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The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care

April 24, 2012

Results of CMS Survey Now Available

Results from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) national survey that asked patients about their experiences with Medicare-certified home health agencies are now available on CMS’ website.

The Home Health Care Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) Survey collects feedback on topics that patients have identified as important to them in determining which health agencies provide high-quality care. The survey will be updated every four months with new data and will complement the clinical measures already available on the agency’s “Home Health Compare” website.

For more information, read CMS’ press release.

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CMA's Toby Edelman Makes Statement to Senate Committee Regarding Future of Long-Term Care

Recently, the Center for Medicare Advocacy’s (CMA) Toby Edelman made a statement to the Senate Committee on Aging regarding the future of long-term care. "Hundreds of thousands of residents receive antipsychotic drugs each day in nursing homes across the country," said Toby S. Edelman, Senior Policy Attorney with the Center's Washington, DC office, "even though these drugs are inappropriate and life-threatening for the vast majority of residents to whom they are given and they are very expensive."

In 2005 and 2008, the FDA issued warnings about antipsychotic drugs, advising that some kinds of these drugs can cause the death of older people who have dementia.

For more information, read Ms. Edelman’s full statement.

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First Green House Project Nursing Home in Maryland Opens

The first Green House Project nursing home in Maryland has opened. The Green House Project, an alternative to senior institutional care which emphasizes quality living for seniors by creating a comfortable and independent space, opened their 133th nursing home nationally in Baltimore.   “You want people to age with dignity. You want people to have their individual needs met and you don’t want them to be institutionalized to die,” said Jane Lowe of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

 The first “green house” in Maryland is the first in the country to take advantage of special funding for low-income seniors thanks to collaboration between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and NCB Capital Impact. Sixty percent of the beds in the facility are reserved for low-income seniors on Medicaid.

For more information, read the article in Kaiser Health News.

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About The Gazette

The Gazette is a weekly e-newsletter, published by the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care and the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center. If you do not wish to continue receiving this publication, please unsubscribe. Your contributions and comments are welcome and should be sent to swells@theconsumervoice.org. Copyright © 2011.

The Consumer Voice is the leading national voice representing consumers in issues related to long-term care, helping to ensure that consumers are empowered to advocate for themselves. We are a primary source of information and tools for consumers, families, caregivers, advocates and ombudsmen to help ensure quality care for the individual. The Consumer Voice's mission is to represent consumers at the national level for quality long-term care, services and supports.

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