THCA Notes

Volume XXXI, Number 11
November 2016

This month’s Commitment to Care (C to C) focuses on
Immunization Rates in Texas Long Term Care Facilities;

The Legislative Committee on Aging is Looking Closely at the Issue

One a Month Update

OAM

New Partnership to Improve Dementia Care Data is in and Texas has moved up the ranks to 48th in the Nation scoring 18.5% for LS use of antipsychotic medications, Texas improvement represents a decrease of 35.9% since our baseline in 2011 of 28.8%. The current National average is 16.3% a decrease of 31.8%.

Keep up the momentum!

Building Prevention into Every Day Practice: Framework for Successful Clinical Outcomes Series – Part 5 of 13

This is part of a series featuring one element of the Building Prevention into Every Day Practice: Framework for Successful Clinical Outcomes. Success in achieving positive resident/patient outcomes is even more critical now than ever before. The link between quality and payment in long term and post-acute care is growing stronger, as evidenced by the SNF Value Based Purchasing Program (VBP), Improving Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act, SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) and more.

In addition, regulatory activity is intensifying through focused surveys on adverse events, dementia care and MDS. The Five-Star Rating system and Nursing Home Compare have been revised and will add items in the future as it broadens public reporting and transparency. Most importantly, consumers expect and deserve high quality care.

The entire framework outlines key elements from both an organizational and clinical nature that are critical to successful clinical and organizational outcomes. Positively, these elements reflect common denominators that cross multiple care situations. Therefore, instead of being yet another initiative or single focused project to achieve just one outcome, it is a way of acting, thinking and being that will benefit multiple areas across an organization. Each element is addressed in detail throughout the framework.

This month THCA is featuring the element of Organizational Foundation: Principles of Person-Centered Care

Key Takeaways: Principles of Person-Centered Care

  • Primary purpose of care is to support individuals in living as satisfactory and fulfilling a life as possible, in the face of their illnesses and impairments.
  • Be aware of each individual’s preferences, issues, and risks and tailor recommendations and actions accordingly.
  • Residents make choices and actively participate in their care planning which is used as a foundation for everyday person-centered care.
  • Competent clinical reasoning and effective diagnosis facilitate truly individualized care by enabling interventions tailored to underlying causes.

Probing Questions for Team Reflection and Discussion:

  1. How do we get to know each resident’s preferences and risks and tailor our interventions accordingly?
  2. Do care plans reflect each individual’s wishes and offer flexibility for change?
  3. How can we support each individual in living life to the fullest extent they desire?

Visit the AHCA Clinical Practice website to learn more about the element of “Organizational Foundation: Team-Based Care” and answers to these key questions:

What does this mean? Why is this important? What are some examples? What is my part (as an individual employee, manager or practitioner)? What can my organization do?

Start somewhere, pick one element and work through it with your team.

Enjoy the journey through the framework!

“The Quality Initiative Series – Succeeding in the Midst of Change”

The AHCA Quality team is creating a series of FREE education Webinars which covers the best practices to help members with many of the new regulatory, payment or public reporting changes. The series is designed to provide critical support to members. You can register for the first webinar here.

The schedule is as follows:

November 16, 2016
3 – Unintended Healthcare Outcomes

January 25, 2017
4 – Staff Stability

April 26, 2017
5 – Antipsychotic Drug Reduction

June 21, 2017
6 – Functional Outcomes

September 20, 2017
7 – Customer Satisfaction/Experience

November 15, 2017
8 – Hospital Admissions in Long Stay Settings