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Jim Morrell, 202-457-1110

THE ALLIANCE PRAISES QUALITY CARE INITIATIVES;
INDENTIFIES FURTHER WAYS TO IMPROVE CARE

WASHINGTON, DC - The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care - a coalition of the nation's largest skilled nursing providers - today praised recent quality initiatives, saying the projects were leading to better quality care. In testimony before the National Commission for Quality Long-term Care, the Alliance also offered several recommendations on ways to help further improve care.

Three years ago, The Alliance joined other skilled nursing providers in launching the Quality First initiative. That initiative consisted of seven principles that long-term care providers agreed to use as a framework to achieve progress on quality. It built on the national Nursing Home Quality Initiative, introduced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

"Have these initiatives made a difference? The answer is an unqualified 'yes,'" said past Co-Chair of the Alliance, Dr. Keith Weikel. "Government inspection data show that the Alliance companies have achieved an overall - and statistically significant - decline in deficiencies over the past three years, most importantly, in the area of severe deficiencies."

While the Alliance expressed overall satisfaction with the improvements that have taken place, it identified three factors necessary to ensure that quality continues to improve.

"First, we need a stable funding environment in which to provide care," said Dr. Weikel. "Secondly, we must ensure that both providers and the government keep their commitment to improving quality. Finally, we should explore proposals that link Medicare payments to nursing homes to the quality of care they provide."

In addition, the Alliance offered up recommendations on how the National Commission on Quality Long-term Care could help drive quality to even higher levels. The Commission is a non-partisan, blue-ribbon panel charged with evaluating the quality of long-term care in this country, and making recommendations about efforts to sustain quality improvement. First among the Alliance's recommendations to the Commission was to hold providers accountable.

"We pledged to improve quality, and we expect the Commission to hold nothing back in making sure we're meeting our commitments," said Dr. Weikel.

Other recommendations included: recommending quality goals; helping to focus government and public attention on creating an environment where quality is encouraged, supported and rewarded; launching a public discussion about how our nation will pay for quality long-term health care in the future; and calling attention to the rewards of careers in long-term care.

A full transcript of the Alliance's testimony is available on its website: www.aqnhc.org

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The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care is a coalition of 15 national skilled nursing providers who deliver care to hundreds of thousands of patients on a daily basis.