Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI) at Parkland Hospital in Texas.
Client Meeting and Project Approval Guide
Purpose of the Meeting
The purpose of this meeting is to:
• Explain your role as a master’s degree learner offering a project as a part of your degree
completion requirement at Capella University.
Note: Remember that you are an ambassador for Capella University. Your professional
appearance, behavior, and preparation should reflect positively on the organization.
• Explain your proposed data review project and the course requirements to the client.
• Redefine your performance indicators and outcome measures, as needed.
• Negotiate potential changes to the project that will enhance its value to an organization,
while meeting the requirements of the capstone course.
• Obtain client approval for your data review project.
Scheduling the Meeting
After identifying your first choice for a point of contact in the organization, you must contact that
person and schedule a meeting. The meeting can take place in person, via web conference, or
over the phone. Be prepared to contact a second person if you are unable to meet your first
choice.
Note: Face-to-face interaction is essential for developing a strong professional network. An inperson meeting is strongly encouraged. However, if you are unable to meet with the client in
person, consider hosting an online meeting to increase the level of engagement in the call.
Initiating Client Contact
You are encouraged to use the following sample talking points for initiating contact with the
health care organization:
My name is [insert your name]. I am a learner in the master’s program on health care
administration at Capella University. I am currently enrolled in the capstone course, in
which learners help a health care organization examine a real-world issue or problem.
The topic must be one in which I can examine the existing information or data, either
from a practicing health care professional or perhaps the data that has already been
collected. Potential examples include patient satisfaction surveys, compliance with a
new regulation, patient safety initiatives, or evaluating process deviations for a new
service line offering or system, such as admitting home care patients onto the service.
I am offering to volunteer my services to draft a project proposal, complete a data
review, and provide recommendations on how to address the issue. These
recommendations will include insights from current peer-reviewed health care journals.
2
Would you be willing to work with me on a project that examines data on [insert topic
here; for example, compliance with the new hospice reimbursement system]? This would
involve a meeting with me for 15–20 minutes to provide feedback on how I would
examine and organize the data. Then I would review the data, review the relevant,
authoritative literature, and provide a project report, with my findings, at the end of the
course.
Would this be helpful, and if so, may I contact you via e-mail to send a copy of the draft
proposal after my instructor has approved it?
Thanks so much for your time,
[Your name]
Client Background and Communication Preferences
Consider the following questions before you meet with the client:
• Have you thoroughly researched the organization’s website and the professional
background of the client? Have you obtained any other information necessary to provide
perspective on the organization’s potential needs?
• Is the client’s organization currently undergoing any major change that might have an
impact on your proposed project?
• Does your client prefer to meet with you over the phone, via web conference or chat
room, in person, or via another modality?
• What time or setting is ideal for the client?
Presenting Your Project Proposal
At the meeting, present the project proposal you developed in Assessment 2, and explain your
role as a master’s degree learner offering a data review project as a part of your degree
completion requirement at Capella University.
• Explain your proposed project and the course requirements. Explain that you are
seeking the client’s approval to review the existing data. Answer any questions.
• Describe briefly what type of data you will be examining, what performance indicators
you will be examining, and how you are proposing to measure each indicator. In
addition, explain how you will visually display your summarized data (for example, as a
pie chart, graph, spreadsheet, and process map).
• Communicate to your client any statistical or other software that may be needed for the
data analysis.
• Explain how you will measure the outcomes for each of the four areas of the balanced
scorecard.
Refining Your Project Proposal
After presenting your proposal, request feedback from the client on the scope and feasibility of
your project. In addition, attempt to identify examples of evidence-based support for selected
key performance indicators, determine whether you can gain access to additional related data
sets, and verify the accessibility of data sets that could be made available for you to review.
3
The meeting is an opportunity to work with your client to redefine the performance indicators
and outcome measures that you propose to examine. It is also an opportunity to make changes
that will be of mutual benefit and enhance the outcome of the project. Before approving your
data review project, the client may have a few suggestions to enhance your data analysis, such
as adding a performance indicator, using a specific benchmark, or using an existing assessment
tool. The client may also want to add something to your project for inclusion in the final report or
may want you to spend more time on the project than is allotted. In such instances, you must
negotiate a solution that meets both the course requirements and your client’s needs.
It is your job to verify, discover, or redefine your performance indicators and outcome measures
so you can proceed to your data review. Consequently, you may wish to initiate a preliminary
discussion with your client on the following points:
• Units of service.
• Types of units applicable to your project.
• Selection of units.
• Output performance measures:
o Scope definition.
o Service completion.
o Client outcomes.
• Quality dimensions.
• Four types of outcome measures and rationale for your selected measures.
• Process for selecting outcome measures, such as stakeholder input and assessment.
• Use of standardized measures.
• Use of performance measurement information.
During the meeting, you may discover the following:
• You have chosen the wrong indicators for your problem statement.
• The indicators are not included in the organization’s data sets.
• The client thinks that different indicators might be more helpful.
• There is limited data on a performance indicator.
• There are incomplete entries or lack of consistent coding of data.
• There are mismatched data sets from which you have to generate a meaningful
summary.
Obtaining Project Approval
Agree to submit a revised project proposal, which integrates the client’s feedback and any
negotiated changes before you end the meeting. Try to obtain a commitment from the client to
sign and return the approved proposal so that you may proceed with the data review.
4
Submit the revised proposal to the client for final approval. Ensure that your client signs the
revised copy of your proposal.
Preparation
To prepare for this assessment, read the following document, linked in the Resources of this unit.
- Client Meeting and Project Approval Guide.
The information provided in this document will help you in preparing for the meeting, presenting your data review project proposal, and obtaining approval for your project from the client. In addition, it provides guidance, recommendations, and examples that are crucial to successfully complete this assessment. You are encouraged to download this document and keep it on hand as a ready reference.
Key Preparatory Tasks for a Successful Meeting
Thorough preparation will ensure that your meeting is productive. Take the following steps to prepare for the meeting:
- Conduct background research on your prospective client organization. Identify a first and second choice for connecting with a practicing health care professional in that organization.
- Research best practices for professional communication and feedback to prepare for the interview.
- Reflect upon your experience in human services and health care administration relevant to your proposed project. Based on the NCHL competencies, is your proposed project realistic?
- Prepare a list of questions that you would like to ask the practicing health care professional. Refer to the Client Meeting and Project Approval Guide, linked in the Resources of this unit.
Note: You should arrive at the meeting with proposed performance indicators related to the health care issue you have identified. However, it is possible that you have chosen the wrong indicators, that the indicators are not included in the organization’s data sets, or that the client thinks different indicators might be more helpful. It is your job to verify, discover, or redefine your performance indicators so that you can proceed with your data review.
Requirements
You will need to take the following steps to complete this assessment. Details and supporting information for completing each step are contained in the Client Meeting and Project Approval Guide linked in the Resources of this unit.
Step 1: Schedule a meeting with the prospective client.
Step 2: Meet with the client and present your project proposal.
Step 3: Work with the client to refine your project proposal as necessary, including any negotiated changes.
Step 4: Submit the revised proposal to the client for their approval and signature.
Step 5: Submit the signed copy of your approved proposal as the deliverable for this assessment. Include an addendum summarizing the feedback offered by your client during the meeting, and provide any substantive, relevant details needed for clarification.
Note: You must submit the revised copy of your approved project proposal for this assessment. The client’s signature, title, and contact information are required.
Client Meeting
Note: The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Be sure that you address each point, at a minimum, during the client meeting and project approval process. You may also want to read the Client Meeting and Project Approval Scoring Guide to better understand how each criterion will be assessed.
- Identify the appropriate health care professional in an organization from whom to seek approval for a proposed project.
- Consider the people with the requisite decision-making authority who are best able to provide guidance and recommendations.
- Present a project proposal to a client.
- Provide evidence-based support for your assertions and conclusions.
- Be clear about the project scope, execution, and focus.
- Be clear about the value of your proposed project and how you will measure the outcomes for each of the four areas of the balanced scorecard.
- Be prepared to answer questions that the client asks.
- Negotiate changes to project scope, execution, or focus, based on feedback solicited from the client.
- Use this meeting as an opportunity to refine your proposed project.
- Solicit feedback actively on key aspects of the project.
- Verify, discover, or redefine your performance indicators and outcome measures.
- Ensure that negotiated changes are feasible and do not present obstacles to successful course completion.
- Obtain approval for a proposed project.
- Be sure that your revised proposal is a collaborative effort between you and the client that meets organizational requirements, such as confidentiality.
- Consider your role and responsibilities for establishing a strong working relationship with the client in executing the project.
-
Client Meeting and Project Approval Guide
Purpose of the Meeting
The purpose of this meeting is to:
• Explain your role as a master’s degree learner offering a project as a part of your degree
completion requirement at Capella University.
Note: Remember that you are an ambassador for Capella University. Your professional
appearance, behavior, and preparation should reflect positively on the organization.
• Explain your proposed data review project and the course requirements to the client.
• Redefine your performance indicators and outcome measures, as needed.
• Negotiate potential changes to the project that will enhance its value to an organization,
while meeting the requirements of the capstone course.
• Obtain client approval for your data review project.
Scheduling the Meeting
After identifying your first choice for a point of contact in the organization, you must contact that
person and schedule a meeting. The meeting can take place in person, via web conference, or
over the phone. Be prepared to contact a second person if you are unable to meet your first
choice.
Note: Face-to-face interaction is essential for developing a strong professional network. An inperson meeting is strongly encouraged. However, if you are unable to meet with the client in
person, consider hosting an online meeting to increase the level of engagement in the call.
Initiating Client Contact
You are encouraged to use the following sample talking points for initiating contact with the
health care organization:
My name is [insert your name]. I am a learner in the master’s program on health care
administration at Capella University. I am currently enrolled in the capstone course, in
which learners help a health care organization examine a real-world issue or problem.
The topic must be one in which I can examine the existing information or data, either
from a practicing health care professional or perhaps the data that has already been
collected. Potential examples include patient satisfaction surveys, compliance with a
new regulation, patient safety initiatives, or evaluating process deviations for a new
service line offering or system, such as admitting home care patients onto the service.
I am offering to volunteer my services to draft a project proposal, complete a data
review, and provide recommendations on how to address the issue. These
recommendations will include insights from current peer-reviewed health care journals.
2
Would you be willing to work with me on a project that examines data on [insert topic
here; for example, compliance with the new hospice reimbursement system]? This would
involve a meeting with me for 15–20 minutes to provide feedback on how I would
examine and organize the data. Then I would review the data, review the relevant,
authoritative literature, and provide a project report, with my findings, at the end of the
course.
Would this be helpful, and if so, may I contact you via e-mail to send a copy of the draft
proposal after my instructor has approved it?
Thanks so much for your time,
[Your name]
Client Background and Communication Preferences
Consider the following questions before you meet with the client:
• Have you thoroughly researched the organization’s website and the professional
background of the client? Have you obtained any other information necessary to provide
perspective on the organization’s potential needs?
• Is the client’s organization currently undergoing any major change that might have an
impact on your proposed project?
• Does your client prefer to meet with you over the phone, via web conference or chat
room, in person, or via another modality?
• What time or setting is ideal for the client?
Presenting Your Project Proposal
At the meeting, present the project proposal you developed in Assessment 2, and explain your
role as a master’s degree learner offering a data review project as a part of your degree
completion requirement at Capella University.
• Explain your proposed project and the course requirements. Explain that you are
seeking the client’s approval to review the existing data. Answer any questions.
• Describe briefly what type of data you will be examining, what performance indicators
you will be examining, and how you are proposing to measure each indicator. In
addition, explain how you will visually display your summarized data (for example, as a
pie chart, graph, spreadsheet, and process map).
• Communicate to your client any statistical or other software that may be needed for the
data analysis.
• Explain how you will measure the outcomes for each of the four areas of the balanced
scorecard.
Refining Your Project Proposal
After presenting your proposal, request feedback from the client on the scope and feasibility of
your project. In addition, attempt to identify examples of evidence-based support for selected
key performance indicators, determine whether you can gain access to additional related data
sets, and verify the accessibility of data sets that could be made available for you to review.
3
The meeting is an opportunity to work with your client to redefine the performance indicators
and outcome measures that you propose to examine. It is also an opportunity to make changes
that will be of mutual benefit and enhance the outcome of the project. Before approving your
data review project, the client may have a few suggestions to enhance your data analysis, such
as adding a performance indicator, using a specific benchmark, or using an existing assessment
tool. The client may also want to add something to your project for inclusion in the final report or
may want you to spend more time on the project than is allotted. In such instances, you must
negotiate a solution that meets both the course requirements and your client’s needs.
It is your job to verify, discover, or redefine your performance indicators and outcome measures
so you can proceed to your data review. Consequently, you may wish to initiate a preliminary
discussion with your client on the following points:
• Units of service.
• Types of units applicable to your project.
• Selection of units.
• Output performance measures:
o Scope definition.
o Service completion.
o Client outcomes.
• Quality dimensions.
• Four types of outcome measures and rationale for your selected measures.
• Process for selecting outcome measures, such as stakeholder input and assessment.
• Use of standardized measures.
• Use of performance measurement information.
During the meeting, you may discover the following:
• You have chosen the wrong indicators for your problem statement.
• The indicators are not included in the organization’s data sets.
• The client thinks that different indicators might be more helpful.
• There is limited data on a performance indicator.
• There are incomplete entries or lack of consistent coding of data.
• There are mismatched data sets from which you have to generate a meaningful
summary.
Obtaining Project Approval
Agree to submit a revised project proposal, which integrates the client’s feedback and any
negotiated changes before you end the meeting. Try to obtain a commitment from the client to
sign and return the approved proposal so that you may proceed with the data review.
4
Submit the revised proposal to the client for final approval. Ensure that your client signs the
revised copy of your proposal.
