Feb. 5, 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contacts:
Lauren Shaham, AAHSA, 202-508-1219

Statement from Larry Minnix, President & CEO, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) on The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Ninth Scope of Work for Quality Improvement Organizations

“Over the past five years, nursing homes nationwide have been on a quest to improve quality in their work for America’s most vulnerable citizens. This journey started with the development of Quality First under the guidance of National Commission for Quality Long-term Care and continued with the establishment of the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes initiative. CMS’ new scope of work for QIOs is an important next step in helping homes who need help move forward on this important quest to achieve excellence and earn public trust.

We are pleased that CMS sees a potential to improve care in these homes and that the QIOs will have resources needed to help nursing homes reduce pressure ulcers and use of restraints, two important quality indicators. We will work with CMS to provide education programs on the local, state and national level designed to help all nursing homes reduce restraint use and pressure ulcer incidence.

Nursing homes have been working to achieve excellence and earn the public's trust, and partnering with QIOs in improving will be a big step towards achieving those goals. Working together, we look forward to the day when there are two types of nursing homes in America: the excellent and the non-existent.”

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About AAHSA
The members of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (www.aahsa.org) help millions of individuals and their families every day through mission-driven, not-for-profit organizations dedicated to providing the services that people need, when they need them, in the place they call home. Our 5,800 member organizations, many of which have served their communities for generations, offer the continuum of aging services: adult day services, home health, community services, senior housing, assisted living residences, continuing care retirement communities and nursing homes. AAHSA’s commitment is to create the future of aging services through quality people can trust.