Quality

Arkansas was one of 10 states awarded funds from the CMS to improve home and community based services. The project has many goals including developing and implementing a statewide one stop system for long term care services and options. The website lists their other objectives, their strategic plan, and also has the premiere edition of their newsletter. Review the information about this collaborative effort between consumers, stakeholders, and state policy makers.

These resources come from a CMS-funded pilot program where four participating quality improvement organizations (QIOs) test interventions designed to understand and change health care cost and quality patterns that differ between regions. The CARE tools ensure quality maintenance during health care transitions by assessing and recording key data. The archived weekly learning sessions cover a variety of topics related to transitional care and include handouts and audio recordings.

This resource presents ten key facts showing the economic and health insecurity of the direct care workforce. It can be used to advocate for improved public policies and increase public awareness of the needs and importance of caregivers. The figures presented also illustrate the linkage between quality of care available to the growing population of older Americans, recruitment and retention of workers, and wage and benefits levels.

The authors examined whether consumer direction is effective for elderly people with mental illness. The treatment group, those that participated in Cash and Counseling, fared better than elderly people that have a mental illness but did not participate in C&C. They also fared as well as elderly people without mental illness that were in the program. Variables studied included measures of consumer satisfaction as well as objective measures such as health, among others.

A broad coalition of stakeholders created this example of a comprehensive state-level workforce development plan. The document suggests solutions to the following workforce challenges: recruitment and retention; education, training and development; data gathering and monitoring; status and awareness of profession; and mentoring and supervision. An executive summary and 1-page call to action targeted at key stakeholders are included.

This report and sample survey were used to evaluate information and assistance services provided by GA Area Agencies on Aging (AAA). The report summarizes the responses and lists recommendations for measuring and improving consumer satisfaction with this aspect of AAA services. The Quality Assurance Team of the Division of Aging Services mailed the survey to users such as consumers and their caregivers, case managers, friends and family members. They received 840 responses.

This is a compendium of three discussion papers on the topics of direct service workers in long-term care and strategies for improving the quality of their jobs and services. The authors, each with a background that includes consultation and technical assistance on the topics, share the premises that these workers are fundamental to the future and quality of long-term care and that current and projected workforce shortages need to be addressed.

This web-based resource helps Medicaid stakeholders allocate resources and demonstrate the business case for improving quality in health care. It is designed for programs that aim to more effectively manage the care of adults with disabilities and chronic conditions. Because the care of this population consumes nearly 70% of Medicaid expenditures, it represents a good opportunity to improve health outcomes, reduce unnecessary utilization, and control costs. Requires free registration.

This RFP sought a contractor to implement a widely-used system performance measurement and monitoring program for state agencies serving individuals with disabilities. The resource includes a summary pamphlet and a detailed request. Use this example in developing a RFP.

This report outlines an integrated strategy to update the country’s long-term care services infrastructure in preparation for the aging of the population over the next thirty years. Recommendations are focused on the areas of quality, workforce, technology, and financing.