This four-part webinar series was produced for CMS surveyor education, to provide a framework and practical examples to help LTC surveyors, providers, and consumers understand and support individualized care.

The series was produced by B&F Consulting under contract with Quality Partners of Rhode Island, in collaboration with Karen Schoeneman, Deputy Director of the Division of Nursing Homes at CMS. The series provides guidance to surveyors and practitioners on individualizing the physical environment so residents feel at home, individualizing the morning routine, eliminating alarm use, decentralizing food services, helping residents to a good night’s sleep, individualizing the med pass, implementing consistent assignment, using individualized care to achieve clinical improvements in pressure ulcers, falls, and depression, and stabilizing staffing.

Part 1

Integrating Individualized Care & Quality Improvement
November 3, 2006

How to:

• transform the physical environment from an institution to “home” for people

• individualize the morning routine

• eliminate the use of alarms

Part 2

Transforming Systems to Achieve Better Clinical Outcomes
May 4, 2007

How to:

• individualize night routines

• de-centralize dining services

• institute consistent assignments

• use individualized care to reduce pressure ulcers and depression

Part 3

Clinical Case Studies in Culture Change
May 18, 2007

Hear one home’s journey of individualizing their dining services, and another home’s experience reducing and individualizing their medication pass.

Part 4

“The How of Change: What A Difference Management Makes!”
September 14, 2007

Learn the basics of an effective change process, the importance of inclusive leadership, workplace practices to achieve staff stability, and why individualized care is better care. 

One home tells its story of stabilizing staffing and then, by involving staff, being able to take on improvements in clinical care. Several leaders describe the how and why of instituting consistent assignment.