Operational Resources

In addition to the resources listed below, there are also ideas and links available on the national website. Please let us know how you are using these tools in your nursing home. If you know of a particularly helpful resource that isn't shown here, tell us and we'll do our best to add it to the campaign's collection.

Target-Setting (STAR website)

Please see the STAR website for assistance in using it to set and monitor quality improvement goals.

The national campaign has created an Implementation Guide which offers suggestions, process guides, and web resources for using target-setting in nursing homes.

Satisfaction Surveys

Resident Satisfaction Data Viewed Through New Lenses: The Key to Resident Satisfaction and Quality Outcomes
Diane Peters, RN, MS
WebEx session recorded on 12/6/07. This presentation focused on how resident and family satisfaction surveys can drive internal quality improvement efforts within the nursing home.

Employee Satisfaction Surveys: What Do We Do Now?
Mary Tellis-Nayak, RN, MSN, MPH
WebEx session recorded on 11/15/07. This presentation focused on employee satisfaction, the use of consistent caregiver assignments, and research into what motivates staff to remain committed to your nursing home.

Organizational Predictors of Family Satisfaction in Nursing Facilities
Leslie Grant, PhD
This article examines various operational practices linked to the satisfaction of nursing home residents' families. It finds that employee satisfaction is strongly correlated with family satisfaction, and vice versa.

The national campaign has created an Implementation Guide which offers tools, techniques, and web resources for undertaking surveys and responding to their findings.

Staff Turnover

Change Ideas for Staff Recruiting, Orientation, and Support
Review ideas for successfully recruiting and screening new employees, guiding them through the orientation process, and supporting new workers on the job.

Curriculum Guide: Holistic Approach to Transformational Change
A comprehensive training manual designed to introduce nursing home management, staff, and stakeholders to the concepts of individualized care. Also includes research into the advantages and best practices of person-directed care.

Download an excerpt comparing corporate culture in high-turnover vs. low-turnover nursing homes
Review the complete curriculum

What a Difference Management Makes! Workforce Stability: Foundation for Systems Improvement
Barbara Frank

Achieving Staff Stability: The Prerequisite for Culture Change
Workforce Retention in Long Term Care Conference Call
Speaker David Farrell, MSW, LNHA

Learn the specific, pragmatic methods one nursing home used to create organizational trust, boost employee morale, and stem resignations of talented employees—reducing NAC turnover from 94% to 31% in just seven months!

View the telecon's handouts and listen to the 80-minute recording (MP3 file, requires Windows Media Player or similar software). Alternatively, you may contact us to request the recording on CD.

The national campaign has created an Implementation Guide which offers suggestions, process guides, and web resources to help you implement programs to retain staff.

Consistent Assignment

Change Ideas for Consistent Assignment
This document defines consistent assignment, points out some of its benefits, and suggests a process for converting your nursing home's scheduling from a rotational basis to consistent assignment.

Person-Directed Care Pilot Program Shows Value of Consistent Assignment
In 2002-2005,a group of 257 nursing homes participated in a Person-Directed Care Pilot that was sponsored by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Read this brief overview of the project, and learn how consistent assignment was a primary driver in creating improvements.

The national campaign has created an Implementation Guide which offers tools and guidelines for establishing, maintaining, and measuring consistent assignment in nursing homes.

Culture Change / Change Management

From Institutional to Individualized Care: A Four-Part Series
Hosted by CMS, this broadcast series examines several issues that are crucial to making the transition to an individualized care model. More details and viewing instructions.

No Excuses! How One Nursing Home Made Big Culture Changes Despite Barriers
Learn how leaders at the Eliza Jennings Home (based in the Cleveland area) succeeded in transforming their culture. They had little money for new programs and little tolerance for risk. Yet, they were able to make significant, positive changes—without increasing costs, experiencing union difficulties, or increasing survey issues.

The following were developed as part of a Qualis Health teleconference series:
The Role of Senior Leaders in Achieving Clinical Excellence
Mary K. Ousley

Getting Out of the Middle: Nurses as Leaders in Long-Term Care
Anna Ortigara, RN, MS, FAAN