05/18/2023

Quality & Accountability Task Force to Produce Report Next Week

As the Governor’s Nursing Facility Quality & Accountability Task Force winds down, LeadingAge Ohio has continued to contribute to recommendations due to be published by May 26. The recommendations will follow a structure laid out by the Department, which groups strategies into five categories: 

• Workforce excellence, including recruitment & retention strategies, workforce-offsetting technologies and public relations to elevate the direct care workforce; 
• Payment innovation, including balanced measures to incentivise quality and mechanisms to ensure higher reimbursement translates to higher wages and/ or increased staffing levels; 
• Oversight and accountability reforms, including changes to survey team training, makeup and survey frequency (within federal limits), as well as establishing a technical assistance program to provide consultative (rather than punitive) support to providers; 
• Empowering residents, including better integration of resident council feedback and enhancing the state Ombudsman program; and
• Data-backed decisions, including providing a new dashboard of publicly-reported data to inform resident / family choice, and increasing the data-sharing capacity between state departments of Health, Medicaid & Aging. 

While most of the recommendations come too late for incorporation into the SFY2024-2025 biennial budget, it is possible that some features may be advanced during conference committee or as part of the upcoming five-year rule review of nursing facility licensure rules. LeadingAge Ohio encourages members to keep an eye to their inboxes, as LeadingAge Ohio will alert members as soon as the full report is released. 

Questions regarding the Task Force may be directed to Susan Wallace at swallace@leadingageohio.org.