A Change Is In the Air--Are You Ready?

I have great news for those who have been guarded in their efforts to bring culture change or person centered care to their fundamental business philosophy. CMS has released new interpretive guidelines for 12 F-tags impacting Quality of Life and Environment. They are liberating, they are exhilarating and exactly what those of us who have been preaching the gospel of culture change has been waiting for. Most importantly, the new interpretations get right to the heart of choice, empowerment, respect, relationships and creating community. These new guidelines become effective on June 17th, but surprisingly, many homes are not yet aware of how they will impact their day-to-day routines, business and decisions.

At first glance or in skimming CMS’s new guidelines, you may say, “oh, we already do all that.” As a consultant who visits homes throughout the country, I say that you should probably read through those new guidelines a little closer. I have been reading, studying and absorbing them for several months and every time I read through them, I see something I missed the time before. Here are just a couple things I want to point out:

* Have you sent letters to family members and residents letting them know that your home is open to visitors 24 hours a day?
* Have you provided education for your team about unrestricted visiting hours?
* Have you interviewed your residents to determine their life-long routines?
* Have you implemented brain-storming sessions and education with your team to help them understand the changes to long established work routines?
* Have you looked with a non-medical eye at your home to determine how you will eliminate all medical appearances from areas that residents frequent?
* Have you educated your team on speaking the language of dementia in order to meet the new guidelines of working with the resident’s behavior instead of against it?
* Does your therapy department know that their schedule must now be secondary to the residents schedule and desires?
* Did you know that blanket and routine use of bed and chair alarms is no longer acceptable?

These are just a few areas that will require intense education and long and short term planning. It is vital that we give these new CMS guidelines more than a fleeting glance if we are to stay in compliance.


-- Teresa McCann, Senior Consultant and Director of Development

Coming Soon!

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making revisions to the interpretive guidelines affecting 12 Quality of Life and Environment F-Tags. The changes are based on public recommendations from the April 2008 symposium “Creating Home in the Nursing Home” co-sponsored by CMS and the Pioneer Network. These revisions being implemented June 17, 2009 focus on creating person-centered living environments.

The Institute team is putting the finishing touches on a manual designed to assist nursing homes with understanding and implementing these changes.

Check back soon for a product update!