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Nursing Homes in Need

Nursing homes In Need (NHIN) are “Special Focus Facilities” (SFF) and have numerous issues that preclude them from effectively providing and maintaining high levels of quality care. Several of these issues include staffing limitations as a result of budgetary constraints and/or employee retention. Many of these facilities endure high turnover rates with management staff, nurses, dietary staff, housekeeping, and Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA).

High turnover rates negatively affect employee morale, which in turn impacts the organizational culture. Other issues encountered by poor performing facilities include lack of team work, poor time management, and no assigned staff to lead QI projects or act as change agents, as well as lack of consistency, education, and leadership buy-in. All of these factors have deleterious effects on resident care resulting in, but not limited to increased pressure ulcers, high use of restraints, weight loss, increased depression and poor pain control. FMQAI will assess the needs of the Nursing Homes In Need (NHIN) and tailor its technical support based on these findings by:

Conducting an on-site assessment to uncover the underlying causes of performance challenges that affect the facility’s quality of care;
Developing an Action Plan which will include specific actions to be taken, and related measurement strategies designed to bring about change in the facility to improve it’s compliance status;
Transforming barriers into opportunities to improve care through accelerated improvement methodologies;
Encouraging a culture focused on safety and quality, as well as resident and staff satisfaction;
Providing complimentary Team Strategies & Tools to Enhance Performance & Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS™)* training to improve teamwork and communication;

* TeamSTEPPS™, an evidence-based teamwork system developed by the Department of Defense (DoD) Patient Safety Program, in collaboration with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), optimizes patient outcomes by improving communication and other teamwork skills among healthcare professionals.