As the patient safety field experts for the Medicare program, VIMI provides nursing homes with the technical assistance they need to establish an organizational culture that supports patient safety and improves clinical processes. Nursing Homes and VIMI have the same goal: safer, more reliable patient care.

Health Care-Acquired Conditions in Nursing Homes
Nursing homes that join in the QIO Program’s health care-acquired conditions (HAC) initiatives will contribute to a 40% national reduction in HAC rates. Work to reduce HACs begins with building on the success of nursing homes that participated in recent QIO Program initiatives on these topics. Facilities can expect to receive onsite consultation by VIMI staff, training in quality improvement skills, evidence-based tools and resources, and ongoing education. Beginning in 2013, VIMI will launch a statewide Learning and Action Network (LAN) for nursing homes that will address catheter-associated urinary tract infections, falls and other HACs. LAN participants can learn from local and national peers, obtain evidence-based tools and resources, and participate in improvement collaboratives.

Currently, we are focusing on these priorities:

We work one-on-one with healthcare providers to improve the quality and reliability of patient care and eliminate factors that may lead to harm. Facilities that engage in VIMI improvement initiatives have access to valuable tools, resources and data reports measuring their progress. The direct technical assistance that health care providers receive from expert VIMI staff is even more valuable.

We customize our services to each facility’s improvement goals; for example, leading a root cause analysis to identify where changes to processes of care are most likely to result in better performance. VIMI staff remain in contact with health care providers throughout an improvement initiative, using a combination of on-site consultation, ongoing email and phone support, webinars, teleconferences, education and training programs where participants can learn from experts and exchange evidence-based clinical interventions.

VIMI works with nursing homes across the Virgin Islands to improve the quality of care they provide to nursing home residents. We offer training events, tools, and resources to help nursing homes improve selected quality measures and assist facilities transition from an institutional to a person-centered model of care.

VIMI can provide access to improvement tools, training, and technical assistance. By engaging with our organization, you can work with peer facilities and quality leaders in rapid-cycle projects for collaborative learning and action that accelerate health care quality improvement.

Please take advantage of these free resources for making and sustaining improvements in the care you provide to your residents. Contact us if you have questions, need assistance or would like to learn more about the ways that engaging in our quality improvement initiatives can benefit your nursing home.