The Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Quality Monitoring Program (QMP) helps detect conditions in Texas nursing facilities that could be detrimental to the health, safety and welfare of residents. It is not a regulatory program and quality monitors do not cite deficient practices.
Rather, monitors focus on nursing facilities that have a history of resident care deficiencies, or that have been identified as having a higher-than-average risk of being cited for significant deficiencies in future surveys conducted by the HHSC Regulatory Services.
During these visits, the quality monitors — nurses, pharmacists and dietitians — may:
- Recommend changes to policies or procedures
- Conduct staff or in-service training
- Offer technical assistance
- Educate staff about evidence-based best practices
Featured Best Practice: Appropriate Use of Antipsychotic Medications
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Texas nursing facilities prescribe antipsychotic medications too often to residents who exhibit behaviors that are seen as "negative." This overuse can lead to a host of problems for residents, including death.
One way in which HHSC is hoping to reverse this trend is through the Music & Memory Program, which launched in May 2015. The goal of the program is to help residents reconnect with the world through specific, music-triggered memories. Family members and nursing home staff will create personal playlists for use on digital music players, such as iPods.
QMP staff can also provide facility-based dementia care training. Options available include:
- Alzheimer's Disease and Dementia Care Training
This eight-hour course uses a curriculum developed by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP). It will help the nursing facility’s front-line staff and other health care professionals provide appropriate, competent and sensitive direct care and support to people with dementia.
- Virtual Dementia Tour (VDT)
The VDT allows staff members to step into the shoes of people with dementia. Using props and other items, staff are asked to complete a number of tasks in conditions that mimic the effects of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias.
- Person-Centered Thinking Training (PCT)
The PCT is an interactive two-day training, designed to provide nursing facility staff with the skills necessary to help the people they care for maintain positive control over their lives. Participants will be introduced to the core concept of Person-Centered Thinking Training: finding a balance between what’s “important to” and “important for” the people they serve.