There is help out there .
• Collaborative efforts with partners such as the quality improvement organizations offer support as they continue to better understand your challenges .
•
of the particulars is a different expertise . To say the least , the long-term care industry faces a myriad of challenges when it comes to keeping residents and staff , our loved ones , as safe as possible from harms and deaths due to infection .
During the height of the pandemic , while hospital quality surveys were suspended , CMS surveyors fined nursing homes more than $ 15 million in CMPs in the middle of their darkest hours . I wish to share the idea that this punitive system may not translate to the highest quality care for residents and staff . I get this mental image of firefighters showing up while your house is on fire , and instead of helping extinguish the fire , they issue you a fine for improper sprinkler installation . It sounds crazy , but to me , this is a sane comparison .
I would never want to be somebody who presented a problem without also opening the door to solutions , and this instance is no different . The long-term care industry needs support and specialized training , without the immediate monetary damages incurred . I understand the punishment for repeat offenders , but for most of these facilities , they are just trying their best to keep our loved ones safe while battling an invisible foe .
I see the path to change beginning with awareness , and so as I write this column , I am also finishing a book on this same topic . Let ’ s get the conversation started . Let ’ s brainstorm and rethink how we keep an entire generation of our loved ones as healthy and safe as possible .
To nursing home administrators and staff : There is help out there . Collaborative efforts with partners such as the quality improvement organizations offer support as they continue to better understand your challenges . But these programs will only meet your needs if you are willing to speak up and tell us loudly what you need . If you aren ’ t heard , please be persistent . Tell us again and louder . We want to help .
Buffy J . Lloyd-Krejci , DrPH , MS , BS , CIC , has 20-plus years of healthcare experience , with expertise in quality improvement and healthcare-associated infections surveillance , statistical analysis , education , and training . She collaborates with the CDC long-term care team , state and national nursing home associations , local and state public health departments , and is an advisor on the EVS Optimization Playbook . She also served as 2019 Arizona APIC president .
Announcing the Long-Term Care Continuing Education Webinar Series
The National Association of Directors of Nursing Administration for Long-Term Care ( NADONA ) and Healthcare Hygiene magazine are partnering to develop a continuing education , three-webinar series addressing imperatives in infection prevention in post-acute care .
The webinars will examine key clinical , administrative and regulatory issues pertinent to nursing leadership in long-term care facilities . Scheduled presenters are veterans in this arena and include officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ( CMS ).
To Pre-Register , Click on the Icons
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THIS SERIES WHICH KICKS OFF IN SEPTEMBER AND RUNS THROUGH NOVEMBER .
This webinar series will offer 3 contact hours of nursing continuing education . Terri Goodman & Associates , provider number CEP 16550 , is an approved provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing .
Corporate underwriting is available ; contact Kelly Pyrek at kelly @ healthcarehygienemagazine . com