LeadingAge NY Seeks Changes to the 2014 NH Quality Pool

 Last week, LeadingAge New York called on the Department of Health (DOH) to make further changes to the proposed 2014 methodology for the Nursing Home Quality Initiative (NHQI), more commonly known as the quality pool. Among other things, we recommended improvements to the staffing measure and refinements to other quality measures (QMs). 

DOH's recommendations for the 2014 NHQI (please click here) include adding performance improvement criteria for most QMs; modifying the resident flu and pneumococcal vaccination measures; increasing the total weighting of the QMs; and reducing the weighting of the avoidable hospitalization measure. 

Our recommendations (please click here for the full document) include: (1) basing the staffing measure on cost report data rather than the 2-week "snapshot"; (2) eliminating rather than modifying the resident vaccination QMs; (3) revisiting the weight loss and pain QMs; and (4) reducing the points assigned to employee flu vaccinations. We also expressed concerns about the significant time delays in finalizing each year's methodology, measuring the results and paying out awards. 

As previously reported, DOH has said that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should be acting soon on the 2013 NHQI State Plan Amendment and that the proposed changes for 2014 have already been filed with CMS. 

Dan Heim, dheim@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866