Contact: Jim Suydam, 512-417-5382

 Texas Health Care Association Supports National Initiative to Advance Quality Care

Goals build on statewide quality improvements

(AUSTIN) — Today, the Texas Health Care Association announced its support of the next phase of a nationwide, multi-year initiative to further improve quality care in long term and post-acute care centers and communities. Led by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), the Quality Initiative challenges both skilled nursing and assisted living providers to meet measurable targets in four areas by March, 2021. The Initiative builds on national and local progress achieved in quality improvements over the last six years.

“All across Texas, long term and post-acute care providers have embraced improving quality and we’re proud of their significant achievements,” said Kevin Warren, THCA president and CEO. “Providers must continue to overcome daily staffing, funding and regulatory challenges so they can achieve even greater successes in improving the lives of the patients, residents and families they serve. We are honored to be a part of this very important quality effort.”

The three-year goals for skilled nursing centers are aligned with top priorities for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and federal mandates that link financial outcomes to quality performance. They are:

• Safely reduce long-stay and short-stay hospitalizations by improving 10 percent—or maintain a rate of 10 percent or less;
• Improve functional outcomes (self-care and mobility) by 15 percent;
• Improve long-stay and short-stay satisfaction by 10 percent—or achieve a rate of 90 percent or greater; and
• Safely reduce the off-label use of antipsychotics by 10 percent—or maintain a rate of 8 percent or less in long- stay residents, and maintain a rate of 1 percent or less in short-stay residents.

“The Quality Initiative is built on the hard work and progress long term and post-acute care providers deliver each and every day,” said AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson. “The goals and priorities we have established will continue to guide and challenge providers to achieve even greater success for the patients, residents and families they serve.”

Since the launch of the Quality Initiative in 2012, Texas skilled nursing facilities have achieved 17 consecutive quarters of improvement and a 42 percent reduction in the prevalence of anti-psychotic use for long stay residents.

To monitor progress among skilled nursing centers nationwide, AHCA will use CMS measures to track progress on antipsychotic usage, and measures endorsed by the independent rating organization National Quality Forum (NQF) to track progress on re-hospitalizations, functional outcomes and customer satisfaction. The assisted living goals will use measures developed by AHCA/NCAL.

 

About the AHCA/NCAL Quality Initiative

The Quality Initiative is an effort that builds upon existing work of the long term and post-acute care profession in advancing quality care by setting specific, measurable targets to further improve quality of care in America’s skilled nursing centers and assisted living communities. For more information, please visit qualityinitiative.ahcancal.org.

About THCA

Founded in 1950, the Texas Health Care Association (THCA) is the largest long term care association in Texas. THCA’s membership is comprised of several hundred licensed nonprofit and for-profit skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and assisted living facilities in Texas. These facilities provide comprehensive, around-the-clock nursing care for chronically ill or short-term residents of all ages, along with rehabilitative and specialized medical programs. THCA also represents long term care businesses that provide products and services to the state’s approximately 2,850 nursing homes and assisted living facilities. To learn more, visit http://txhca.org/ or connect with THCA on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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Texas Health Care Association ● 1108 Lavaca Street, Ste. 500, Austin, TX 78701 ● (512) 458-1257

“The mission of the Texas Health Care Association is to unite, represent, and support professionals who strive to improve the delivery, quality, and integrity of long term healthcare services.”