Functional Outcomes Improvement Training

Registration Closed

Skilled nursing care providers improve the lives of the residents they care for in a number of ways, including improving their functional outcomes and independence. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the IMPACT Act, and CMS all called for the development of functional improvement measures based on the self-care and mobility sections of the Continuity Assessment Record and Evaluation (CARE) tool. Maintaining or improving mobility and self-care abilities is important to healthy aging and maximizing independence. This course provides specialized training for those who are interested in improving functional outcomes, improving quality, and improving services. It will advance the knowledge, skills and attitudes by providing a wide array of learning tools and resources to meet the needs of various staff and departments.

Course Objectives: Upon Completion the learner will be able to:

Recognize the role center’s play in improving functional outcomes of residents.
Define how functional outcomes directly impact quality of care.
Consider best practices to incorporate into every day care in centers.
Identify tools to improve functional outcomes.
Review the restorative nursing programs impact on functional outcomes.
Review of activities and other programs in the center that can impact functional outcomes.

Nurses, CNAs, therapists, activities staff and others responsible for improving functional outcomes will learn from this course.

The program is flexible and can be completed in one sitting or one module at a time.

The training is delivered in five modules, including:

Module 1 – Explores the connection between functional outcomes and person-centered care, and how utilization of evidence-based pragmatic programs leads toward continuous improvement.
Module 2 – Reviews the regulations related to functional outcomes including the CMS Requirements of Participation and how functional improvement impacts reimbursement.
Module 3 – Covers best care coordination practices for short- and long-stay patients, including coordinating with therapy processes, and provides an overview of effective restorative nursing programs.
Module 4 – Closely examines care practice application and what individuals can do to increase function, team engagement and concludes with a discussion of various quality initiatives that lead to better outcomes.
Module 5 – Reviews the tools and resources needed to further functional outcomes improvement approaches to person-centered care.

Program Fees:

$199 AHCA/NCAL Member | $650 Non-member

6.5 NAB CE credits for administrators and 6.0 contact hours for nurses through the Iowa Board of Nursing.

Interested in Group Registration, learn more here

All Functional Outcomes Improvement Training materials subject to this copyright may be photocopied or distributed for the purpose of nonprofit or educational advancement. The use, photocopying, and distribution for commercial purposes of any of these materials is expressly prohibited without the prior written permission of American Health Care Association.

Pamela Truscott, MSN, RN, DNS-CT, QCP

Director, Clinical and Regulatory Services

American Health Care Association

Pamela Truscott, MSN, RN, DNS-CT, QCP is the Director, Clinical and Regulatory Services with the American Health Care Association (AHCA). She joined the AHCA family in June 2019 and has been actively involved with a variety of education, tools, and resources such as: trauma-informed care, behavioral health, functional outcomes improvement, and infection prevention and control. Prior to joining AHCA, Pam worked for the Nebraska Health Care Association as the Vice President of Professional Development for seven years. She is an active member of the American Nurses Association as well as the American Association of Post-Acute Care Nurses. Pam has over 20 years of long-term care experience and shares a passion for growing education and cultivating new leaders in long-term care.

Cathy Ciolek, DPT, GCS, FAPTA

President of Living Well With Dementia, LLC

Dr. Ciolek is President of Living Well With Dementia, LLC- providing education and consultation to promote well-being and positive expectations for people with dementia. She has nearly 30 years physical therapy clinical experience working with older adults across the continuum of care including as staff PT, Director of PT and Director of Rehab in a skilled nursing facility and a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community. She served as Regional Director for the Pennsylvania Restraint Reduction Initiative (PARRI) and as a faculty member in the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of Delaware. Additionally, Cathy is Board Certified Geriatric Clinical Specialist, a Certified Dementia Practitioner® as well as a Certified Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Care Trainer®. She was recently recognized as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the American Physical Therapy Association for her advocacy efforts for older adults.

Jennifer Stevens-Lapsley, MPT, PhD

Professor and Director, Rehabilitation Science PhD Program

University of Colorado School of Medicine

Dr. Stevens-Lapsley is a Professor and Director of the Rehabilitation Science PhD Program in the Physical Therapy Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center. She is focused on identifying, integrating and advancing innovative evidence-based medicine solutions for older adult rehabilitation through highly effective research methods and partnerships. She has almost 20 years of clinical research experience in patients with osteoarthritis planning joint arthroplasty, along with medically complex patient populations. More specifically, her research has focused on pragmatic interventions in medically complex patient populations and understanding how rehabilitation services impact hospitalization rates and functional performance. Over the past decade, she has received numerous awards and over $16 million dollars to support her clinical research. Her clinical research has resulted in numerous publications (150+), national and international speaking invitations, and awards such as the Jack Walker Manuscript award from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), and an Excellence in Research Award. She is also recognized as a Catherine Worthingham Fellow of the APTA. Over the past decade, she has received over $16 million dollars to support her clinical research.

Ellen R. Strunk, PT, MS, GCS, CEEAA, CHC

Principal Consultant and Founder of Rehab Resources and Consulting, Inc.

Ellen R. Strunk, PT, MS, GCS, CEEAA, CHC has worked in various roles & settings as both clinician & manager/director. Ellen is an expert at helping customers understand the CMS prospective payment systems in the skilled nursing facility and home health setting, as well as outpatient therapy billing for all provider types. She has years of experience in utilizing medical record reviews and data systems to help both inpatient and outpatient therapy providers meet regulatory guidelines as well as improve clinical outcomes. For the past ten years, Ellen has worked with dozens of clients as principal consultant and founder of Rehab Resources and Consulting, Inc. Her experience in both the home and community aspects of the post-acute care continuum gives her a unique perspective in finding solutions while insuring a patient-centered approach is not lost in translation.

How can an organization group register and pay?

One user can purchase multiple registrations for other users by adding them to their cart during the checkout process; using the button displayed in image below. (This can only be done if all individuals have an ahcancalED account.) The price of the training will be based on each registrant’s member type (member or non-member).