AHCA report identifies trends and quality improvements in LTC

Quality improvement initiatives are getting the results desired, according to the 2013 AHCA Quality Report.  The American Health Care Association (AHCA) provides this report to AHCA membership, the public and policy makers to identify trends and highlight its members’ efforts to continually look for opportunities to improve quality.

The report notes that more short-term care patients outnumber long-term care residents. In addition, individuals are coming to skilled nursing centers at a higher level of dependency. “This report confirms that there are more short-term patients with higher acuity levels entering our centers for skilled care than long-term residents, impacting both the types and quantity of care provided by skilled nursing centers nationwide,” David Gifford, MD, MPH, AHCA’s vice president of  Quality and Regulatory Services, said in a release.

Other results:

• In the first 12 months of the AHCA Quality Initiative, more than 17,000 unnecessary hospital readmissions were prevented and the use of off-label antipsychotic drugs was reduced for 11,350 individuals.
• Facilities receiving five stars in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) Five Star rating system have increased.
• Payment is trending away from a volume approach to one that is based on quality or outcomes.

The full report also includes a downloadable page of highlights.

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Sandra Hoban

Sandra Hoban was on I Advance Senior Care / Long-Term Living’s editorial staff for 17 years. She is one of the country’s longest-serving senior care journalists. Before joining Long-Term Living, she was a member of the promotions department at Advanstar Communications. In addition to her editorial experience, Sandi has served past roles in print and broadcast advertising as a traffic and talent coordinator.