HCPro.com: Briefings on Long-Term Care

June 2008 (Volume 16, Issue 6)	view entire issue

Improving quality: CMS announces strides toward quality-centered care
CMS has released the 2008 Action Plan for (Further Improvement of) Nursing Home Quality. For nursing homes, this brings about an even larger emphasis on quality for upcoming years. "[This action plan] shows that CMS is committed to going forward with the quality indicator survey [QIS] and national expansion," says Andrew Kramer, MD, president and CEO of Nursing Home Quality, based in Centennial, CO.

Dissecting the numbers: Analyze your QM/QI scores
Interpreting the scores for quality measures/quality indicators (QM/QI) requires analysis and is not as easy as it seems. Getting the facts "The MDS QM/QI report really summarizes the average percentage of nursing home residents who trigger for one of 34 measures that are grouped into 13 clinical domains," says Sheila G. Capitosti, RN-BC, NHA, MHSA, national account manager for quality improvement services at LTCQ, Inc., in Lexington, MA. There are 31 chronic measures and three postacute measures.

Falls prevention: Special considerations for your residents with Alzheimer's disease
A basic falls prevention program is a vital component of resident care plans. However, it is important to consider taking extra precautions for your Alzheimer's residents. "Alzheimer's residents are absolutely at a great risk for falls," says Kelly Smith Papa, RN MSN, director of education, research, and dementia care consulting at the Alzheimer's Resource Center of Connecticut in Plantsville.

Overcoming language barriers with ESL staff members
It is common for nurses and nursing assistants to come from various backgrounds. Therefore, dealing with staff members who speak English as a second language (ESL) is very common. ESL staff members may cause communication barriers in your facility, so you need to know how to recognize and overcome these barriers to continue to provide the highest quality of care for your residents.

Public pressure on nursing homes rises to new level
Editor's note: This month's column was written by Diane Brown, a long-term care regulatory specialist at HCPro. Several years ago, CMS introduced its Nursing Home Compare Web site to report on nursing home quality benchmarks with the intent to provide a measurement system that was understandable to those who needed to choose a facility for care. However, initial local media coverage, which focused on the worst performing facilities, helped sustain the image of the typical nursing home as providing inadequate care. No one focused on the elevated standards of care maintained by most nursing facilities.

Other recently-published articles from Briefings on Long-Term Care:

Are you taking advantage of the QM/QI trend reports?

Screening for MRSA: Looking beyond a universal approach

Quality assurance: Why your facility should focus on quality

Improve retention rates by spending smarter: A financial approach to recruitment and retention

F-tag #329 update: One year after implementation

Public pressure on nursing homes rises to new level

Falls prevention: Special considerations for your residents with Alzheimer’s disease

Dissecting the numbers: Analyze your QM/QI scores

Improving quality: CMS announces strides toward quality-centered care

Overcoming language barriers with ESL staff members

What’s happening to substantial compliance?

Updating your disaster plan: Include necessary revisions

2009 payment rates for SNFs projected to remain the same

Deciphering the STRIVE data: Determine what it means for future payments

Developing interview skills to obtain accurate data

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