QSourcesm launches program to improve nursing home quality

Selecting a quality nursing home for yourself or a loved one may just have become easier, thanks to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The federal government last Tuesday released data designed to help consumers in Tennessee and across the United States make more educated decisions when selecting a nursing home.  The Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI), under the auspicious of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), will give Tennesseans access to quality information about individual nursing homes in the state, via a national website.  “The quality data from CMS is important information for consumers,” said Anthony Culver, Public Affairs Specialist for QSourcesm Center for Healthcare Quality. “It is data that has been collected by CMS for many years. However, the decision to make it available to the public is groundbreaking for both the nursing home industry and consumers.”  QSourcesm will play a critical role in the federal initiative by helping nursing homes improve care for residents. It will provide assistance to 343 Medicare and/or Medicaid-certified nursing homes in Tennessee. In its effort to improve quality, QSourcesm has partnered with organizations that represent the nursing homes and the interests of the residents as well as the individual nursing homes across the state.  “We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the Tennessee Health Care Association (THCA), State Ombudsmen and State Survey Agency,” said Fran Myatt, Nursing Home Program Manager. “Everyone has the same goal, and that is to improve the quality of nursing home care for all Tennesseans. We’re proud to be a part of this collaborative effort.”  QSourcesm will provide nursing homes with materials, technical support and strategies to upgrade the clinical and organizational systems of the nursing homes. Such activities include: • Establishment of clinical care teams • Training information for nursing home personnel • Model policies and protocols  “The quality data will help nursing homes identify areas in need of improvement,” said Myatt. “We are always looking for ways in which to improve care and services to residents, and this initiative is a step in the right direction.”  When visiting the national website, consumers and other caregivers can research specific quality measures reported on nursing homes in their area. The quality measures are calculated from resident assessment data routinely collected on residents at specified intervals during their nursing home stay. The information pertains to the resident’s physical and clinical conditions and abilities. CMS has calculated 10 of the quality measures for public reporting and improvement. They are divided into two categories – long-term residents and short-term residents. Among the measures are: • percent of residents who required more help with daily activities • percent of residents with pain; and • percent of residents with pressure ulcers (bed sores)  The data show the percentage of resident in each facility experiencing certain conditions, such as pain or bedsores. When reading the percentages, the lower the number the better the rating. Consumers should keep in mind that some nursing homes specialize in particular types of care for residents, so the percentage of those kinds of patients may be higher for that particular facility.  “As consumers use this data, they must remember to use the quality information in conjunction with other criteria, including level of care, the patient’s needs and special services. They also should make a point of visiting the nursing home and asking questions,” Culver said.  The quality measure information, along with other information about individual nursing homes, is available at Medicare’s consumer website (www.medicare.gov) and its helpline at 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227).  Prior to making the NHQI a national program, CMS launched a pilot program in April 2002 in six U.S. states: Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Rhode Island and Washington.  QSourcesm provides quality improvement efforts in other health care settings including hospitals, physician offices and home health agencies. It has been working with CMS in this capacity for 29 years and was recently awarded a non-competitive contract to provide quality improvement and Medicare beneficiary outreach to more than 800,000 Medicare recipients in Tennessee.