Wednesday, December 04, 2013
   
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Delivering Quality Care in Skilled-Nursing Facilities


The delivery of quality care is the centerpiece of our profession – whether it’s providing critical and valuable services to medically fragile elders, the chronically or terminally ill, or those recovering from serious injury or surgery.

In spite of the ever-increasing acuity of patients who are discharged from hospitals into skilled nursing and rehabilitation, quality care is improving in California and trending in a positive direction.

There have been many changes since lawmakers recognized that insufficient Medi-Cal reimbursement rates to skilled nursing providers were having an impact on staffing levels, wages, and the financial stability of many facilities.

A new law, the 2005 Medi-Cal Long Term Care Reimbursement Act, changed the reimbursement formula and increased rates paid to facilities. The new system was funded by a self-imposed “Quality Assurance” fee paid by providers in combination with federal and state Medi-Cal funds.
 
As a result, since 2006, there have been notable improvements in quality care measures. 
Leading the Nation in Quality

On July 19, 2012, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its Nursing Home Compare website enabling consumers to obtain additional information about quality measures in skilled nursing centers and California ranked best in the nation in three categories.

California providers scored better than every other state in preventing weight loss and depression – and nursing home residents in the state showed the least amount of decline in their activities of daily living (ADLs).  In addition, California nursing home providers were second best in the nation in preventing falls which resulted in serious injury.  

In all, CMS measured 18 quality indicators for long-stay and short-stay residents over a period of nine months beginning in October 2011. California providers performed better than the national average in a majority of cases.  AHCA has compiled a state-by-state comparison using the new CMS data. The list can be viewed here.
Living Options
For many, quality care means being able to stay at home as long as possible.

Consumers of long-term care have a range of options from a "social" model of care in home- and community-based settings - to a "medical" model for short-stay or long-term needs in a skilled nursing facility. Both are important elements of the long-term care continuum.

California is a leader in providing services in the community, while preserving the availability of care for the most medically challenged residents.  Read more


Learn about national efforts to improve quality in four key areas, how California providers can take part and which providers are taking the lead.

Making News
The Picker Institute's Long-Term Care Improvement Guide offers the latest research in the field of patient-centered care. Read the report
Quality assessment and assurance goals are reviewed and revised in this California case study. Provider Magazine
Recognizing Quality


See which CAHF members have received the prestigious National Quality Awards.



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