A new coalition concerned about how we care for elderly and disabled citizens is reinvigorating efforts to improve the quality of care and quality of life for those living or recuperating in America’s nursing homes. Health care providers, caregivers, medical and quality improvement experts, government agencies, consumers and others are joining the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign  that will build on the success of other quality initiatives like Quality First, the Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI), and the culture change movement.
The voluntary campaign, which will monitor key indicators of nursing home care quality, promotes excellence in caregiving for nursing home residents and acknowledges the critical role of nursing home staff in providing that care.
Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes will assess progress toward achieving the following measurable goals (click on each goal for web sites, resources and tools):
- Reducing high risk pressure ulcers
- Reducing the use of daily physical restraints
- Improving pain management for longer term nursing home residents
- Improving pain management for short stay, post-acute nursing home residents
- Establishing individual targets for improving quality
- Assessing resident and family satisfaction with the quality of care
- Increasing staff retention
- Improving consistent assignment of nursing home staff, so that residents regularly receive care from the same caregivers
Nursing homes participating in the campaign will work on at least three of the eight goals and can access technical assistance and guidance from quality experts in reaching their targeted goals. Consumers participating in the campaign will help to create greater awareness of quality care and the resources available now, and encourage providers to improve the care they deliver. The campaign will report on providers’ continuing quality improvement progress overall, and those reports will inform consumer choices for future long term care needs.
Join the Campaign
www.nhqualitycampaign.org |