Content contained in this newsletter may have been previously published in prior issues of the QCC newsletter.
The Florida Nursing Home
Quality Care Connection
Connect with Residents, Celebrate Lives
To provide care that is truly person-centered, a quality-driven nursing home creates an environment where residents always come first. This can be accomplished by:
Pain Assessment and Management: Tips and Change Ideas
According to the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) manual, pain "can cause suffering and is associated with inactivity, social withdrawal, depression, and functional decline." Proper assessment and effective interventions can help to prevent these adverse outcomes (section J0100, Pain Management). The
National Nursing Home Quality Improvement Campaign (formerly Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes Campaign) has a number of great resources for Performance Improvement Project (PIP) teams, including a list of probing questions that PIP teams can use as they begin pain management discussions:
Are assessments done daily?
Are we capturing signs of pain staff observe in individuals?
Are we listening to the resident's report of pain?
What type of assessment tool are we using?
Do we use a dementia-specific assessment tool?
Are we using a verbal scale?
Are we using a non-verbal scale?
Do we match the right assessment with the population?
Do we use nursing home pain management protocols or standing orders for pain management?
Next month: Change ideas for preventing falls with major injury.
QAPI Corner
Step 3: Take Your QAPI Pulse with Self-Assessment
Every effective change initiative begins with a self-assessment, and Quality Assurance & Performance Improvement (QAPI) is no exception. Since many facilities already practice aspects of performance improvement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a 24-item self-assessment to help you take your QAPI pulse. The QAPI Self-Assessment:
Is meant to be an honest reflection of your progress with QAPI.
Should be completed with input from the entire QAPI team and organizational leadership.
Will help you evaluate the extent to which components of QAPI are in place within your organization.
Will identify any areas that may require further development.
Watch this 15-minute video that highlights best practices in reducing antipsychotic medications. Learn more.
This material was prepared by Health Services Advisory Group, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Florida, under contract with 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 CMS policy. Publication No. FL-11SOW-C.2-11152016-01
