National provider call to focus on reducing antipsychotics use, improving dementia care in nursing homes

Providers are invited to take part in a 90-minute teleconference Thursday that is aimed at improving dementia care in nursing homes. The mission of the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care will be the focus of the call, which starts at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says it hopes the partnership's work will lead to less use of antipsychotic medications. CMS experts will discuss goals, quality measures and ongoing efforts before ending with a question-and-answer session. Eligible professionals may earn continuing education credits.

To learn more about registration for the no-cost teleconference, click here. Participants will be able to see the presentation online at least one day before the call by clicking here; participants also will have the slide presentation emailed to them the day of the call, according to officials.

The partnership endorses evaluating each person on a one-on-one basis and devising approaches that will benefit the person individually. Federal regulators say that although antipsychotics are the initial focus of the partnership's goals, their attention could eventually shift to other potentially harmful medications.