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Definition of a Promising Practice
“A practice involving the regulatory and collaborative activities of state survey agencies in health care systems. The practice has an innovative approach that improves upon existing practice and positively impacts the quality of the country’s health care. The practice must have a high degree of success in the agency and the possibility of replication in other state survey agencies.”
Goal
The purpose of AHFSA’s program is to ultimately improve the quality of life and quality of care in the nation’s health delivery system by improving the regulatory and educational activities of the state survey agencies. Finding out about and encouraging the replication of best practices in state survey agencies through communication, recognition and technical assistance will help promote the goal of national excellence in the regulation and quality improvement of health care systems throughout the country. Best practices programs are about encouraging the highest performance and most effective delivery of service by:
• Providing a forum to explore alternative models of regulation and service delivery;
• Creating opportunities for technical assistance among stakeholders;
• Involving the academic world;
• Giving agency and public recognition to those entities whose best practices make a difference in survey and certification activities;
• Selecting topics where the greatest need/potential exists;
• Creating a living program whose annual publication of submitted best practices becomes an ongoing record of how the regulatory environment is evolving to appropriately meet the needs of health care providers and consumers.
Categories for promising Practices 2008
1. Education-
· Innovative training sessions that go beyond traditional classroom styles.
· Unique approaches to distance, video or interactive CD ROM learning.
· Creative ways to educate older adults about CMS’s proper nutrition and hydration initiative.
2. Communication-
· Outreach efforts with the community, ombudsmen, providers and residents.
· Unique collaborations with outside agencies or other departments.
· Collaboration among states, or collaborative efforts that cross state lines.
3. Quality Improvement in the Regulatory Process-
· Program improvements in Long Term Care, Non-Long Term Care, Life Safety Code, Laboratory Practices, Enforcement or other programs.
· Specific quality improvement advancements other than education and training.
4. Open-
Innovations and ideas that are not covered under categories 1 - 3.
