Quality Initiative Launches September 29th - State Leaders Invited
AMDA has participated in an informal group known as
the Sioux Falls Group for some ten years. The group
met first in Sioux Falls at the invitation of Judy Ryan, then
CEO of the Good Samaritan Society, to create dialogue
among long term care stakeholders. Since then, the
group has met twice a year in Washington, DC. The topic
of quality improvement has emerged regardless of the
particular issue at hand. Last spring, the group met with
CMS Administrator Mark McClellan (who recently
resigned his position effective October 2006) to enjoin
CMS in a quality initiative involving all the national groups
and setting quantifiable goals. The goals are based on
CMS QI data collected over the last several years under
the QIO program. Paul McGann, MD of CMS has been
reporting on this project to the Sioux Falls Group for
several years. McGann's willingness to enter into an
open dialogue with the members of Sioux Falls Group
ended in the development of the Advancing Excellence in
America's Nursing Homes campaign.
The 18 month campaign will kick off with a one-day
program on September 29, 2006 at the National
Academy of Sciences. As a founding member of the
sponsoring coalition, AMDA's Board of Directors and
state chapter presidents were invited.
Working with Local Area Network (LANES), national
organizations and their local affiliates will provide tools
and support for quality initiative activities, as well as
recruiting nursing facilities. The facilities will enroll
voluntarily. The website www.nhqualitycampaign.org will
link facilities to the various participating organizations
and the tools and assistance available.
AMDA believes medical directors can be very influential
activists in this initiative. Using AMDA's various process
based clinical practice guidelines, medical directors can
take a leadership role to help nursing facilities:
- Identify the goals they wish to pursue
- Develop process-based approaches to addressing
the issue
- Educate other team members about the clinical
aspect of issue to be addressed e.g., offer inservices
for nursing on assessing pain or treating
pressure ulcers
- Define roles for each care team member's
participation
- Monitor care and help to analyze data
- Involve consumers; help them understand quality
initiatives and measures
AMDA will be developing additional guidance for the use
of existing materials. Log onto www.amda.com for more
details and begin talking with your nursing facility
administrator about joining the campaign and selecting
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