Alabama Nursing
Home Association
4156 Carmichael Road
Montgomery, AL 36106
Phone: 334-271-6214
Fax: 334-244-6509
Email: info@anha.org
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Alabama Best Practices Program
Program Contact: Pam Penland What is the Alabama Best Practices Program? Alabamas Best Practices is back! The funding for this program was stopped almost three years ago, but thanks to the financial support of the Alabama Nursing Home Association and the Alabama Department of Public Health, this project designed to help the long-term care industry share information is back and running. The Alabama Best Practices Conference is a one-day event filled with opportunities for nursing homes to learn from one another. It allows nursing homes throughout the state of Alabama, to not only come up with new ideas to improve their facilities, but to share what works and what doesn't with other facilities in the state. To be selected as one of the presenters in this innovative long-term care program is a great honor. Winners are chosen by individuals of our 14 member Professional Review Panel. Six finalist give their presentations and share information on what has worked for them, through experience. There is something to be learned at this conference, for all homes. Improving the quality of care given to our residents and making our communities great places to live and work, are both ongoing processes. Our abilities to learn and our desires to be the best should never stop. Alabama's Best Practice Conference is designed to be a way to share ideas and information in the minds of people with different interests, educational backgrounds, ages, and cultures. From the nursing assistant to the administrator, from review panelists to potential sponsors, Best Practices communicates concepts that have already been proven to be effective. By attending this event, CEU credits can be earned. The Alabama’s Best Practices Program would like to take the opportunity to thank the following individuals for serving on the 2007 Best Practices Steering Committee: Donna Guthrie, Chairman Linda Robertson, Past Chairman Diane Mann Katrina Magdon Prentiss Smith Suzanne Hughes Charlotte Johnson Linda Railey Sal.Lee Sasser Mary Anne Parsons Wes Irvin Sandra Keener Tracy Pattillo Anna Burton Pam Penland The Alabama’s Best Practices Program would like to take the opportunity to thank the following individuals for serving on the 2007 Best Practices Professional Review Panel: Pam Carpenter, R.N. Karen Guice Patrick Nicovich Carol Hill Joyce Varner, RN How Did Alabama’s Best Practices Begin? During 1993, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) explored the concept of best practices as developed in New York in 1989. A proposal for Alabama’s Best Practices (BP) was completed in November 1993, and after preliminary discussion, the proposal was presented to the Alabama Nursing Home Association (ANHA), which represents over 98% of Alabama’s facilities. A consensus was reached on program design and functions and implementation began in March 1994 with the ADPH’s designation of a program Director and ANHA’s designation of a chairperson for the BP Steering Committee. The BP Director and Steering Committee Chairperson and two other representatives observed a New York Best Practice Conference in May 1994. With the benefit of these observations and the advice shared by New York, operational plans for Alabama’s Best Practices were laid. Alabama became the third state in the nation behind New York and California, to begin a Best Practices Program. The first Best Practice nomination was received on September 29, 1994. What is a Best Practice? A best practice is any intervention a nursing home has developed which improves residents’ lives or living conditions. It can be drawn from any care area of residents’ lives, and is directed toward quality of life. Best Practices (BP) fosters cooperative efforts that enhance excellence and innovation in resident care, as well as single facility or multi-facility initiatives that may involve residents and staff as well as the civic, religious and regulatory communities. A BP may involve residents’ rights, provision of care, or administrative practices which result in improved care. The BP concept is to explore alternative care models which have proven effective for residents in Alabama nursing homes. The Alabama’s Best Practices Program Judging Process Each year beginning in the fall the Best Practices Steering Committee meets to determine the conference date and location, establish a time line for planning/coordinating the Best Practice Conference and approve the nomination packet. The Best Practices Steering Committee is made up of appointed members from each of the nine regions of the Alabama Nursing Home Association and appointments from the Alabama Department of Public Health. The Best Practices (BP) Director is selected by the Best Practices Steering Committee. From the direction of the Steering Committee, the BP Director solicits and begins to promote the Best Practices Program. The Best Practices Director meets with all the regions and contacts as many facilities as possible soliciting them to enter nominations for innovative programs that their facility uses to promote excellence in the care and life of our Alabama nursing home residents. Nominations are officially solicited between fall and late winter with the deadline for nomination set in early Spring. The Best Practices Steering Committee chooses a Professional Panel (usually 5 – 9) to review the nominations. Blind nominations are submitted to the Professional Review Panel. Nominations are judged on eleven criteria:
Each of these criteria are judged on a scale of 1 – 4. The highest possible being 4. Once these criteria are judged the scores are added together. The judge then adds up to 4 points based on the innovation of the best practice. The total becomes the score from the judge on that Best Practice. This procedure is followed for every nomination. The entire book of blind nominations is mailed to the Association office by the judge. The Association office tallies all of the scores by the judges. The Association then matches the blind nominations with the facility information. The top six nominations with the highest scores are determined the presenters. Best Practices Update Mark your calendars for August 24, 2007 for the Best Practices Program. All of the facilities that submitted nominations will be in our 2007 Best Practices Manual. Congratulations to the following facilities for their nominations for the 2007 Best Practices Program: PRESENTERS: Albertville Nursing & Rehab Select Cherokee County Health & Rehabilitation Center Cogburn Health & Rehabilitation Inc St. Clair Health and Rehab Inc Westside Terrace Health & Rehabilitation Center Woodland Village Healthcare Center EXHIBITORS Andalusia Health Care LLC Andalusia Manor LLC Bibb Medical Center Nursing Home Bill Nichols State Veterans Home (2 Nominations) Crowne Health Care of Eufaula Health Care Inc Henry County Health & Rehabilitation Facility McGuffey Health Care Mitchell-Hollingsworth Nursing & Rehab Center Northside Health Care & Rehab Ridgeview Health Services (2 Nominations) Shelby Ridge Nursing and Rehab Select SunBridge Care & Rehabilitation – Shoals TLC Nursing Center Village at Cook Springs Wiregrass Nursing Home PROGRAM OUTLINE 7:30am–8:30am Registration and Exhibits 8:30am–9:30am St. Clair Health & Rehab Inc 9:30am–10:30am Westside Terrace Health & Rehab Center 10:30am–10:45am Refreshment Break 10:45am–11:45am Albertville Nursing Home Rehab Select 11:45am–1:00pm Lunch 1:00pm–2:00pm Woodland Village Healthcare Center 2:00pm–3:00pm Cherokee County Nursing Home 3:00pm–3:15pm Refreshment Break 3:15pm–4:15pm Cogburn Health & Rehab Facility 4:15pm–4:30pm Closing Remarks Winners for the Alabama Best Practices 2007 |