Using Root Cause Analysis to Inform a Falls Practice Change in the Home Care Setting.

Falls are a significant health problem in community-dwelling older adults, resulting in injuries, deaths, and increased healthcare costs. Falls were a quality concern for a Northeastern home care agency and this project aimed to evaluate the falls prevention process for older adults receiving home care services by determining potential root causes of falls and to identify a practice change. This quality improvement project used a root cause analysis methodology with a retrospective matched case-control design. Records of patients with falls were assessed for falls prevention process fidelity and compared with patients without a fall matched on the Missouri Alliance for Home Care-10 (MAHC-10) assessment, examining plan of care accuracy and patient fall risk factors. Findings indicated fidelity concerns in the fall prevention process, with gaps in care planning aligned with identified risk factors. Interventions to mitigate identified MAHC-10 risk factors on care plans were present less than 50% of the time for four of the six factors. Polypharmacy (7.46%) and pain affecting function (9.21%) were most frequently unaddressed risk factors in the care plan. Recommendations included implementation of a falls prevention pathway, including standardized falls risk assessment, universal falls precautions in the care plan with tailored interventions based on risk factors, and referral initiation when necessary.

Identifying Critical Factors in Determining Discharge Readiness from Skilled Home Health: An Interprofessional Perspective.

A lack of readiness for discharge from skilled home health can result in adverse events among older adults. The purpose of the current study was to explore interprofessional home health clinician perceptions of the factors they consider important to determine readiness for discharge among skilled home health recipients. A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using four focus groups among 32 interprofessional clinicians from one large skilled home health agency and two telephone interviews with home visiting physicians. A semi-structured interview guide was followed. Qualitative content analysis was used for manifest coding and then thematic analysis. Five themes emerged: (a) patient safety, (b) long-term plan is in place, (c) reached maximum self-care potential, (d) presence of a willing and able caregiver, and (e) patient attributes. The goal of this line of inquiry is to develop an evidence-based home health discharge decision support tool to provide a standardized approach in determining readiness for discharge from skilled home health services. [Res Gerontol Nurs. 2016; 9(6):269-277.].

Evolution of a 90-day model of care for bundled episodic payments for congestive heart failure in home care.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center's Episode-Based Payment initiatives propose a large opportunity to reduce cost from waste and variation and stand to align hospitals, physicians, and postacute providers in the redesign of care that achieves savings and improve quality. Community-based organizations are at the forefront of this care redesign through innovative models of care aimed at bridging gaps in care coordination and reducing hospital readmissions. This article describes a community-based provider's approach to participation under the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative and a 90-day model of care for congestive heart failure in home care.

The Power of Alignment: Pioneering New Collaborations During Transformational Change.

Both health care reform and the Triple Aim call for enhanced patient experience, improved health outcomes, and reduced costs. To achieve these goals, we must collaborate across health care and community organizations, across fields of expertise, and across the continuum of care. As collaboration is one of nursing's core competencies, nurses are ideally positioned to lead the drive toward the Triple Aim. This article outlines 3 key areas of collaboration and describes successful interventions that the Visiting Nurse Service of New York has developed in these areas: as community organizers, partnering with health, grassroots, and government agencies; as transitional integrators, partnering with acute-care facilities to reduce rehospitalizations; and across populations, partnering in new ways to help patients manage chronic and complex health issues in the context of their families and communities.

Implementation and evaluation of a depression care model for homebound elderly.

Depression affects 14% to 46% of homebound elderly and is costly and disabling. Home health agencies face significant challenges delivering effective depression care. In response, an evidence-based depression care model was developed in a home health agency. Twelve-month program evaluation data demonstrated a 2.99 mean reduction in depression scores (P < .0001) on the Geriatric Depression Scale and confirmed that a clinically effective, operationally feasible, and financially sustainable depression care model can be implemented in home health care.