Technical information about the improvement in walking quality measure.

September 20, 2009 by admin

The three most important characteristics of this measure are: 1) that it is an "incidence measure", meaning that it is an outcome that measures change over time, 2) that, as nearly as possible, it measures exactly the outcome that most skilled "post-acute" units were developed to achieve, and 3) it is the only measure that measures a "positive" outcome. The main reason skilled post-acute units were developed in Nursing Homes was to provide physical therapy and occupational therapy to Medicare beneficiaries, often in the postoperative setting, who need more help with basic physical functioning before they go home. It was widely recognized that this type of care did not need to be provided in the more expensive acute care setting. We now know that this kind of rehabilitation can be provided more efficiently, and more safely, in a nursing home environment. The whole purpose of this kind of care is to help Medicare beneficiaries recover physical function, especially walking mobility, after some kind of acute setback, such as occurs after surgery or acute illness. Post-acute units deliberately look for patients with a high likelihood of rapid improvement in function with proper therapy. Achieving good results quickly on this measure justifies funding for post-acute care, and contributes to improved health, independence, and well being for Medicare beneficiaries. Although not every post-acute patient will be able to meet this goal of increased functional independence, current measurement data suggest there is substantial room for improvement in the great majority of post-acute units.