Staffing Quality
Measures
Staffing Quality Measures- Phase 1 Continuation
Staffing is a vital component of quality care for nursing home
residents. Associations have been found between higher staffing levels
in nursing homes and fewer hospitalizations, fewer infections, fewer
pressure ulcers, less skin trauma, less weight loss, decreased resistance
to care, and improved functional status. Although little is known about
the relationships between staff turnover and quality of patient care, it
is reasonable to assume that high turnover has an impact on continuity
and is disruptive to patients who do not cope well with frequent changes
in staff. The overall goal of the Development of Staffing Quality
Measures Project was to develop measures of staffing in nursing homes
that could appropriately be used for public reporting. This special study
extended the work completed under Phase I of the CMS Development of
Staffing Quality Measures project, which included the review of relevant
literature to identify reliable and valid measures of nurse staffing;
consultation with experts and stakeholders to determine aspects of
staffing most relevant to the industry and most associated with quality;
investigation of data collection options for obtaining necessary data
for calculating staffing measures; collection of payroll data from 1,453
nursing home facilities; and development and descriptive analyses of
preliminary staffing measures.
Project activities focus on five major tasks:
- Analyzed the relationship of staffing measures to outcome
measures for the short-stay population in nursing homes
- Analyzed the relationship of staffing measures to outcome
measures for the long-stay population in nursing homes
- Specified payroll data reporting requirements
- Conducted feasibility testing for obtaining payroll data to meet
reporting requirements
- Analyzed contract staff hours to the degree possible
The Colorado Foundation for Medical Care (CFMC), the Medicare quality improvement organization for Colorado, prepared this material under
contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an
agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents
do not necessarily reflect CMS Policy.
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