BACKGROUND
The need for an organization such as Empira was identified and discussed in several forums in recent years, such as the Health Care Committee of AAHSA (American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging), in health policy foundations like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Dominion Foundation, in Congressional Committees, in State Health Care Policy Institutes, and among long term care providers concerned with clinical standards and quality. Providers and regulators have for several years expressed concern about the general level of clinical quality in older adult services, as reflected in nursing facility compliance surveys, high staff turnover (especially among direct-care workers such as nursing assistants), and decreased employee morale and resident satisfaction. Among the identified sources of the problem are a lack of uniformity among providers and facilities in pathways for treatment and services, a focus on treatment rather than prevention, lack of consistent training, lower participation of direct-care givers in the quality improvement process, and inconsistent methods of measuring outcomes.
Empira’s activities will be directed toward promoting health of the elderly by setting standards of clinical excellence in a variety of care delivery settings, improving measurable outcomes, improving staff recruitment and retention, improving staff education and empowerment, minimizing the need for expensive regulatory oversight, and increasing patient and resident satisfaction. While other organizations have formed alliances with similar intent, Empira is the first of its kind to expand clinical excellence across the care continuum.
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