Achieving improvement through nursing home quality measurement

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Public Health Policy
• Geriatric Care

Background:

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI).
• Public reporting of quality measures is central to NHQI's strategy.
• Improving nursing home care quality is the primary objective.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide an overview of the NHQI.
• To highlight the role of quality measures in enhancing nursing home care.
• To discuss the evolution and refinement of quality measurement.

Main Methods:

• Review of the NHQI framework and its reliance on quality measures.
• Description of historical developments in nursing home quality measurement.
• Analysis of a CMS project focused on refining quality measures via risk adjustment.
• Examination of NHQI pilot program implementation and outcomes.

Main Results:

• Nursing home quality measures are foundational to NHQI's communication and improvement efforts.
• Refinements to quality measures, including risk adjustment, were explored.
• Lessons learned from the NHQI pilot provide insights for future initiatives.

Conclusions:

• The NHQI leverages public reporting of quality measures to drive improvements in nursing home care.
• Ongoing refinement of quality measures is crucial for effective healthcare policy.
• The NHQI framework offers a model for quality improvement in long-term care settings.