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University of Indianapolis Center for Aging & Community awarded $500,000 in Tennessee Civil Monetary Penalty funds

February 16, 2019 in Features

Joys House

The University of Indianapolis Center for Aging & Community has been awarded nearly $500,000 in Civil Monetary Penalty funding by the Tennessee Department of Health and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to implement a statewide system of Regional Healthcare Quality Improvement Collaboratives to improve the quality of long-term care in nursing facilities statewide.

As CAC’s first contract in Tennessee, five Regional Collaboratives will be developed across Tennessee to implement process improvement projects statewide. The Collaboratives will recruit long-term care facilities and support expansion of Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) plans for individual buildings, and facilitate two group process improvement projects.

An Advisory Group will be formed to develop and enhance state-level partnerships that will support the work of the Collaboratives. CAC will provide the overall support, structure, and technical assistance needed to create and sustain these Collaboratives.

The Tennessee Regional Collaboratives project will begin in March 2019 and will continue for two years.

CAC’s efforts in Tennessee are modeled after a similar approach the Center has implemented in partnership with the Indiana State Department of Health since 2015.  The Indiana Regional Collaboratives project has reported the following quality improvement outcomes:

  • Reduction of antipsychotic medications by 43 percent.
  • Reduction of rates of falls by 30 percent.
  • Reduction of hospitalizations by 38 percent.
  • Reduction of rates of UTIs by an average of 43 percent across five Collaborative (24-57 percent reductions).
  • Reduction in CNA turnover by 16 percent.
  • More than $3 million in calculated savings.

“Qsource is pleased to be a partner in this initiative. It directly aligns with our efforts to make healthcare better in long-term care settings across Tennessee,” said Beth Hercher, Quality Improvement Advisor for Qsource.

The Tennessee Department of Health facilitates the redistribution of collected nursing home civil monetary penalties through a Request for Application process to improve the quality of life and quality of care of nursing home residents. Learn more.

“We are excited to bring our proven expertise in leading wide-scale quality improvement in long-term care projects to Tennessee,” said Ellen Burton, senior project director. “We have every expectation that the Tennessee Regional Collaborative project will mean significant benefit and improved care to nursing home residents in the Volunteer state.”

Any nursing home interested in participating in the Tennessee Regional Collaborative project should contact Ellen Burton at burtones@uindy.edu.