News Releases

PHOENIX, ARIZONA—Health Services Advisory Group, Inc., (HSAG) is working with eight nursing homes in Arizona in a pilot project to improve the quality of life for residents by encouraging nursing homes to evaluate their care practices and policies in order to enable residents or their loved ones, whenever possible, to make their own decisions. The pilot project is part of a national collaborative led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. As the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Arizona, HSAG is one of 22 QIOs nationwide providing resources to assist nursing home staff in the person-directed care pilot.

In support of this project, HSAG is also participating in the St. Louis Accord, a national meeting of some of the top minds in nursing home care—including QIOs from across the country, CMS leadership, representatives from nursing homes, national health care associations, state surveyors and ombudsmen—to further the efforts to put person-directed care into practice. Representatives from Arizona attending the meeting include: Mary Fermazin, MD, MPA, HSAG VP, Health Policy & Quality Measurement; John Linda, Membership Director, Arizona Health Care Association (AzHCA); Catherine Corbin, Program Manager, Office of Long-Term Care Licensing, Arizona Department of Health Services, (ADHS); and Carol Combs, Arizona Area Agency on Aging, Region One, Ombudsman Program. The event, taking place June 8-9, brings together an action-oriented team of committed individuals from each state to work on creating strategies that will bring person-directed care to their nursing homes. Attendees will bring back valuable information to their individual states, enabling them to join together and work towards person-directed care.

By implementing person-directed care, nursing homes will incorporate the resident's preferences into his or her daily life at the nursing home. While the person-directed care model is not new, it is a new focus for QIOs. Person-directed care is a shift away from the more traditional, but still prevalent, style of nursing home care, where resident life is managed according to the same set schedule and meals, bedtimes, activities, and other facets of daily life are provided at the same time to all residents, regardless of each resident's preferences.

Beginning in August 2005, QIOs in every state will make person-directed care an important priority. Lessons learned from the CMS pilot will be shared with the nursing home collaborators throughout the country in an effort to spread successful creative practices.

"The person-directed care model focuses on residents' interests and preferences to improve their quality of life and ultimately change the culture of today's nursing homes," said Herb Rigberg, MD, HSAG Chief Executive Officer. "This will result in a more home-like feel throughout the nursing home stay, and enhance the resident's experience. In addition, we have learned that nursing home staff tends to be more satisfied and thrives in this type of environment. Person-directed care involves a change in culture for many nursing homes, a change that benefits the residents, families, and the staff."

The project is part of CMS's Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI), a multi-pronged effort to improve care through public reporting of quality of care measures, quality improvement training and resources provided by QIOs, and collaboration and partnerships to leverage knowledge and resources.

Nursing homes enrolled in the pilot are participating in specialized learning sessions and other collaborative efforts to improve care. This pilot project encompasses transformational practices and procedures in three domains that include workplace practice, care practice, and environment. A basis for the pilot includes the work of the Eden Alternative, Pioneer Network, and Wellspring, whose visions and philosophies have created a firm base for culture change around the country.

Quality of care information about nursing homes is available by visiting www.medicare.gov and clicking on Compare Nursing Homes in Your Area. The site also provides tips for making informed decisions about health care. Those without Internet access may call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for assistance.

For more information on the patient-directed care pilot in Arizona, visit the NHQI Web site, Arizona , or contact Joe Bestic, NHA, BA, HSAG Nursing Home Clinical Quality Specialist at 602.745.6205 or jbestic@azqio.sdps.org.

###

About HSAG For 25 years HSAG has provided innovative leadership on health care quality improvement projects for federal, state, and private sector clients. Founded by a group of medical professionals in 1979, HSAG is one of the most experienced quality improvement organizations in the U.S. HSAG is recognized as an agent of change in the health care industry because of the company's successful collaboration with providers across the continuum of care.

Publication No. AZ-7SOW-1A-060705-01. This material was prepared by Health Services Advisory Group, Inc., the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Arizona, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessary reflect CMS policy.