REHABILITATION CARE CONSULTANTS PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR LONG-TERM CARE PROVIDERS TO INTERNALLY ASSESS THE QUALITY AND LEVEL OF CARE PROVIDED TO RESIDENTS IN THIS FACILITY.

REHABILITATION CARE CONSULTANTS PROPOSES TO DEVELOP A COMPUTER SYSTEM FOR LONG-TERM CARE PROVIDERS TO INTERNALLY ASSESS THE QUALITY AND LEVEL OF CARE PROVIDED TO RESIDENTS IN THIS FACILITY. THE SYSTEM WILL USE THE QUALITY ASSESSMENT INDEX (QAI) AND AN INSTRUMENT, TO BE SELECTED, THAT WILL ASSESS THE IMPAIRMENT LEVEL, FUNCTIONAL STATUS, AND SERVICE NEEDS OF RESIDENTS AS WELL AS THE APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF CARE REQUIRED BY THOSE RESIDENTS. A DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH ASSOCIATED SOFTWARE WILL BE DEVELOPED. THE SYSTEM WILL BE EVALUATED FOR VALIDITY, RELIABILITY, FEASIBILITY, AND EFFECTIVENESS. THE SYSTEM WILL BE PILOTED IN PHASE I IN AT LEAST ONE FACILITY TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT IS A VIABLE SYSTEM. BENCHMARKS FOR DEVELOPING STANDARDS TO BE APPLIED IN PHASE II WILL BE DEFINED. THE COMPUTERIZATION OF THIS SYSTEM WILL ALLOW FACILITY STAFF TO ASSESS QUALITY OF CARE AND LEVEL OF CARE OF SPECIFIC RESIDENTS IN MUCH LESS TIME THAN IF PERFORMED MANUALLY. THEREFORE, THE FEEDBACK WILL BE MORE IMMEDIATE AND PERMIT NECESSARY CHANGES TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN A MORE TIMELY MANNER. THE INFORMATION RELATED TO LEVEL OF CARE WILL BE INVALUABLE FOR ADMINISTRATORS FOR REIMBURSEMENT PURPOSES. THE COMPARISON OF DATA TO AN OVERALL DATABASE WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION RELATED TO THE NATIONAL LEVEL OF QUALITY OF CARE.