Navigating QAPI

As part of the Conditions of Participation, nursing homes will be challenged to improve not only basic quality improvement skills but also their ability to make Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) the foundation of their work. QAPI significantly expands the level and scope of facility quality improvement activities, mandating adoption of advanced, systematic data-driven quality improvement methodologies to sustain and improve the quality of care and quality of life of nursing home residents. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) identified five key elements for QAPI: (1) Design and scope; (2) Governance and leadership; (3) Feedback, data systems, and monitoring; (4) Performance improvement projects (PIPs); (5) Systematic analysis and action.

This interactive on-demand course is structured around the five elements and will equip nursing home leaders with the practical skills needed to make QAPI how “work gets done” rather than seen as a separate “program.” Participants will learn and practice approaches to analyze, initiate, implement, and monitor evidence-based performance improvement projects. Key skills include problem identification, flow diagraming, data collection and trending data, root cause analysis, and monitoring. At the conclusion of the course, participants will have the tools necessary to design, implement, and monitor a QAPI program within their facility.

Target Audience

This course is designed to provide training for the entire interdisciplinary team, including administrators, attending physicians, practitioners (APN, PA), pharmacists, nurses (DON, RN, LPN), and medical directors.

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to:

  • Discuss the five key elements of effective QAPI programs.
  • Identify a strategy to design and implement a QAPI program within their nursing home.
  • Apply fundamental quality improvement skills, including problem identification, flow diagramming, and root cause analysis to performance improvement projects.
  • Describe the importance of monitoring in quality improvement and strategies to develop monitoring systems in their QAPI programs.

Dallas Nelson, MD, CMD, FACP

Dallas Nelson, MD, CMD, FACP, is a Professor of Medicine at the University of the Rochester in the Division Geriatrics and Aging. She is medical director of the UR Medicine Geriatrics Group, a group that serves about 3000 patients across the spectrum of long term care in the Rochester, New York.  Dr. Nelson serves as a leader of Telehealth sub-committee for Society of Post-Acute and Long Term Care Medicine.  Dr. Nelson has published clinical trials on the use of Telemedicine to reduce Emergency Department Use by Geriatric Homes.  She has a passion for improving the care of the geriatric community.

Suzanne Gillespie, MD, RD, CMD

Suzanne Gillespie, MD, RD, CMD, is Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Geriatrics/Aging and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. She is board-certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine and Hospice & Palliative Medicine. Dr. Gillespie is Associate Chief of Staff for Geriatrics Extended Care and Medical Director of two Community Living Centers in the VA Fingerlakes Healthcare System. She is proud to be the current president of AMDA the Society for PALTC Medicine.

Andrea Moser, MD, MSc, CMD

Andrea Moser, MD, MSc, CMD, is as family physician with a focus practice in care of the elderly and is the Corporate Medical Director for the City of Toronto Seniors Services and LTC Homes Division. She is an Associate Professor, DFCM, University of Toronto, VP of the Canadian Society for Long Term Care Medicine (CSLTCM), board member of American Board of Post Acute and LTC (ABPLM) and a member of AMDA’s education, membership and telemedicine committees. She is former president of OLTCP and has been involved in numerous educational activities most significant as the co-developer of the Ontario Medical Director Curriculum which is now mandatory for all Medical Directors in Ontario Long Term Care Homes.

Diane Sanders-Cepeda, DO, CMD

Diane Sanders-Cepeda, DO, CMD, is a Senior Medical Director with UnitedHealthcare Retiree Solutions. In this role, Dr. Sanders-Cepeda provides oversight and direction for multiple clinical programs and initiatives as well as creating and designing innovative solutions to meet the demands of the retirees she serves. Dr. Sanders-Cepeda serves at a national level and presents clinical results to private and public sector business entities throughout the country.

  • 3.75 CME
  • 3.75 CMD Management

Release Date: 12/01/2024 | Expiration: 12/01/2027

Credit Statements:

Accreditation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CME Designation: Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association designates this enduring material for a maximum of 3.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CMD Credit Hours: This CME activity has been pre-approved by the American Board of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine (ABPLM) for a total of 3.75 management hours toward certification or recertification as a Certified Medical Director (CMD) in post-acute and long-term care medicine. The CMD program is administered by the ABPLM. Each physician should claim only those hours of credit actually spent on the activity. For further information, contact ABPLM at 410-992-3117 or at cmd@paltmed.org.

Financial Disclosure Statement

No one in control of content disclosed any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.

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