2008 Woodie Awards
UCF to study nursing homes
UCF prof. uses grant for five-year research
Jillian Krotki
Issue date: 7/7/08 Section: News
UCF professor Thomas Wan has spent the last five years researching nursing homes and the effects of efficiency in comparison to quality care.
He was given a federal grant, amounting to $860,000, after sending in a proposal on a very competitive base. This money was distributed over the course of the five years while Wan and his team, consisting of three other individuals, worked hard to find answers. This team was made up of Wan, professors Jackie Zhang and Lynn Unruh, and Gerald-Mark Breen, his research assistant.
This study didn't stop at nurse staffing, but also delved into the quality of the homes. The team wanted to go beyond the facility level and focus on compiling the different assessments done annually and putting them into one unique database.
"The data accumulated through the federal government and covered the last 10 years," Wan said. "There were about 17,000 facilities included."
This analysis only covered Medicaid and Medicare providers, since those facilities operate by using a lot of government funding.
"There were multiple sources for the data. The facility-based assessments, MDS or Minimal Data Set, which is resident-based, the OSCAR database, which is an area resource file, and Medicaid/Medicare Expenditures," Wan said.
The facility-based assessments, which are comparable to audits, are done only once a year due to the high cost. Citations are usually given for areas of weakness. This causes more deficiency, which causes lower quality.
"These audits are very rigorous, and since the facilities rely so heavily on federal subsidies, they can be closed down," Wan said.
The MDS or resident-based assessment covers their health problems, health services, etc. It allows progression to be observed, considering 60 percent of patients will be released. Wan explained that nursing homes aren't dead ends. Some people are hospitalized and need restorative care, and Medicaid and Medicare often cover these charges.
He was given a federal grant, amounting to $860,000, after sending in a proposal on a very competitive base. This money was distributed over the course of the five years while Wan and his team, consisting of three other individuals, worked hard to find answers. This team was made up of Wan, professors Jackie Zhang and Lynn Unruh, and Gerald-Mark Breen, his research assistant.
This study didn't stop at nurse staffing, but also delved into the quality of the homes. The team wanted to go beyond the facility level and focus on compiling the different assessments done annually and putting them into one unique database.
"The data accumulated through the federal government and covered the last 10 years," Wan said. "There were about 17,000 facilities included."
This analysis only covered Medicaid and Medicare providers, since those facilities operate by using a lot of government funding.
"There were multiple sources for the data. The facility-based assessments, MDS or Minimal Data Set, which is resident-based, the OSCAR database, which is an area resource file, and Medicaid/Medicare Expenditures," Wan said.
The facility-based assessments, which are comparable to audits, are done only once a year due to the high cost. Citations are usually given for areas of weakness. This causes more deficiency, which causes lower quality.
"These audits are very rigorous, and since the facilities rely so heavily on federal subsidies, they can be closed down," Wan said.
The MDS or resident-based assessment covers their health problems, health services, etc. It allows progression to be observed, considering 60 percent of patients will be released. Wan explained that nursing homes aren't dead ends. Some people are hospitalized and need restorative care, and Medicaid and Medicare often cover these charges.