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December 22, 2004
Connecticut's Nursing Home Residents Receive Higher Quality of Care Today than in 2002
Qualidigm Applauds Efforts to Improve Care
(Middletown, CT, December 22, 2004) New data released from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) indicate nursing homes in Connecticut have improved the quality of care they provide to residents based on several key measures, Qualidigm announced today.
Many of the improvements are the result of work nursing homes are undergoing with Qualidigm, Medicares Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) in Connecticut, as part of the national Nursing Home Quality Initiative. Qualidigm contracts with CMS to provide quality improvement resources to nursing homes, home health agencies, hospitals and physicians.Nursing homes have been working hard to improve their quality of care under the national Nursing Home Quality Initiative for over two years, and the recent data collected by CMS show that their efforts are paying off, benefiting Connecticuts taxpayers and nursing home residents, Qualidigms CEO, Marcia Petrillo said. In the areas of chronic pain management, physical restraint reduction, and management of activities of daily living (ADL) decline, nursing homes working with Qualidigm are showing greater improvement than the national average. We are particularly proud of Connecticuts results in pain management, where our rates are well below those of the nation, Marcia Petrillo added.
Marcia Petrillo noted that 31 of the states 248 nursing homes are working intensively with Qualidigm to improve their measures for chronic pain management, physical restraint reduction and management of ADL decline. Intensive work includes hands-on training with quality experts, instruction in best practices, and sharing in-depth resources. Additionally, all nursing homes in Connecticut have received educational materials to help improve their quality of care.
Connecticut nursing homes statewide significantly improved the percent of residents with pain, lowering the rate from 8.6% in 2002 down to 4.7% in 2004. Similarly, statewide results on restraint use show an impressive drop from 12.1% in 2002 to 7.8% in 2004, representing a 37% reduction compared to baseline. This improvement was the third highest reduction in restraint use among those states that targeted this measure. For those homes that worked intensively with Qualidigm, the improvements in both pain management and restraint use were even greater than the statewide results.
We commend the nursing homes for their success, and we thank our partners at the Connecticut Association of Health Care Facilities, Connecticut Association of Not-for-profit Providers for the Aging, the State of Connecticuts Department of Public Health and the Long-Term Care Ombudsmans Office, and the Connecticut Medical Directors Association and Connecticut Geriatrics Society for their support of the Nursing Home Quality Initiative, added Petrillo. And we recognize that there is more work to be done on managing decline in ADLs and pressure sores.
We are so proud of the nursing homes success over the past two years. The NHQI information has helped identify areas for improvement and has fostered sharing of best practices that benefit Connecticut nursing home residents, states Toni Fatone of the Connecticut Association of Healthcare Facilities.
We are very pleased to be working with Qualidigm on the NHQI initiative. We are proud of the commitment our members have demonstrated towards this endeavor. They have truly benefited from the quality improvement training and tools Qualidigm provides as shown by their impressive results, explains Mag Morelli of Connecticut Association of Not-For-Profit Providers for the Aging.
CMS recently released a comprehensive plan to accelerate the pace of quality improvement in nursing homes around the country. One component of this plan is a more coordinated approach to linking the work of state Survey Agencies and QIOs. In Connecticut, Qualidigm has been working with the Department of Public Healths Division of Health Systems Regulation to develop ways to make each other more successful in their shared mission to improve nursing home quality.
The national Nursing Home Quality Initiative was launched in 2002 by CMS, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to improve the quality of nursing home care across the nation. The program is part of a national Quality Initiative that also focuses on improving the quality of care delivered by home health agencies and hospitals.
Seniors, caregivers and others can find valuable information about nursing homes by visiting www.medicare.gov and clicking on Nursing Home Compare. The site also provides tips for making informed decisions about health care. People without Internet access may call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for assistance.
Qualidigm is a nationally recognized industry leader in measuring and improving the quality of health care. A private, nonprofit quality improvement organization, Qualidigm participates in numerous national and local initiatives, some of which include patient safety, public reporting and helping providers in their quality improvement efforts. Qualidigms vision is: Qualidigm is the partner of choice for those who commit to achieving sustainable improvement in health and the quality of health care. Qualidigm partners with health care providers and public and private sector groups to make this vision a reality. www.qualidigm.org.
For further information, please contact:
Qualidigm
Marcia Petrillo
CEO
Telephone: 860.632.2008