Defense of Nursing Home Management

Reminder: There is a Special Meeting of the County Board this week where information about the potential buyers of the Nursing Home will be presented. More information at The Week Ahead 5/6 - 5/12.

Cathy Emanuel, a member of the Champaign County Nursing Home advisory board, recently argued in defense of the Nursing Home in light of numerous complaints by proponents of selling the home and a flare up over an emergency funding issue (more on that here: County Board and a Do-over). The full commentary was in Sunday's News-Gazette, but here are some excerpts to get the gist:

Whether or not the sale of the nursing home is ultimately voted to be pursued, I believe the county board made a wise move by reversing itself last week and extending SAK Management Service's contract to continue their operation of the facility until at least July 31, and as a member of the Champaign County Nursing Home Advisory Board, I know SAK stands ready to continue longer if the need exists.

Much information has been shared regarding the historic shortfalls of the nursing home and its current status, and while some anecdotes have been true, other circumstances have been distorted or misrepresented. I have had a front row seat for several years, and since SAK was contracted in July of 2017 when the facility was facing monumental challenges to accomplish its mission, significant progress has been made...

Still, since SAK has assumed management, they have made quality improvements and have replaced temporary staffing with dedicated full-time hires, including 14 quality registered nurses. Related to this, they have greatly reduced the incidences of pressure ulcers, sometimes called bed sores.

When SAK arrived in 2017, there were 42 patients afflicted with this painful condition, but today there are fewer than five. This improvement is a direct testament to our outstanding, committed nursing staff.

SAK has also instituted a new restorative care program so our residents are helped to reach their full physical potential.

The benefit to patients is tremendous, and financially, this elevated level of care has increased our Medicaid reimbursement rate, which can be annualized to $200,000 of additional revenue based on this quarter.

Additionally, our federally assigned star rating is moving upward in all of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services indexes. We have reached the 4-star level in staffing and quality measures on a 5-star scale.

Full commentary here.