Page 63 - Healthcare News Nov/Dec 2022

Pioneer Valley Hospice and Palliative Care Posts Deficiency-free Survey
GREENFIELD — Pioneer Valley Hospice and Palliative Care (PVH&PC) earned a perfect score on a recent survey by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, indicating substantial compliance with requirements for hospice providers. It is Pioneer Valley Hospice and Palliative Care’s third consecutive perfect survey.
“Hospice providers must fulfill a substantial list of requirements to become certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS),” said Terry Gaberson, executive director of PVH&PC. “I am so pleased to congratulate our staff on their stellar performance in achieving a third deficiency-free survey.” The survey was conducted in December 2021, and PVH&PC was notified earlier this year of the official result.
The Massachusetts DPH survey is unannounced. “We don’t know with any certainty when our survey will take place until the surveyors arrive,” Gaberson noted. “They spend several days at our offices interviewing staff members and re- viewing records, policies, and procedures,
The team at Pioneer Valley Hospice and Palliative Care.
but they also make home visits to hospice patients. This is an examination of the quality of our overall program, and it is a rigorous process.”
Surveys are repeated within a three-year window. Any deficiencies that do not meet
regulations require an immediate action plan for correction.
PVH&PC is a member of Integri- tus Healthcare (previously Berkshire Healthcare), a family of not-for-profit providers of skilled nursing, short-term
rehabilitation, assisted and independent living, and hospice services. PVH&PC was incorporated as a free-standing, nonprofit, community-based hospice in 2004 and joined Integritus Healthcare in 2015.
BCC Receives $350,000 for Nursing Simulation Equipment
PITTSFIELD — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means, recently visited Berk- shire Community College (BCC) to an- nounce a $350,000 earmark for upgrades to the nursing program’s simulation equipment.
The allocation was made possible through congressionally directed spend- ing (CDS) from the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Educa- tion. Neal submitted funding for this project in the FY 2022 spending bill that was signed into law earlier this year.
“I was proud to fight for this funding
for BCC that will allow for the first sub- stantive upgrade to this important nursing training equipment since 2009,” Neal said. “This equipment will enhance the techni- cal skill level of students and prepare them to adequately meet the workforce needs of the Berkshire County healthcare com- munity.”
BCC Dean of Nursing Lori Moon added that “there are so many studies that support the implementation of simulation experiences into nursing education. Simu- lation enables students to practice clinical decision-making skills in a protected environment while enhancing students’
confidence, promoting patient safety and making the connection between theory and nursing practice. We are so excited to add to the state-of-the-art, high-fidelity simulation equipment we already have in place in our sim lab.”
New equipment will include newborn, pediatric, and adult models; patient monitors; wound-care kits and accom- panying software; an electronic medical record program; an Omnicell medication dispenser; and crash carts, all designed to prepare nursing students for what they will experience in a clinical setting.
BCC has offered an an associate degree
in nursing since 1969. The college also offers a one-year licensed practical nurse certificate program and collaborates with UMass Amherst to offer a bachelor of science degree in nursing. A partnership among BCC, Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) and its affiliates, and others — including Berkshire Place, Mount Carmel Care Center, and Lee HealthCare — provides clinical training and employ- ment opportunities for graduates. BCC also works with BHS to offer a 90-hour certified nursing assistant program several times annually.
Leavitt Family Jewish Home Awarded CMS Five-star Quality Rating
LONGMEADOW — JGS Lifecare, a leading healthcare system serving seniors and their families, announced that the Leavitt Family Jewish Home has received a prestigious five-star quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This designation reflects the highest number of stars allotted to a skilled-nursing facility. Currently, there are a select number of nursing homes that have been awarded this distinction. The Leavitt Family Jewish Home offers both short-term rehabilitation services and long-term comprehensive care.
“What a tremendous accomplishment it is by our staff to achieve a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medic- aid Services,” said Rob Whitten, presi- dent of JGS Lifecare, the nonprofit that operates the Leavitt Family Jewish Home. “These are extremely hard times for the healthcare industry in our state and our country, and this designation speaks volumes about the incredible employees we have at the Leavitt Family Jewish Home. Earning this five-star designation is a testament to our skilled and compas- sionate staff, our strong commitment
to excellence, and our dedication as an organization to provide the highest caliber of care possible.”
To receive a five-star rating, nursing homes are judged by three components. Health inspections are one means of evaluating a residence. The rating is based upon information from the last three years of on-site inspections, including both standard surveys and complaint surveys. Secondly, a rating is given based upon staffing, which details information about the number of hours of care provided on average to each resident each day by nurs-
ing staff and other healthcare providers. The final category involves quality mea- sures, including data on how well nursing homes are caring for their residents’ physical and clinical needs.
Today, the five-star rating system has become a critical tool for the public to measure the quality and performance of a skilled nursing facility, as nursing homes with five stars are considered well above average quality, Whitten said, adding that “we work very hard, day in and day out, to achieve and maintain this five-star rating. We are so proud of our staff.”
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