CMS to improve care and safety of Medicare and Medicaid patients
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule to help improve the care and safety of Medicare and Medicaid patients, covering approximately 1.5 million patients in over 15,000 long-term care facilities.
Last year, CMS began offering consumers and families the ability to easily compare facilities based on successful discharges, unplanned emergency visits, and re-hospitalizations through a five-star website. However, the rules of the road for long-term care facilities haven?t had a comprehensive update since 1991.
According to a CMS Press Release, the changes finalized in the rule include:
- Strengthening the rights of long-term care facility residents, including prohibiting the use of pre-dispute binding arbitration agreements.
- Ensuring that long-term care facility staff members are properly trained on caring for residents with dementia and in preventing elder abuse.
- Ensuring that long-term care facilities take into consideration the health of residents when making decisions on the kinds and levels of staffing a facility needs to properly take care of its residents.
- Ensuring staff members have the right skill sets and competencies to provide person-centered care to residents. The care plans developed for residents will take into consideration their goals of care and preferences.
- Improving care planning, including discharge planning for all residents with involvement of the facility?s interdisciplinary team and consideration of the caregiver?s capacity, giving residents information they need for follow-up after discharge, and ensuring that instructions are transmitted to any receiving facilities or services.
- Allowing dietitians and therapy providers the authority to write orders in their areas of expertise when a physician delegates the responsibility and state licensing laws allow.
- Updating the long-term care facility?s infection prevention and control program, including requiring an infection prevention and control officer and an antibiotic stewardship program that includes antibiotic use protocols and a system to monitor antibiotic use.
These changes are part of CMS?s goal of making healthcare ?more person-centered” for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and their family members. The care and safety of Medicare & Medicaid patients are a key point to CMS’s goal of the person-centered healthcare.