TIP OF THE WEEK
Sign up now for the Advancing Excellence campaign
Did you know that nursing home consumers are joining the Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes campaign? The amount of consumer involvement is being monitored closely across the country, and Ohio is #2 in the nation for consumer participation. Currently in Ohio, more than one hundred and twenty consumers have signed up to promote the goals of the campaign in our state.
What does this mean to you? Now more than ever, consumers are looking for information about nursing home quality and with the availability of the Internet, this information is becoming easier for them to find. When a nursing home signs up as a campaign participant, the facility name is displayed on www.nhqualitycampaign.org. Since it is a public site, consumers can easily determine which homes have committed to quality and joined this important campaign.
How many nursing homes have joined the campaign? At 30% participation, Ohio has recently fallen behind the national average (currently 35%). See the map below to view the rates of campaign participation in Ohio's counties. Is your county's rate of participation below the national average of 35%? Have other nursing homes in your community joined? Go to www.nhqualitycampaign.org to view a list of participating homes, or to register your nursing home.
Campaign Participation by County
RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT
Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign Web site
It’s as easy as 1-2-3:
- Go to www.nhqualitycampaign.org
- Click on "Join Today" under Nursing Home Registration
- Complete the form, choosing at least three campaign goals to work towards
IN THE NEWS
LEARN ABOUT THE POST ACUTE CARE PAYMENT REFORM DEMONSTRATION
CMS -- The purpose of this demonstration project is to develop a uniform assessment instrument for acute hospitals and four post-acute care settings. Analysis topics are payment recommendations, discharge patterns, and patient outcomes. Researchers are developing data collection tools and recruiting participants this year. Data collection will begin in 2008. The demonstration is scheduled to conclude in 2010. This demonstration project stems from the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005. Learn more >>
WEB SITES OFFER MORE INFORMATION ON QUALITY OF PHYSICIANS, HOSPITALS
July 23, 2007 -- Kaiser Network -- The Los Angeles Times on Sunday examined how "insurers, the government and other sources are providing information, especially on the Internet, about the quality of the nation's doctors and hospitals -- details that were simply unavailable a decade ago." According to the Times, many of the "more sophisticated tools are still in their early stages, and the information they provide can be incomplete," but, with a "little homework, ... consumers can get their hands on all kinds of information" on the quality of physicians and hospitals. Read more >>
NEW RESOURCES FOR DISASTER PLANNING AND RESPONSE INVOLVING NURSING HOMES
July 21, 2007 -- AHRQ -- HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality today released Emergency Preparedness Atlas: U.S. Nursing Home and Hospital Facilities, which is intended to help local communities identify the health care facilities (hospitals and nursing homes) that could be available and prepared to provide assistance under emergency conditions in their communities. Read more >>
MEDICAL ERRORS INCREASE PHYSICIANS' STRESS LEVELS, STUDY FINDS
July 20, 2007 -- Kaiser Network -- Physicians who make or come close to making medical mistakes often experience an upswing in occupational stress, according to a survey released on Wednesday, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports. Results of the survey will be published in the August edition of the Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. Read more >>
HOW WILL BOOMERS PAY FOR LONG-TERM CARE?
July 20, 2007 -- Forbes -- Given the uncertain and expensive nature of long-term care, simple economic theory suggests that risk-averse individuals should purchase long-term care insurance. Paradoxically, the private long-term care insurance market remains small: In 2002, only about 6 million people had private long-term care insurance. If private long-term care insurance coverage remains limited, the welfare of the elderly will decline, as could the wealth of their adult children, due to onerous out-of-pocket spending on long-term care. Medicaid spending on long-term care will have to rise, putting enormous strain on government budgets, and the existing infrastructure, already suffering from low standards. 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.
7/31 – Lyndhurst
8/7 – Boardman
8/15 – Columbus
8/21 – Wellston
INDUSTRY EVENTS
Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)/Long-Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum
August 9, 2007, 2:00PM
Dial: 1-800-837-1935
Reference Conference ID: 3648421
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
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