Everyone has a voice at Infinity Rehab. That’s why the company forged a way for clinicians to communicate their thoughts, ideas, and concerns to their leaders. They call this the Practice Council.
Each discipline has their own council: occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech-language pathology. In honor of National Better Hearing and Speech Month, we’re highlighting some of the work our SLP Practice Council has done.
Forging change at Infinity Rehab
Practice Council members meet every other month to discuss discipline-specific needs and wants, discuss emerging tools and practices, plan new strategies, and more.
Lindsay Lillie has been on the SLP Practice Council for two years. She identified an opportunity to expand interpretation of standardized assessments within documentation beyond the test scores.
Lindsay discussed the importance of capturing a patient’s functional ability to more accurately depict the patient’s performance.
“There is a lot of information that can be gleaned from the assessment that is not directly addressed in the test score,” Lindsay said. “I’d love to see our SLPs delve deeper into the patient’s performance to paint a clear picture of the patient’s abilities and deficits beyond the overall cognitive impairment level.”
The SLP council continues to discuss best practices and how this can be reflected within skilled documentation.
The Practice Council experience
Many of the council members joined because of their desire to impact change. Two of the members share why they joined:
“I wanted to be responsible for revolutionizing our clinical practices and mentoring and training the rest of the company so that Infinity Rehab would be a leader.” – Sarah Donelson
“I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to impact change and ensure that our SLPs are aware of and able to provide the best evidence-based interventions.” – Lindsay Lillie
They join to make a difference. And they stay because of their passion for making a difference. Here’s what two members said they love most about the Practice Council:
“Meeting with other members of my discipline who are as passionate about care as I am.” – Elizabeth Ebensteiner
“Working for a company that encourages a group of practice leaders to meet, discuss, and provide input, consider all angles, and even potential barriers related to practice issues speaks volumes about our Infinity Rehab culture.” – Angie Quesnell, SLP Practice Council lead
Current focuses
The SLP Practice Council is currently working on several important projects, including:
1. SLP Core Outcomes: The council selected two tools to incorporate into their assessments and treatments, including the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and the Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA)
2. Clinical Process Measures: How to accurately choose Clinical Process Measures within their treatment encounter notes and ensuring all components of the SLP documentation align with these measures
3. PDPM: Gathering documentation examples for SLP groups and concurrent in preparation for PDPM
4. International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative: Discussing how to support the new IDDSI, training, and the role of the Infinity Rehab SLPs within this process
A big thanks to our SLP Practice Council
Thank you to all our SLP Practice Council members! Thank you for listening to your clinicians’ concerns, for being innovative with your ideas, and for bridging communication between SLPs and leadership.
- Angie Quesnell – Liberty Lake, WA (lead)
- Audrey Gutzwiller – Sheridan, OR
- Elizabeth Ebensteiner – Portland, OR
- Gayle Schamburg – Cape Girardeau, MO
- Jamie Swartz – Vancouver, WA
- Jessie Moss – Spokane Valley, WA
- Lindsay Lillie – Forest Grove, WA
- Patrice Weible – Vancouver, WA
Share your ideas
The Practice Council encourages involvement and ideas from all Infinity Rehab team members. Contact your director, area rehab director, or a member of the Practice Council to share your ideas, questions, or concerns. You can also submit via the suggestion box on Springboard. Your suggestions will then be directed to the appropriate council.
