The Advancing Excellence campaign has released updated goals and called on nursing homes to actively use the framework for achieving better quality care.
The updated set of goals includes some new ones, some holdovers and some that are refined versions of previous goals, said David Gifford, M.D., senior vice president at the American Health Care Association and an Advancing Excellence co-chairman. Gifford and other Advancing Excellence leaders spoke on a conference call Tuesday to announce the goals.
The process goals are: improving staff stability; increasing use of consistent assignment; increasing person-centered care; and safely reducing hospitalizations. The clinical goals are: using medications appropriately; increasing resident mobility; preventing and managing infections safely; reducing pressure ulcers; and decreasing symptoms of pain.
The goals and related toolkits are a useful blueprint providers can use to follow best practices defined by a range of agencies, Gifford said. The goals are also a way of meeting requirements under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement initiative.
While more than 60% of U.S. nursing homes are taking part in Advancing Excellence, signing up is only a first step, stressed Cheryl Phillips, M.D., senior vice president for advocacy at LeadingAge. The campaign is going to make efforts to more actively engage providers in the process of choosing and working toward goals, she said. Advancing Excellence will host a free webinar on the new rules on Sept. 10.
The campaign is also looking to expand its scope by bringing in additional organizations, such as academic and research institutions, Phillips said. She described Advancing Excellence as an “unprecented” alliance, which has brought together diverse long-term care stakeholders since its launch in 2006.
