Model Standards for Skilled Nursing Homes

The model presented herein admittedly constitutes a “respectable draft” only, setting out standards that push toward service excellence and focusing on the best interests of customers: the residents who’ve chosen a nursing facility to be their 24/7 care-based home for their remaining time in this world.

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New 4-Part Plan Proposed to Boost Clinician Wellness, Address Burnout

Burnout is one of the top challenges facing clinicians and other healthcare workers nationwide. In a report published last week by The Physicians Foundation, 30% of more than 2,300 physicians surveyed cited feelings of hopelessness or having no purpose due to changes in their practices related to the coronavirus pandemic. Research published in September 2018 indicates that nearly half of physicians across the country are experiencing burnout symptoms.

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NQF Report Offers Guidance on Reporting Measurement Systems

Using feedback from patients, patient advocates, purchasers, public and private payers, clinicians, provider groups, measure developers and implementers, statisticians, and health services researchers, the group looked at how standard measures used in healthcare assessment can be combined in a system to improve health outcomes and drive high-value care.

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Designing Reliability Into Evidence-Based Practice

On the sound foundation of evidence-based practice, healthcare providers rely on the most current and credible evidence to guide decisions; make diagnostic recommendations based on test results; prescribe effective medications; determine optimal care plans; and apply the best and safest practices for all manner of diseases and illnesses. However, EBP fidelity houses a set of glitches in an otherwise sound approach to qualitative practice.

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The Importance of Sustaining Quality Initiatives in Times of Crisis

Some of the quality measures driving the VBP calculations and determining reimbursement payments are hospital-acquired infection rates, patient experience scores, readmissions, mortality and complication rates, and efficiency. Although CMS’ actions reduced the burden on hospitals by offering a suspension of reporting while lessening the impact of the VBP program, this did not lessen the expectation for hospitals to provide quality care.

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