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INTERACT News Release Template
Media Contact:
Name
Phone number
For Immediate Release
NEW QUALITY IMPROVEMENTPROGRAM TO HELP [NAME OF YOUR FACILITY] REDUCE AVOIDABLE HOSPITAL READMISSIONS FOR RESIDENTS
[CITY NAME, STATE, DATE]—[NAME OF YOUR FACILITY] has begun using a new quality improvement program to help enhance the quality of care of its residents by reducing the chance of them being readmitted to the hospital. Called INTERACT®, this quality improvement program centers on identifying and evaluating changes in the clinical condition of nursing home residents, and preventing those conditions from becoming severe enough to require hospital care.
While most people believe their hospital visit ends when they walk out the door, hospital readmissions are alarmingly high. Almost one in four hospital patients who are transferred to nursing homes are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days – and many of these are avoidable. As part of the Affordable Care Act, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is imposingreimbursement penalties to hospitals for readmissions above national average. CMS estimates that unnecessary readmissions cost the U.S. health care system an estimated $18 billion a year.
This complicated, costly problem requires a multi-faceted solution. The INTERACT® quality improvement program can be the first step. INTERACT is an acronym for "Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers," and was developed by an interdisciplinary team led by Dr. Joseph Ouslander at Florida Atlantic University, whose primary research area of interest is nursing home resident quality of care. INTERACT includes strategies and tools to help address these trends as a means of preventing future unnecessary hospitalizations. The tools can be used in conjunction with a facility’s existing quality assurance program to provide a comprehensive solution to achieving the readmission goals set forth by CMS and the health care industry as a whole.
“Moving a fragile resident from one facility to another can be very disruptive and stressful to the resident and the family, especially when many of these transfers can be prevented,” said [NAME OF FACILITY REPRESENTATIVE]. “With INTERACT we are learning to identify changes in our residents’ general state of health before they become too serious and prevent the resident from having to go back to the hospital.”
Medline Industries, Inc., the country’s leading provider of medical supplies and services to the long-term care industry, has an exclusive partnership with FAU to make available training and tools for the INTERACT® quality improvement program through Medline’s online clinical resource Medline University (MU). The online materials help to train providers on how to effectively use the INTERACT quality improvement program. The online education covers all aspects of INTERACT for the entire staff, including: medical directors, administrators, physicians, RNs, NPs, Pas, LPNs, CNAs, rehabilitation staff, dietary, housekeeping and family members. The INTERACT Online eCurriculum is available on any computer with internet access and will ensure staff has the educational resources they need, wherever and whenever they need it.
An initial study of 25 nursing homes using the INTERACT quality improvement program showed those facilities achieved a 17 percent reduction in hospital admissions among the residents. Projected savings to Medicare of reduced hospitalizations from a 100-bed nursing home were $125,000 per year at a cost of only $7,700 to implement the INTERACT program.
“At the root of INTERACT is engaging our staff to be even more highly attentive and aware of changes in our residents so we can make the necessary change to their care,” said [INSERT NAME OF FACILITY REPRESENTATIVE]. “Working together to provide the best possible care is our goal and keeping our residents from returning to the hospital unnecessarily is an important step in the process.”
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