Glamour shots, a day at the voting polls, a wedding, and plans for ‘happy hour’ are just a few of the many activities that have been going on at Share Convalescent Home (SCH) over the past few weeks. Maybe that’s why the state surveyors were able to cut their annual inspection back to a couple days rather than the allotted, full week that had been planned.

In most years and for most agencies, regardless of purpose, it is usually pretty stressful when state inspection time rolls around. “I always get a little bit nervous;” relates Jane Gaskill, SCH administrator, “You never know what they will be looking for, so you do your best to take good care of the residents and hope for a good survey.” Long-term care is one of the most heavily scrutinized industries in the country, with literally hundreds of codes and regulations that are strictly enforced.

Sometimes referred to as long-term care residential facilities, nursing homes serve dual capacities as both healthcare facilities and residential facilities. Residents come to nursing homes when their health prevents them from living in their own homes, essentially giving up their lives, or at least lives as they knew them at home. Nursing home staff are quick to point out though that they give their residents a quality of life that otherwise would be unattainable at home.

The trend in state and federal oversight of nursing homes is to continue to provide the ‘nursing-type’ services at a high level, but to focus on the ‘comforts of home’ that tend to be more important to the residents. In fact, during this year’s state survey, minor as this may seem, SCH was noted to have deficiencies with regard to the appearance of the facility, i.e. some discolored ceiling tiles, slightly mismatched paint, and a few other aesthetic observations. Gaskill pointed out, “This isn’t just a nursing home; this is home to nearly sixty members of our communities; we have to treat this facility as if it were our own home, or even better because it is our residents’ home.”

The surveyors indicated that in their interviews with residents and their families, there were no complaints voiced and that overall; it is obvious the staff at SCH is focused on resident care. Gaskill added that there were some quality improvement processes that staff have been working on and that the surveyors were informed of the plans in place to either curtail potential problems or fix existing problems. “It was really rewarding to see everyone’s hard work pay off,” said Gaskill. “Even with the stress of the inspection, there was an overall feeling of calmness and confidence… as an administrator, that sure is a proud feeling.”

Worth noting is that Share Convalescent Home is undergoing a quite ambitious culture change with its employees. Since August of 2005, there has been an increased focus on training and education of staff. There has been a reduction in total staff, a reduction of more than 2,000 total hours, and overtime has been cut by more than half. Share Medical Center (SMC) Chief Financial Officer, Denise Reed points out, “Our people at the nursing home have really pulled it together. Most times, reductions in hours and staff lead to a lesser quality care or volume.” Reed further clarified that the number of residents is the same now as last year and that the quality of care is much improved according to this most recent state inspection.

These improved efficiencies along with upcoming increases in state and federal funding of nursing homes may afford SCH some facility upgrades in addition to that which has been recommended through the inspection process. SMC Chief Executive Officer, Barbara Oestmann reported that there will be an increase in rates at the nursing home and added, “These new rates are a reflection of the efforts being made to improve the quality of the facility and the preparedness of the staff that take care of our residents.”

SMC, including SCH and Share Home Health & Hospice, has begun participation in a three-year quality improvement program with the HealthCare Service Excellence Institute based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Oestmann pointed out that SCH was the first of the medical center’s entities to initiate a concerted quality improvement campaign. The CEO also pointed out that the steps taken at SCH have been very helpful as the entire medical center enters into this new program. “This is a 100% attitude adjustment,” adds Oestmann, “and the goal is to be the first choice when people conduct their health related business as well as when healthcare professionals seek jobs.”

Only time will tell if these efforts will prove to be as effective as anticipated, but in the meantime maybe folks can be encouraged that Share is working on more than just a facelift at the hospital.