable when working with quality teams, from presenting information to CEOs to discussing process improvement with front-line staff.

Julie: What do you recommend to other occupational therapists who are interested in health care quality?

Lauren: Be persistent. It took me a while to break into this role. I had to explain my skill set and how I could contribute to the organization’s quality initiatives. I was also fortunate to have an excellent mentor who supported me in my desire to pursue opportunities in quality. In addition, look for opportunities to be on committees or participate in accreditation activities, or develop your own process improvement projects–such as reducing falls. These types of activities helped to pave my way when I was looking to apply for a quality position in the organization. You may also have to step out of your comfort zone and apply for positions that aren’t necessarily for an occupational therapist.

Julie: What do you enjoy most about your position?

Lauren: I love that it combines occupational therapy, patient care, and analytical problem solving. I now think of myself as an occupational therapist for my whole health system. I use the same concepts I learned to use as an occupational therapist, and I am applying them on a system level. I am utilizing my training and skills in a different and creative way to improve care for all of the patients in our health system.

For more information about occupational therapy and quality, contact quality@aota.org.

Posted: October 2020