Nursing Homes

Stratis Health, in collaborations with nursing homes in Minnesota over the past decade, has offered expertise and focus on quality improvement, culture change, and organizational change. In addition, clinical areas of focus includes topics such as standing orders, preventing pressure ulcers, improving pain managemen,t and reducing physical restraints.

To assist Minnesota’s nursing homes in creating healthier, safer, and more enjoyable communities for their residents, Stratis Health has provided quality improvement tools, training, and resources to nursing home providers. We have strong relationships and partnerships with the nursing home community, in Minnesota and nationally, including regulators, trade associations, and others.

Stratis Health is a founding member of the Minnesota Culture Change Coalition, created to collectively foster a  person-centered and directed model of care in Minnesota. Person-centered care offers individuals who live and work in long-term care settings supportive communities that uphold individual dignity and respect and enable choice and self-determination.

Current QIO contract

Through its current three-year QIO contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which began on August 1, 2011, Stratis Health deploys resources and expertise to areas of highest need.

We work together in quality improvement activities and interventions to improve the lives of the people who live in their nursing homes. In the first 18 months, our specific focus is on reducing pressure ulcers and physical restraints through clinical improvement technical assistance, organizational leadership assessment, and culture change support to the participating nursing homes. More >

Stratis Health has held four collaborative learning sessions for the group.

Opportunity to Upgrade QAPI

Apply to participate in a Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program that will develop and test materials to inform a national QAPI roll out. Nursing homes chosen to participate will collaborate with the University of Minnesota, Stratis Health and other recruited nursing homes in Minnesota, California, Florida, and Massachusetts. Each facility will receive technical assistance in developing its QAPI program. The two-year demonstration will begin in September. More >

Statewide support

Resources

Nursing Home Update newsletter Stratis Health provides nursing homes with quality improvement and patient safety information in a monthly electronic newsletter. It includes current quality and patient safety information, educational resources and trainings, and key Web links to assist nursing homes in their quality improvement efforts.

Educational Recorded Webinar sessions Sponsored by Stratis Health, Webinars are available on a variety of topics such as clinical topics, quality improvement, organizational change, using data, staff and resident satisfaction, etc.

Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes Visit this site for valuable tools and resources for this campaign to improve quality of life for residents and staff working in nursing homes. Health care providers, caregivers, medical and quality improvement experts, government agencies, consumers and others, are joining the campaign that will build on the success of other quality initiatives such as Quality First, the Nursing Home Quality Initiative, and culture change.

Minnesota State Results for third quarter 2010 Minnesota's progress toward the phase II clinical and operational goals, including national comparative data. Full report > (59-page Word doc) Highlights > (2-page Word doc)

Minnesota State Results for fourth quarter 2010 Minnesota’s progress toward phase II operational goals, including data from nursing homes as entered on the Advancing Excellence Web site. Full report > (42-page Word doc) Highlights > (1-page Word doc)

 

Evidence to Practice Evidence to Practice is an online resource designed to provide access to ranked evidence and evidence-based strategies for managing care in a variety of important areas, including pain and pressure ulcers.

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture, which also includes this special section on patient safety.

Improving Patient Safety in Nursing Homes A resource list for users of the AHRQ Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture that offers these important resources:

• Overall Perceptions of Resident Safety
• Feedback & Communication About Incidents
• Supervisor Expectations and Actions Promoting Resident Safety and Dimension 4. Management Support for Resident Safety
• Organizational Learning
• Training & Skills
• Compliance with Procedures
• Teamwork
• Handoffs
• Communication Openness
• Nonpunitive Response to Mistakes
• Staffing
  

The Role of the Medical Director, by Dr. John Mielke, MD, president of the Minnesota Medical Directors Association (MMDA), was published in the June 2011 issue of Topics in Geriatric Medicine and Medical Direction, Volume 32 Issue 5. It is presented here with permission from MMDA.

Success Stories booklet This compilation of articles is based on successes of nursing homes in eliminating or reducing pressure ulcers and physical restraints and can serve as inspiration and resources for others.

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Barbara Bowers' Manual "Implementing Change in Long-Term Care" is a detailed guide for how to engage nursing home staff at all levels of change.

CMS Training Tools for MDS 3.0 Training materials include slides, instructor guides, and links to videos on Youtube.

Patient Safety: A Disparities Analysis of Quality Measures The CMS Health Disparities Quality Improvement Organization Support Center report includes summary information regarding Minnesota residents with pressure ulcers and/or physical restraints. (15-page Word doc) Highlights > (2-page Word doc)

Guide for Field Testing: Creating an Ideal Transition to a Skilled Nursing Facility Balik B, Nielsen GA, Rutherford P, Spear S, Taylor J. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement, through a grant supported by The Commonwealth Fund, will soon commence a four-year, multistate initiative to measurably reduce avoidable re-hospitalizations. This guide was created to support participating individuals and organizations in their work over the course of this initiative and beyond to improve transitions in care. This guide includes ideas and potentially effective changes that have not yet been tested. (42-page PDF)

Institute for Healthcare Improvement Locate valuable education resources at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Classes are free and IHI currently offers six online courses in the areas of quality improvement and patient safety. The Institute adds courses regularly. Each course takes about an hour to complete and consists of several lessons taking 15 to 20 minutes each.

Long-Term Care Improvement Guide A practical resource intended to support continuing care communities in their efforts to bring about culture change. (296-page PDF)

MDH MDS 3.0 WebEx Presentations Presentations on the implementation of MDS 3.0, including coding the various sections, submission, and correction requirements, as well as RUGS, and case mix requirements.

Minnesota Nursing Home Report Card The Minnesota Department of Health and the Minnesota Department of Human
Services created the nursing home report card to help consumers compare nursing homes on seven quality measures.

National Quality Forum Nursing Home quality measures mapped to MDS 21 candidate measures.

Nursing Home Compare This tool has detailed information about every Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing home in the country.

Quality Partners of Rhode Island Locate a quality improvement workbook for nursing home teams.

Sustainability Resources Find information to produce sustainable quality improvements that staff can embrace and build upon. (4-page PDF)

Contact Stratis Health for assistance with your quality improvement and patient safety needs.

If your nursing home has projects it would like to work on, contact Kelly O'Neill, Kristi Wergin, or Jill Kieser-Andersen to discuss how we can work together to support new initiatives.