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Quality Improvement Organizations Set To Support Nursing Home Efforts to Improve
Care
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Contact: Richard Deutsch
202-261-7573
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Success
Stories From the Pilot States—October 2002 |
For
Immediate Release
April 24, 2002
Washington,
D.C.— Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) are gearing up to provide technical
assistance to nursing homes as part of a new federal nursing home quality initiative
launched today in six pilot states by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
(CMS). The initiative begins with CMS-sponsored newspaper ads featuring data on
quality of care in individual nursing homes in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Ohio,
Rhode Island, and Washington state.
The
quality data is designed to give consumers more information to make decisions
about selecting nursing homes and provide nursing facilities with clear indications
of where improvement is needed. The 6-state pilot precedes a national rollout
of the initiative next October.
QIOs
to Work With the Public and Nursing Homes
As
independent private firms working under contract to CMS, QIOs will play a central
role in helping the public understand how to interpret the newly published quality
of care measures. The measures allow comparison of how well nursing homes manage
pain and maintain patients’ daily living activities. They also show the prevalence
of pressure ulcers, delirium, and infections in nursing facilities.
QIOs in each state will sponsor events, conduct public outreach, and work with
community-based organizations to further public comprehension and use of the quality
measures.
QIOs
will also work directly with nursing homes throughout each state to help them
assess the quality of their services and provide information on the best practices
previously adopted by leading providers. For all nursing homes in each pilot state,
QIOs will:
- Create
statewide and regional partnerships to disseminate educational materials, with
targeted mailings to low-performing nursing facilities.
- Convene
workshops and training sessions for nursing home staff.
- Disseminate
information related to improving clinical outcomes and share lessons learned about
best practices and effective quality improvement models.
- Serve
as an information clearinghouse.
In
addition, QIOs will offer intensive support to a number of nursing homes in each
state, including:
- Workshops
for administrators, medical directors, and directors of nursing on the role of
leadership in promoting quality improvement, developing successful clinical systems,
and empowering staff for continuous improvement.
- Workshops
for clinical care teams offering team building activities, clinical education,
and training in quality improvement techniques.
- Step-by-step
guidance in helping facilities revise policies and protocols, increase staff commitment
to improvement, monitor patient conditions, and implement more effective plans
of care.
"The
success of the quality initiative depends on the capacity of QIOs to help nursing
homes improve care," said David Schulke, Executive Vice President of the
American Health Quality Association (AHQA), which represents QIOs nationwide.
"Information-sharing can jump-start the adoption of proven best-practices,
compared to what happens when providers have to work in isolation."
QIOs
to Share Expertise Improving Systems of Care
QIOs
work with health facilities nationwide to organize care delivery systems so that
patients get the right care at the right time. QIOs maintain a network of physicians
and health professionals committed to improving care in a broad range of specialties
and settings. Currently, QIOs are working cooperatively with nursing homes on:
- Prevention
and Treatment of Pressure Sores in Arkansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and
Texas.
- Falls
Prevention in Alabama and Missouri.
- Pain
Management in end of life care in North Dakota and Rhode Island.
- Rehabilitation
Measures in Colorado, North Carolina, Maryland, and Arizona.
- Improving
Diabetes Outcomes in Alaska and Indiana.
- Improving
Screening and Management of Depression in Michigan.
- Flu
and Pneumococcal Immunizations in Alaska, Arizona, District of Columbia,
Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi,
Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming.
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