Nursing Homes

As a Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO), HealthInsight is committed to helping nursing homes provide better care to their residents. This means focusing on providing care that is safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. HealthInsight can provide your facility with clinical resources, technical assistance, networking, and can provide other great learning opportunities to help nursing homes become engaged in a new initiative to make care safer and reduce costs.

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Reducing Health Care-Acquired Conditions in Nursing Homes

 

Nursing homes that join HealthInsight in the health care-acquired conditions (HAC) initiative will contribute to a 40% national reduction in HAC rates. Work to reduce HACs begins with onsite technical assistance provided by experts in the field to improve pressure ulcer prevention & treatment, to reduce physical restraint use, and by building on the critical thinking skills of key nursing home staff. Participating facilities can expect to receive:

• Onsite consultation by QIO staff
• Training in quality improvement skills
• Evidence-based tools and resources
• Ongoing education from experts in the field

See below for provider tools and resources related to pressure ulcers and physical restraints to help you in your improvement efforts.

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Learning and Action Network

 

Beginning in the summer of 2012, HealthInsight will launch a statewide Learning and Action Network (LAN) for nursing homes that will address falls, staff turnover, consistent assignment, and more.

By participating in a LAN, health care providers can harness the power of a 24/7 community for addressing common challenges, connect with a peer facility for mentoring, and be the first to know about improvement breakthroughs–and how they can replicate them in their own facility or practice.

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Nursing Home Resources

 

Physical Restraints

PR Resource Guide: A resource guide from the Improving Individual Patient Care National Coordinating Center for QIO’s. This guide is aimed at assisting in eradicating the unnecessary use of physical restraints.

Rethinking the Use of Position Change Alarms: This document highlights issues regarding the use of different types of “safety alarms” & offers thoughtful consideration into their effectiveness.

CMS Clarification Memo: A memo issued by CMS that is a clarification of terms used in the definition of physical restraints as applied to the requirements for long term care facilities.

Making the Right Choice, Information for People Living in Nursing Homes and Their Families: Explains different types of restraints, demonstrates myths & facts, and considerations for families.

Actions for Minimizing Environmental Risk Factors for Falls: A Table that allows identification of actions to address individual environmental risk factors for falls, including; actions to take and hints & tips.

Physical Restraints F221: Information on Tag 221 for survey deficiencies concerning physical restraints.

Restraint Bingo: Bingo game that can be used to educate staff on restraints (both a question & an answer page).

Pressure Ulcers

Excerpts from F314 Pressure Ulcer Regulations - Contains important information from Federal Survey Regulation tag 314 which is specific to pressure ulcers.

Jump Start - An audit tool to assist facilities in getting a “jump start” on their skin system starting with the most basic processes.

NCC Pressure Ulcer Prevention and Treatment Resource Guide - This guide is intended to assist Quality Improvement Organizations and nursing homes in reducing the rate of high risk pressure ulcers by providing helpful resources.

Pressure Ulcer Prevention Audit Tool - This audit tool is designed to make sure all components of a thorough pressure ulcer prevention system are in place, including assessment & cause identification as well as management and monitoring.

Quality Measure Specifications - This reference tool contains the specific components of the MDS that populate both the numerator (the top number) and the denominator (the bottom number) of the high-risk pressure ulcer rate/percentage that will ultimately be publicly reported on Nursing Home Compare at www.medicare.gov.

Sample Skin Program Protocol - This step by step protocol includes recommendations for a thorough skin program/clinical system, including documentation, assessment, and intervention guidelines.

Weekly Wound Report with Body Diagram - This two page (designed to be double-sided) document is for weekly wound assessment and documentation for individual residents.