COLUMBIA, MO.—A University of Missouri researcher has found that long-term care facilities in Missouri saved more than $6 million in the past three years after implementing a quality care improvement program. Savings for the facilities were more than 10 times the program costs.
The MU Sinclair School of Nursing professor completed a three-year analysis of the Quality Improvement Program of Missouri (QIPMO) and found significant improvements in overall care quality of residents in participating facilities. Last year, a total of 990 residents avoided developing clinical problems, including pressure ulcers, depression symptoms, and weight loss, resulting in a total savings of $3.7 million statewide for facilities and healthcare providers in the state.
In the study, cost savings for each year exceeded the total program cost by more than $1 million. Statewide trends among residents included improvements in pain, fall and pressure ulcer reduction, and fewer tube feedings and instances of restraint usage.
QIPMO is funded through Missouri’s Nursing Facility Quality of Care Fund, which is generated from care facilities paying taxes according to the number of beds in their facilities. The cost per facility to use the program was less than $3 per bed.
The program works with a range of facilities in the state, including those that already embrace quality improvement and those that need help with care issues. Throughout 2007-08, QIPMO nurses made 855 contacts with 246 different facilities in the state, and they made 417 site visits in 227 nursing facilities. Results showed that facilities who participated did improve, and costs of care problems were reduced.
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