YNHH announces new PIP measures for 2017

Yale New Haven Hospital has rolled out the Performance Incentive Plan (PIP) for fiscal year 2017. Now in its 18th year, PIP has the same basic structure – employees are asked to collectively meet tiered goals and will receive a financial reward based on goal achievement. This will be the first year that all delivery networks across the health system will be using the same metrics. The size of the reward shared by eligible employees at year-end is determined by how well YNHH performs against expectations. PIP performance is measured by the degree to which employees achieve goals – maximum exceeds expectations, target meets the goal, and threshold is acceptable, but falls short of target.

In 2017, eligible employees can earn up to a 3 percent PIP payout at the end of the year if all hospital goals are met. The 2017 PIP program began Oct. 1, 2016 and runs through Sept. 30, 2017. Payout is based on hours and earnings between Sept. 18, 2016 and Sept. 30, 2017.

"Considering the increasingly challenging economy and current financial uncertainty of our state, we are especially pleased to be able to offer PIP to employees once again," said Richard D'Aquila, president. "As we continue to grow and provide safe, quality, patient-centered care, it is important to remain focused on our goals. This year's PIP program includes goals that continue to reflect the ongoing priorities of our hospital and health system."

For this year, the four hospital-wide areas of performance in the PIP program remain the same: patient safety and quality, patient experience, employee engagement and financial performance. Each performance area receives equal weight of 25 percent.

Patient safety and quality includes two measures:

• Hospital-acquired infections measure the number of patients who contracted certain infections from their hospital stays. The target goal is no more than 437 of these incidents.
• Joint Commission Accreditation. The Joint Commission will conduct its triennial accreditation survey of YNHH in FY 2017. The target is for YNHH to achieve accreditation with 100 percent completion of evidence of standards compliance within 60 days.

The patient experience category measures patients' and families' experiences at YNHH as expressed in Press Ganey surveys. It includes three measures:

• Overall inpatient measures the satisfaction of inpatients from adult units on both New Haven campuses and patients on the Yale New Haven Children's Hospital campuses. The target score is 87.9.
• Ambulatory Services measures overall satisfaction at ambulatory sites, including ambulatory surgery, heart and vascular outpatient centers, diagnostic radiology and oncology outpatient. The target score is 92.8.
• Emergency Department measures the satisfaction of patients who visited a YNHH ED, including the York Street Adult and Pediatric, Saint Raphael Campus and Shoreline Medical Center emergency departments. The target score is 87.9.

Employee engagement includes employee participation in two initiatives:

• Employee Engagement Survey - Employees will again have the opportunity to share their opinions in the Employee Engagement Survey, with a target goal of 78 percent participation.
• Know Your Numbers - Know Your Numbers Plus, the employee wellness program that helps employees heighten their health awareness and earn credit toward the cost of their medical benefits, will again return in 2017. The target goal is 70 percent participation.

Financial performance includes the sole measure of the hospital's operating margin. For 2017, the hospital's net operating margin target is 2.7 percent.