TIP OF THE WEEK
Join the national quality campaign by May 14, 2007
ADVANCING EXCELLENCE IN AMERICA’S NURSING HOMES CAMPAIGN AIMS AT ACCELERATED QUALITY IMPROVEMENT, RESIDENT AND STAFF SATISFACTION
Register by May 14, 2007 for a new, unprecedented, two-year national campaign aimed at accelerating quality improvement in nursing homes across the country.
The Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign kicked off in Fall 2006 at a national Nursing Home Quality Summit in Washington, DC. Already, over 3,300 facilities nationwide have committed to work on at least three of the campaign’s goals.
The voluntary campaign targets eight measurable clinical quality and organizational improvement goals on which nursing homes can work to improve their quality of care. Consumers are also joining the campaign. Registration and information are available at the campaign’s official Web site, www.nhqualitycampaign.org.
“Nursing homes that register for the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign prior to May 14, 2007 will receive the ‘Advancing Excellence Trailblazers’ special recognition and publicity as early registrants,” said Betty Pilous, RN, MHSA, CPHQ, Ohio KePRO’s Director of Community-Based Services. “Signing on early to work on at least three of the eight campaign goals is an important way for nursing homes to demonstrate that quality of life for nursing home residents and staff is a top priority. The added significance is that May 13-19, 2007 is National Nursing Home Week and the month of May has traditionally been designated as Older Americans Month,” she said.
The Advancing Excellence Campaign’s Local Area Networks for Excellence (LANEs) are working to disseminate information and improve nursing home care. The LANEs are listed on the campaign’s Web site. Ohio KePRO is the LANE Convener for Ohio.
For more information about the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign and to register, visit www.nhqualitycampaign.org.
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
Pressure Sore Brochure for Residents and Families
This brochure, provided by Ohio KePRO in partnership with the Ohio Department of Health and the Ombudsman office, provides information about what all residents and families need to know about pressure sores.
To order, click here and select “Nursing Home” in the drop-down box. Then, add the Pressure Sore Consumer Brochure to your cart and proceed to checkout. All resources in the Ohio KePRO Shopping Bag are free of charge to Ohio healthcare providers. Please allow 10 business days to process your request.
IN THE NEWS
MEASURES RELEASED FOR CMS PHYSICIAN QUALITY REPORTING INITIATIVE
April 11, 2007 -- CMS -- The Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) establishes a financial incentive for eligible professionals to participate in a voluntary, quality reporting program. Eligible professionals who successfully report a designated set of quality measures on claims for dates of service from July 1 to December 31, 2007, may earn a bonus payment, subject to a cap, of 1.5% of total allowed charges for covered Medicare physician fee schedule services. Read more >>
STATE FUNDING MAY MEAN FEWER SENIORS IN NURSING HOMES
April 9, 2007 -- Dayton Journal -- Gov. Ted Strickland is proposing more funding for the state's in-home care services program for low-income seniors that would allow more Butler County residents to live independently and to avoid unnecessary institutional care.
According to a recent report by Miami University's Scripps Gerontology Center, Ohio spends more per capita on nursing home care than 41 states in the country. At the same time, Ohio spends less than all but three states on in-home care spending as a total of long-term care spending.
Read more >>
PUBLIC INFORMATION AVAILABLE FOR NURSING HOME QUALITY
April 4, 2007 -- Springfield News-Sun -- When choosing a nursing home, the best place to start is no further than the tip of your nose, said Jim Griffiths, board vice-president of the Ohio Academy of Nursing Homes. People shopping for a nursing home should use their five senses, said Griffiths.
Read more >>
OHIO KEPRO EVENTS
THE GOOD APPLES: TIPS FOR ATTRACTING AND RETAINING THE RIGHT EMPLOYEES
In this half-day workshop, we will delve into key strategies for improving workforce retention in the nursing home, including:
- The impact of turnover and absenteeism on an organization and what you can do about it.
- Strategies to improve the hiring and orientation process.
- Motivating employees and improving staff satisfaction.
- Setting goals and measure improvement in workforce retention.
Who should attend: Directors of Operations, Directors of Nursing, Nursing Home Administrators, Staff Development, and Human Resources.
Save these dates. Details and registration coming soon.
7/11 – Cincinnati | 7/24 – Wooster | |
7/12 – Springfield | 8/7 – Boardman | |
7/17 – Cambridge | 8/15 – Columbus | |
7/19 – Sylvania | 8/21 – Wellston |
CANCELLED: COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE CONFERENCE CALLS
The remaining community of practice conference calls have been cancelled. This includes further discussions about pressure ulcers (April 17+19, 2007), pain (April 24+26, 2007), and restraints (May 1+3, 2007).
For more information, please contact the Nursing Home Team at 1-800-385-5080
INDUSTRY EVENTS
PRESSURE ULCERS: THE POWER OF PREVENTION AND EARLY DETECTION
A workshop series presented by American Medical Technologies in support of the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign. April 18-26, 2007 in locations throughout Ohio. Registration one week in advance is required. Register now
2007 DQA QUALITY FORUMS FOR NURSING HOMES
In April and May, the Ohio Division of Quality Assurance (DQA) is presenting one-half day quality forums to discuss current issues with Nursing Home Administrators, Directors of Nursing and Maintenance Supervisors (limited to two participants per facility, advanced registration is required). The quality forums will include the following topics: GPRA goals/restraint use guidelines, MRSA in LTC, LTC updates, enforcement updates, and life safety code updates.
Dementia: The Emerging Epidemic, A support group meeting for family, friends, and caregivers
May 10, 2007, 7:00pm to 8:30pm, Courtyard by Marriott, Springfield, OH.
Call OMH, Rita Brown at 937-525-3000 to register before May 3, 2007.
Dementia: The Emerging Epidemic Training for Professionals
May 11, 2007, 8:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., The Ohio Masonic Home, Springfield, OH.
Call OMH, Rita Brown at 937.525.3000 to register before May 4, 2007.
Navigating the MDS Through the Ohio Medicaid Reimbursement System
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
June 11, 2007 or August 23, 2007
Call Cheryl Robertson at (614) 466-9088 for more information.
Medicare Learning Network: Learning resources and products for the healthcare professional.
Alzheimer’s Association Training Events
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Courses
Ohio Department of Health, Technical Assistance Program – New Programs
Ohio Health Care Association Events
An archive of The Nursing Home Weekly Update is available on our Web site. Click here >>
