Mich. LTC Stakeholders Discuss Incentives for Person-Centered Care

Michigan long-term care stakeholders discussed the potential use of Medicaid financial incentives to encourage person-centered care in nursing homes, as part of PHI’s One Vision: Moving Forward project.

The results of that discussion are outlined in a newly published document (pdf).

As discussed by the stakeholder group, nursing homes could become eligible for additional incentive payments through Medicaid if they satisfied certain person-centered goals. Federal Medicaid law allows for such payments on a state-by-state basis; however, Michigan does not currently provide for this type of payment.

The stakeholder group — whose members represented nursing home residents and staff as well as surveyors and long-term care ombudsmen — primarily examined the metrics that could be used to quantify nursing homes’ commitment to person-centeredness.

Among the metrics discussed were:

• Resident satisfaction (pdf) and staff satisfaction (pdf),
• Consistent assignment,
• Staff retention,
• Ongoing staff training beyond current requirements, and
• Whether staffing levels are calibrated to assure the delivery of person-centered supports and services according to resident needs and preferences.

The document notes that the One Vision initiative ran out of funding before it was able to reach any definitive conclusions or consensus in their discussion.

One Vision: Moving Forward was an initiative proposed by PHI in 2010 to reignite Michigan’s commitment to creating person-centered culture change through a collaborative process.

During the initiative, PHI convened a stakeholder group that identified both real and perceived barriers to person-centered supports and services in Michigan. The group met regularly over the four-year grant and produced “clarification documents” offering solutions and best practices to overcome the barriers.

The clarification documents are available on the One Vision website. Additional information about One Vision can be found in an October 2014 case study (pdf).

— by Matthew Ozga