Quality Indicators in Long-Term Care and Home Health Care
How do quality standards for long-term care and home health care vary in comparison to quality standards for other types of health care organizations?
Many health care organizations are part of a general network or group of health care facilities that may include urgent and acute care centers as well as long-term care or home health care centers. Within the context of health care delivery, the focus usually tends to fall on hospitals and acute care centers. However, with advances in health care organizational structures and strides taken with the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model, most health care organizations are more a reflection of integrated health systems that offer services for urgent, acute care and long-term care and home health care services.
For this Discussion, review the quality indicators for long-term and home health care organizations in the resources for this week. Reflect on the measures obtained and how this may relate to your role as a health care executive in promoting effective and efficient health care delivery.
Post an explanation of how quality standards for long-term and home health care facilities might differ. Then, explain how you, as a health executive at a hospital, might determine potential partners for an integrated health system that includes long-term care and home health care. Explain how the potential partners may help to reinforce the mission and vision of your health care organization. Then, explain how this type of partnership or integration may be reflective of social change for consumer-driven health care. Be specific and provide examples.
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Quality standards for long-term care and home health care facilities may differ from standards for other types of health care organizations in that they often involve a focus on maintaining a patient’s quality of life rather than solely on treatment and cure of medical conditions. Quality indicators for these facilities may include measures of patient satisfaction, staff training and qualifications, and the availability of social and emotional support services in addition to clinical care.
As a health executive at a hospital, determining potential partners for an integrated health system that includes long-term care and home health care would involve assessing their ability to provide high-quality care and services that align with the hospital’s mission and vision. Potential partners may include independent long-term care or home health care providers, as well as other hospitals or health care systems with established long-term care and home health care programs.
This type of partnership or integration may be reflective of social change for consumer-driven health care in that it allows for a more patient-centered approach to health care delivery. By offering a full range of services and support across the continuum of care, patients and their families are able to make more informed decisions about their health care and wellness. For example, a hospital that partners with a home health care provider could offer a seamless transition from hospital to home, with support services available to help patients and their families manage their recovery and rehabilitation at home.
