The practical tools will include staff competency assessments, training guides and workforce quality improvement goals.
A new initiative from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will provide HR and managers in skilled nursing settings a portfolio of tools to assess workforce skills, care quality and the quality of life for residents.
CMS is developing a series of work products for nursing home professionals, including staff competency assessment tools, instructional guides, training webinars and technical assistance seminars, notes a CMS press release announcing the new program.
The first tool kit in the series, the Nursing Home Staff Competency Assessment, is now available on the CMS website. The competency assessment is designed to help nursing home frontline and management staff evaluate their skills. It includes several questions to gauge staff knowledge about behavioral, technical and resident-based capabilities. Additional tool kits will follow under the series heading “Building on a Culture of Quality: Your Guide to Resident-Centered Care,” CMS notes.
The three-year initiative is part of the Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program, designed to use a portion of the funds collected for nursing home deficiency penalties for quality improvement. “Under this new program, CMS will collaborate with industry experts to develop an ongoing series of tool kits and technical assistance intended to help nursing home staff and management improve care delivery,” CMS says. “These supports aim to help staff reduce adverse events, improve dementia care and strengthen staffing quality, including by reducing staff turnover and enhancing performance.”
