This installment of “Around the Office” will introduce you to the talented Field Services Team of HealthStream Research.  Much like chefs, you don’t actually see them all that often.  Field services are made up of tasks whose existence is seldom noticed, but their absence would be glaring.  “In Field Services, we are responsible for sample loading, programming, response coding, and quality control.  If everything runs smoothly on our end, you’ll notice that everything runs smoothly on your end as well,” said Geri Gage, Manager, Field Services.  “Our team is made up of dedicated professionals who will stop at nothing to get the job done right.”

Sample Loading:  Fred Kramer, Data Specialist, and Akber Zuberi, Sample Specialist, are responsible for getting contact lists from hospitals.  These lists precisely define who will be contacted for a particular study.  “Whether we are working with an expert IT team or someone who doesn’t know a thing about transferring sample lists, our job is to get it done, no matter what,” said Kramer.  “We know that hospitals are busy delivering healthcare, after all.  It’s our job to make the survey process simple.” Bobbi Rogers, HCAHPS Coordinator, is responsible for all HCAHPS projects, including sample loading.  “HCAHPS has a constantly changing landscape of requirements and processes.  We work with each client to create patient lists for HCAHPS studies that meet CMS requirements.  Many of our clients that were previously trying to manage HCAHPS on their own have been shocked to see how easy we make the process,” said Ms. Rogers.

Programming:  The HealthStream Research’s programmers (Geri Gage, Russ Stumpf, Dina Feinberg, Mike Boon, Earl Henson, Fred Kramer, and Ola Onolaja) are notorious perfectionists that actually get excited about flowcharts and calculations and endless lines of code.  “We create everything here from the ground up.  Our clients have unique issues facing them, so each one needs a unique solution.  Whether it’s programming a web survey or a CATI (Computer Assisted Telephone Interview) study, we build exactly what the client needs,” said Mike Boon, CATI/IVR Programmer.  “My colleagues are top-notch, cream of the crop programmers—no matter who is working on your project, you’re in good hands.”   

Coding:  When patients or consumers provide a response to an open-ended question, Field Services makes sure that each response is complete and accurate.  Carol Jack, Data Processing Assistant, ensures that each response is properly coded—which often takes a little old-fashioned investigation.  “For example, we’ll get responses from consumers that mention hospitals with names even the client doesn’t recognize at times.  With a little checking around, we’ll find that a hospital in the area changed its name in the previous year.  It’s important to get the most up to date and accurate information to the client for each and every open-ended response,” said Ms. Jack.

Quality Control:  “The best clock on the planet isn’t worth much if it doesn’t tell the proper time,” said James Miller, Quality Assurance Specialist.  “This isn’t about getting things mostly right—it’s about getting things exactly right.  We check and double-check every aspect of every survey process, whether it’s paper, phone, or web.  We explore every possible way that a respondent could answer, so that any logic problems are discovered well before putting the survey in the field.  We also work closely with the interviewers, making sure that they aren’t experiencing any difficulties with the survey.  The interviewers are often the ones to discover a great way to improve the survey process.