Rula provides practice summaries to help providers better understand their practice’s performance and identify opportunities for growth and support. These summaries highlight key quality indicators related to documentation, client engagement, clinical outcomes, and therapeutic alliance using evidence-based industry benchmarks. Our goal is to promote high-quality care, support ongoing professional development, and offer collaborative resources that help providers strengthen their practice and improve the client experience.
Rula’s quality metrics focus on areas that support positive clinical outcomes, including timely documentation, use of measurement-informed care, client retention, client improvement, and therapeutic alliance. Together, these metrics help providers better understand their practice performance and identify opportunities to strengthen the quality of care they deliver.
How are Quality Metrics calculated?
| Quality Indicator | Definition |
| Timely & signed documentation | % of expected documentation completed within 48 hours |
| Use of measurement informed care | Measure of provider utilization of MIC data in clinical sessions, as reported in the progress note, as well as client completion |
| Client retention | Measure of patients who complete a 2nd visit with the same provider in the past 365 days |
| Therapeutic alliance | The feeling of alliance between the therapist and client, as reported by the client on the outcome measures sent prior to session |
| Client Improvement | % of patients who demonstrate improvement as evident on outcome measures |
| Documentation Quality | % of reviewed notes that are likely to pass an audit. Rula conducts routine documentation reviews to ensure notes are complete, accurate, and compliant with payer and clinical standards |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why do you monitor metrics?
Rula monitors quality metrics to support providers in maintaining ethical, compliant, and clinically effective practices while reducing potential liability risks. These metrics help ensure that providers are following established best practices in areas such as documentation, client engagement, and overall quality of care. The Quality team utilizes these indicators to identify opportunities for support, promote consistency in care delivery, and help ensure that clients receive high-quality, evidence-based treatment experiences.
What does ‘Not Enough Info’ mean?
Metrics marked ‘Not enough info’ indicate that there are not enough data points to measure this quality indicator. This is not counted against you.
Why does retention matter?
There is a correlation between the number of sessions a client attends and symptom reduction. A low retention rate can indicate a misalignment of needs/expectations, a perceived lack of progress, or barriers to care. Measuring average retention rate offers an opportunity to support providers in identifying and addressing the factors that are within the provider’s influence to build strong therapeutic alliance in the first session, ultimately striving to enhance therapeutic outcomes. More information on the importance of client retention and strategies to improve retention can be found here.
What if clients won’t complete MIC?
It’s not uncommon for some clients to express hesitation or uncertainty around these measures, and we have some great resources and suggestions to help you navigate those conversations effectively.
- This article from Rula’s Patient help center can be useful for introducing the concept of MIC to clients in a clear and supportive way.
- When discussing MIC, consider emphasizing its purpose, benefits, and process—this can help clients feel more informed and engaged.
- Encourage curiosity around MIC, and explore any reluctance or barriers clients may share.
- Make MIC a consistent part of your session structure, express appreciation when clients complete the measures, and incorporate their responses into your clinical conversations.
- This article from Rula’s Therapist help center offers further guidance on best practices for introducing MIC to clients.
What happens if I don’t meet documentation quality expectations?
Documentation quality is a combination of audit criteria, payer expectations, and industry standards that protect you in your clinical practice. If your documentation quality performance is “Needs attention,” you should check for another email titled “Feedback on your documentation at Rula” in the coming days with additional specific feedback.
Once you receive a Rula Documentation Feedback email, use this guide to learn about the most common feedback categories and what they mean. Additionally, Recap is a helpful AI-assisted note tool to improve documentation quality and save time.
What happens if my practice doesn’t reach the benchmark for each metric?
We don’t expect perfection and understand that some of these numbers will naturally ebb and flow. However, if you find that your metrics are low in most categories, we strongly encourage you to connect with the Quality Team for support.
In cases where providers are low in most areas, we support pausing your practice to new referrals so that you have the space to ensure compliance with these metrics. As a reminder, compliance with quality expectations is a part of all providers' contractual agreement with Rula.
To learn more about your quarterly practice summary, you can watch this helpful video created by our Clinical Quality Specialists.
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