Quality

AOTA member spotlight: Pamela Roberts, PhD, OTR/L, SCFES, FAOTA, CPHQ, FNAP, FACRM

10/01/2020

Pamela Roberts, PhD, OTR/L, SCFES, FAOTA, CPHQ, FNAP, FACRM, is Executive Director, Office of Chief Medical Officer; Executive Director and Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Co-Director, Division of Informatics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cedars-Sinai. She discussed her experience with quality with Julie Malloy, MOT, OTR/L, PMP, CPHQ, Director of Quality at AOTA.

Julie: How did you become interested in healthcare quality?

Pam: Early in my career I was encouraged to apply for a national call for trainers for the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). I was selected for an interview and ended up being chosen for the role. I was one of the original FIM trainers that provided training around the country. This really got me thinking about quality and outcomes, and how to measure what we do in occupational therapy.

This experience with being a FIM trainer prepared me for the opportunity to serve as a member of several Technical Expert Panels (TEP) when the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility - Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI) was being created.

I continued to tie quality to my work as an occupational therapist, and I figured as long as I was working on quality projects I should become certified. I then obtained my Certification in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) from the National Association of Healthcare Quality (NAHQ). I have been working in quality ever since!

Julie: Why do you feel quality is important to occupational therapy?

Pam: As a profession, we must be able to show our value. Especially since there are still many people who do not know what we do as occupational therapy practitioners. If we can show that we made a difference at the patient, population, or system level, then we are able to show our value.

Julie: How do you recommend occupational therapy practitioners ensure they are incorporating quality principles into practice?

Pam: The way we can show value is through data. By using standardized assessments, we can use the data to show patient improvement. In addition, we need to think about what specific measures are sensitive to changes due to occupational therapy treatment. Our field is so broad, sometimes that can be a challenge. But we need to stop thinking about barriers and lead the change! By making a difference with your patient, you show value. In addition, we all need to understand that quality and measurement impact populations, systems, and also policy. By showing value, we can impact the future of occupational therapy.

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

Posted: October 2020

Quality

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