UPDATE Weekly

The Intent to Apply deadline is Thursday, November 13, 2014 at 8 p.m. ET. The AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program provides a pathway for providers of long term and post-acute care services to journey towards performance excellence. The program is based on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. Member centers may apply for three progressive levels of awards: Bronze—Commitment to Quality, Silver—Achievement in Quality, or Gold—Excellence in Quality. Each level has its own distinct rigors and requirements for quality and performance excellence.

Applicants for the 2015 National Quality Award Program are strongly encouraged to submit the $75 Intent to Apply payment prior to the deadline. This is not mandatory; however, there are a number of benefits associated with submitting an Intent to Apply:

• The overall application fee is reduced by $200; and
• Applicants who submit the Intent to Apply will receive regular communications from Quality Award staff with deadline reminders, tips on applying for the award, and links to educational webinars.

For more information and to apply click on this link National Quality Award Program

Please note that the Intent to Apply fee is non-refundable. Late payments will not be accepted.

Click here to start the process.

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Last week, the District III Fabulous Fifty celebration was held October 23rd at The Grandover Resort, Greensboro, NC. Senator Gladys Robinson hosted the event.

Recipients of the 2015 District III Fabulous Fifty honor are:

Deborah Curtis – Pine Ridge Health & Rehab, Thomasville
Earlene Holt – Peak Resources-Alamance, Graham
Reather Massenburg – Hillcrest Convalescent Center, Durham
Margaret McKay – The Oaks, Winston-Salem
Leone Parker – Universal Health Care-Ramseur, Ramseur
Betty Riddle – Peak Resources-Alamance, Graham
Tracy Snow – Village Care of King, King
Irene Stackhouse – Blumenthal Nursing & Rehab, Greensboro
Cindy Wilson – The Graybrier Nursing & Retirement Center, Trinity
Troy Younger – Peak Resources-Treyburn, Durham

Last night, the Association was proud to honor the Fabulous Fifty winners in District IV at The Mad Boar Restaurant, Wallace, NC. Senator Brent Jackson hosted the event.

Recipients of the 2015 District IV Fabulous Fifty honor are:

Annie Brice – Westfield Rehab & Health Center, Sanford
Beverly Brightman – Croatan Ridge Nursing & Rehab, Newport
Constance Bryant – Universal Healthcare-Brunswick, Bolivia
Genara Gaskill – Riverpoint Crest Nursing & Rehab, New Bern
Joanne Hamlin – Liberty Commons Rehab Center, Wilmington
Beverly Johnson – Golden Years Nursing Home, Falcon
Hermetta Judge – Pender Memorial Hospital Skilled Care, Burgaw
Mary Lee – Liberty Commons-Columbus County, Whiteville
Kathleen Oxendine – Highland Acres Nursing & Rehab, Lumberton
Robin Woodland – Village Green Rehab & Health Care, Fayetteville

The next Fabulous Fifty celebration will be held on October 30th at The Renaissance North Hills, Raleigh, NC.

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The NC Health Care Facilities Association will be hosting a seminar on UPCOMING HOSPICE REGULATIONS. This seminar will be presented by Cindy DePorter, MSSW, Assistant Section Chief, Acute and Home Care and Quality Evaluative Systems, Nursing Home Licensure and Certification, DHSR. There are new hospice regulations and a new tag added. Nursing homes can be cited if their contract with hospice does not have certain components (e.g., a written communication log with hospice.) Ms. DePorter will review the upcoming new regulations and interpretative guidance for hospice in nursing homes and review the regulatory expectations of the relationship between hospice and nursing homes.

You may register on-line at http://www.NursingHomesNC.com and click on UPCOMING HOSPICE REGULATIONS! Members can be invoiced. Non-members need to pay at time of registration. There is a room block at the Sheraton Greensboro if overnight rooms are needed. Identify yourself as being with the group, NC Health Care Facilities Association, to receive our special group rate!

November 12, 2014
Sheraton Greensboro
3121 High Point Road
Greensboro, NC 27407
(800) 242-6556

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The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association is turning 60 in 2015! All members are invited to join in the celebration at the NCHCFA Diamond Jubilee, February 15-18, 2015 at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel/Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC. Are you ready to reminisce? Join us as we take a look back in time to when it all began. NCHCFA will be honoring all members from the past and present. Brochures outlining specific program information will be available in December.

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GMCF, the QIO for North Carolina, is now recruiting for the upcoming National Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative (NNHQCC) entitled SPACE ~ Southern Partners Action Collaborative for Excellence ~ that will begin in April of 2015. GMCF is partnering recruitment efforts with NCHCFA for the 11th Statement of Work. The Goals for the 11SOW include Reducing Healthcare-Acquired Conditions in Nursing Homes. GMCF will work with recruited nursing homes in alignment with the Nursing Home Action Plan to:

• Include residents and families in peer-coaching groups
• Support adoption of QAPI framework for quality improvement
• Continued reduction of off-label use of antipsychotics
• Focus on systems issues that affect quality (e.g., consistent staff assignment) as well as specific issues such as increasing mobility
• Reducing avoidable hospitalizations
• Decreasing HAIs

Benefits of participating are:

• Educational learning sessions offered throughout the year as well as technical assistance based on your nursing home specific goals
• Sharing of best practices and strategies from high performing nursing homes
• Assistance with implementation of Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI) including tools

To learn more about the CMS National Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative, click here.
To learn more about the SPACE Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative – Southern Partners Action Collaborative for Excellence Benefits, Expectations, and Commitments, click here.
If you are ready to register, click here for the Participation Agreement.

In order for this work to be accomplished, GMCF, along with NCHCFA, will recruit at least 75% of all nursing homes in North Carolina for two 18-month collaboratives. GMCF’s staff in North Carolina look forward to the opportunity to work with you over the next several years. For further information, please contact a Quality Advisor:

• Jeana Partington – jeana.partington@alliantquality.org
• Kellie Lewis – kellie.lewis@alliantquality.org
• Maria Fisher – maria.fisher@alliantquality.org

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Teamwork is an undisputed asset for reducing nursing and medical errors, improving quality of patient care, resolving workload issues, and avoiding burnout. This text helps to foster the leadership expertise and partnerships that will facilitate the delivery of the highest-quality care. It based on the time-tested wisdom that leadership knowledge, skills and, competencies gained by training a group of nurses in the same organization rather than a single nurse are much more likely to result in genuine organizational transformation. It is the only text available to focus in depth on building and maintaining effective partnerships, motivating and developing others in the team, organizational analysis, strategizing, communicating, planning and managing change, measuring team and partnership effectiveness through metrics, and leveraging results within and outside of the organization.

To order, visit http://www.AHCApublications.org or call (800) 321-0343.

Product # 8306
AHCA Members (on-line price) $60.00

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This DVD, Mobility and Safe Movement of the Elderly, Improving Your Skills to Prevent Injuries and Reduce Falls, by Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L., FOTA, Dementia Care & Training Specialist, was developed in conjunction with Wake Allied Health Education Center, Durham Technical Community College and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Office of Information Systems. The content is formatted in separate segments in order to customize the delivery of content to your learning objective. Handouts developed by Teepa accompany each video and may be reproduced. To order, e-mail your request to Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org. The price is $35.00 (tax and shipping included).

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”Dementia village” inspires new care

http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/11/world/europe/wus-holland-dementia-village

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The New York Giants (now San Francisco) started the tradition of rewarding players with World Series championship rings in 1922. In 1926, rings became a league custom.

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