Care Quality is Improving in U.S. Nursing Homes

[LTCCareer.com]

Written on September 22, 2010 at 6:12 am by Asha

Each year the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care (Alliance) release their annual report on the current state of care in U.S. nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. The most recent report is positive, in that the majority of quality indicators have improved between 2000 and 2009. There has been measurable improvement in 16 out of 26 quality indicators, and this hopefully is a sign that the trends will continue in U.S. nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. One of the findings in the report is that the overall trend in resident satisfaction has been steadily increasing since 2005, which indicates that more nursing home and rehabilitation center providers are implementing the best practices that have been previously recommend by national quality improvement initiatives.

While 10 of the 26 quality indicators did not improve, the changes are still trending in the right direction, and the continued commitment from the American Health Care Association and the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care will allow for continued improvement and transparency. However the diversity of patients being cared for in nursing facilities is evolving and becoming more specialized, which could lead to adjustments in measurement standards that shift to focusing on measuring quality based upon a patient’s needs. It is great that these issues of care quality are begin addressed now, as there are millions of older Americans who are approaching retirement age, and we need to be prepared to provide the best care possible to those seniors who need it.