TIP OF THE WEEK

Focus on consistent assignment

 

CHANGE IDEA: CONSISTENT ASSIGNMENT

Consistent Assignment is sometimes called primary or permanent assignment. It simply means that the same caregivers (such as RNs, LPNs, or STNAs) take care of the same residents most of the time — ideally, 80 percent of each shift for each caregiver.

 

The goals are:

• To encourage relationships between residents and caregivers. Residents who are cared for by the same staff members most of the time come to see the people who care for them as “family.”
• To allow residents’ family members to get to know their loved one’s caregivers. This provides comfort for families, and gives them a chance to share information about residents’ likes and dislikes, personality traits and other details.
• To strengthen relationships between caregivers who care for the same residents. The result will be happier staff members, more effective teamwork and better care.

REGULATORY SUPPORT

• F240 A facility must care for its residents in a manner and in an environment that promotes maintenance or enhancement of each resident’s quality of life.
• (Surveyor guidance) The intention of the quality of life requirements is to specify the facility’s responsibilities toward creating and sustaining an environment that humanizes and individualizes each resident. Compliance decisions here are driven by the quality of life each resident experiences.
• F242 Residents have the right to (1) choose activities, schedules, and health care consistent with their interests, assessments, and plans of care; (2) interact with members of the community both inside and outside the facility; and (3) Make choices about aspects of their life in the facility that are significant to the them.
• (Surveyor guidance) Observe how well staff members know each resident and what aspects of life are important to him or her. Determine if staff members make adjustments to allow residents to exercise choice and self-determination.

MDS CONSIDERATION

Personal preferences should be communicated with the MDS coordinator and interdisciplinary team to ensure accurate MDS coding in sections such as Mood & Behavior Section E, Pyscho Social Well Being Section F and Customary Routines Section AC.

 

To learn more about Person-Centered Care, please go to the Ohio Person-Centered Care Coalition Web page at www.centeredcare.org or register to attend the coalition’s third annual conference on April 3, 2008 in Columbus Ohio.

 

Source: Portions of this material were prepared by the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care Inc. (AFMC), the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Arkansas, under contracts with the Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Medical Services, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect their policies. The Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services is in compliance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act. Qp1-AATIp.Fly,1-1/07

 

 

 

 

IN THE NEWS

 

CMS RELEASES POTENTIAL PARTICIPANT LIST FOR UPCOMING PATIENT SAFETY QIO PROJECTS

On February 5, 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a list of nursing homes and hospitals with which each state's Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) may choose to partner in the upcoming three-year QIO federal contract, which begins August 1, 2008. QIOs will concentrate their efforts on facilities with the greatest opportunity for improvement in each individual patient safety measure, such as pressure ulcer prevention and physical restraint reduction.

 

Ohio KePRO, the Medicare QIO for Ohio, is dedicated to assisting these facilities with their quality improvement efforts. If your facility has been identified and you would like to request additional information or assistance, please call Ohio KePRO toll-free at 1-800-385-5080 and ask for a member of the Nursing Home Team or e-mail ltc@ohqio.sdps.org.

 

All QIO program-level inquiries not specific to Ohio should be directed to Kelly Anderson, appointed on behalf of the Office of External Affairs, CMS, at 410-786-5673, kelly.anderson@cms.hhs.gov.

 

 

WII KEEPS ELDERLY ACTIVE IN CARE HOMES

February 7, 2008 -- British Journal of Healthcare Computing & Information Management -- Dan Y Bryn Care Home near Swansea in south Wales is the first care home in the U.K. in a new effort to try out the Nintendo Wii games console to help elderly residents stay mentally and physically active. Read more >>

 

 

SANOFI TARGETS ELDERLY WITH NEW TYPE OF FLU SHOT

February 13, 2008 -- Reuters -- French drug company Sanofi-Aventis is seeking European Union approval for a new type of influenza injection it says will protect the elderly. Sanofi Pasteur, the French company's vaccines division, said preliminary trials with 7,000 adult or elderly patients had generated a superior immune response against all tested flu strains compared with current vaccinations. The new process delivers the vaccine using a small "intradermal" (ID) injection that penetrates the dermal layer of the skin, just below the body's outer layer. Read more >>

 

 

OHIO KEPRO EVENTS

 

 

 

INDUSTRY EVENTS

 

Treatment of Pressure Ulcers in the Nursing Home
A national teleconference for members of the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign
February 21, 2008, 2:00 to 3:15 p.m.
Speakers: Steve Levenson, MD, and Debra Bakerjian, PhD, MSN
Click here to register

 

Not my Facility! How to handle an allegation of sexual abuse

Presented by the Ohio Academy of Nursing Homes

Tuesday, February 26 in Columbus from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 

CMS Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF)/Long-Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum

February 27, 2008, 3:30 p.m.

Dial: 1-800-837-1935 & Reference Conference ID: 18796437

 

 

NAVIGATING THE MDS THROUGH THE OHIO MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENT SYSTEM

May 1, 2008, 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. ET

Speakers: Claire Spellmire, RN, BSN, and Karen Jennings, LNHA, MHA, from the Case Mix Section, Bureau of Long Term Care Facilities, Office of Ohio Health Plans.

Cost: Free

 

For more information or to register, call Cheryl Robertson at (614) 466-9088.

Space is limited to two per facility.

 

Cuyahoga Community College Spring ’08 Continuing Education Schedule for Gerontology Professionals

• March 12, 2008, 9:00 to 4:30 – Incorporating Quality Into Your Everyday Work with Betty Pilous, (Pre-approved by Ohio Social Worker Board, Ohio Counselor Board and BENHA)

Medicare Learning Network: Learning resources and products for the healthcare professional.

 

Alzheimer’s Association Training Events

 

AOPHA 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 >>