Content contained in this newsletter may have been previously published in prior issues of the QCC newsletter.  
Nursing Home Icons
The Florida Nursing Home
Quality Care Connection
This QCC Newsletter is your quarterly National Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative (NNHQCC) in Florida member update that provides information on the latest activities. It is a quick reference for information on upcoming learning events, links to improvement tools, resources, news, best practices, and success stories. 
Upcoming Events
NNHQCC and CDI Initiative: Learning Session 3
CDI Tracer and Assessment Tool Introduction Webinar

Thursday, April 19, 2018
2 to 3 p.m ET

Objectives
After attending this webinar, you should be able to:
  • Interpret HSAG’s new CDI Tracer and Assessment Tool for LTCFs.
  • Recognize gaps in your LTCF’s policies and procedures.
  • Utilize the CDI Tracer and Assessment Tool in your existing QAPI program.
Did you Miss an NNHQCC Webinar?
Webinar materials and the recorded webinars are available on the HSAG website!
Go to www.hsag.com/events and search by date to locate a past event.
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:

  • Treating residents as they want to be treated.
  • Fostering relationships with families.
  • Creating connections with the community.
  • Providing compassionate end-of-life care.

For more insight and practical tips about connecting with residents,   read pages 14-18 of the National Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative Change Package.

Contact us with any questions at 
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:

  1. Are assessments done daily?
  2. Are we capturing signs of pain staff observe in individuals?
  3. Are we listening to the resident's report of pain?
  4. What type of assessment tool are we using?
  5. Do we use a dementia-specific assessment tool?
  6. Are we using a verbal scale?
  7. Are we using a non-verbal scale?
  8. Do we match the right assessment with the population?
  9. Do we use nursing home pain management protocols or standing orders for pain management?

For more pain management resources, visit the "Goals" section of the  National Nursing Home Quality Improvement Campaign website .

Also, HSAG developed this  Quality Measure Tip Sheet  addressing pain  for your use. Visit the  HSAG NHQCC website for more resources like this.
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.

For more information about the self-assessment, read page 12 of QAPI At-a-Glance .
  
if you have not done so already. It is a valuable tool to drive QAPI in your facility.
Have you Reviewed and Updated Your QAPI Self-Assessment?
Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Resources
HSAG Resource Spotlight
This infographic outlines the 5 steps to prevent healthcare-associated infections in nursing homes from the National Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative (NNHQCC) Change Package.   Learn more .

Effective November 28, 2018, the new long-term care regulations require nursing facilities to conduct, document, and annually review a facility-wide assessment, which includes both their resident population and the resources the facility needs to care for their residents (§483.70(e)). This is an optional template provided for nursing facilities to evaluate its resident population and identify the resources needed to provide the necessary person-centered care and services the residents require . If used, this tool may be modified. Each facility has flexibility to decide the best way to comply with this requirement. Learn more.

The Nursing Home Training Sessions are a set of trainings aimed to provide nursing home leaders with training materials that can be used to enhance understanding of important concepts and practices that promote stewardship and C. difficile prevention, and provide information, tools, and resources to take action to improve practices. Learn more.

This document offers a template to assist your facility in creating a QAPI plan that will guide your organization's performance improvement efforts. 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.2-03282018-01