December 11, 2014 | Jim Rubadue
Are you aware of the changes to the Five Star Quality Rating system that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced? The rating system will now focus on improving the accuracy and transparency of staffing levels – putting a spotlight directly on the staffing practices of long-term and post-acute care.
You may be familiar with the changes, but do you have a plan to make sure your community is ready? Staffing is something that's near and dear to my heart, so I wanted to share some recommendations to help strengthen your staffing practices in the New Year:
1. Be predictive and flexible with staffing: Administrators and staffing supervisors should evaluate the schedule on a weekly basis to make sure all bases are covered. Take into account any If you have planned resident admissions and discharges and make schedule adjustments accordingly to prepare. And for those last-minute call-offs or admissions, consider the use of technology to notify all qualified employees of the opening, instead of simply calling the same go-to caregivers.
2. Staff to resident acuity, census, and activity: With resident care needs considered in the Five Star Quality Staffing Rating, how you staff to resident acuity can make a significant difference to your rating. Make adjustments not only based on census, but also on resident acuity. Administrators and Directors of Nursing should consider grouping care needs based on complexity and required nursing time. When resident acuity escalates, consider redeploying staff or adding more employees to ensure resident needs are met. When resident acuity levels dip, this might allow you to reduce staff while still providing high quality care.
3. Manage staffing daily: Remember that the way you staff each and every shift will be critical to your success. Ensure that your communities are properly staffed to deliver high quality resident care by having administrators or schedulers examine staffing levels every day. Set up a process that allows staffing information to be easily accessed. Dashboards that identify staffing requirements based on census, against scheduled hours, will help identify any gaps so adjustments can be made.
To learn more about the Five Star Quality Rating changes, check out this whitepaper:
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