CMS Launches Program for Funding Resident Safety and Quality

On November 20, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new program designed to improve nursing home residents’ safety and quality. CMS is now offering funding for certain resident-centered projects through a three-year initiative called the “Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP).”

According to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, “CMS is committed to ensuring nursing home residents are safe and receive quality care.” In order to meet the stated goals of the CMPRP, CMS will “offer nursing home staff practical tools and assistance to improve resident care and positively impact the lives of individuals in our nation’s nursing homes,” added Administrator Verma.

Arif Nazir, MD, FACP, CMD, AGSE notes that “I am delighted that CMS is seeking ways to reinvest the penalty funds in supporting training and education in facilities.” Dr. Nazir, who is the President-Elect of the American Medical Directors Association, the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (AMDA) and the Chief Medical Officer, Signature HealthCARE, adds, “Based on what we know about human behaviors, a supportive and engaging approach will always outperform a simplistic carrot and stick approach.”