Protocols for Qualification 3 Course Work

Nursing Home Administration

The course must be at the 300 level (or equivalent) or higher and at least three credit hours. The course will be considered for five years from the date of successful completion.

The course must provide the student with an understanding of the management of nursing homes. The content should cover the five Domains of Practice established by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrators Boards and American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA), as listed below:

  1. Customer Care, Support and Services (including, but not limited to: Federal and state resident service laws, rules and regulations; care planning; admission and discharge; resident evaluation; activities/recreation; health information management; medication management; rehabilitation programs; contracted services; incident and accident prevention/response; housekeeping and laundry; resident education; nutrition; dining services; resident rights; quality of life; transportation services; customer service).
  2. Human Resources (including, but not limited to: Federal and state human resource management laws, rules and regulations; recruitment, selection and retention practices that follow the standards of the Fair Labor Standards Act [FLSA]; employee training and development programs; employee evaluation programs; compensation and benefit programs; employee health and safety programs; employee satisfaction and organization culture; employee discipline; employee grievances; leadership development; safe work environment; positive work environment; effective communication among management and employees; employee records and documentation systems; resident rights culture.
  3. Finance (including, but not limited to: Federal and state financial management regulations; budgeting; billing and collections; contractual agreements; financial viability and performance; Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP); financial reporting systems and audit programs; risk management/internal controls.
  4. Environment (including, but not limited to: Federal, state and local physical environment laws and regulations; physical plant, systems, equipment and resources; infection control and sanitation; emergency and disaster preparedness; environmental services, housekeeping and laundry; property, plant and equipment maintenance; HIPAA compliant technology infrastructure; physical environment [comfort, cleanliness, safety, security, accessibility]).
  5. Management and Leadership (including, but not limited to: Federal and state nursing home administrator laws, rules and regulations; ethics; governing bodies; communication; strategic planning; resident satisfaction; stakeholder relationships; decision making; survey/inspection process; intervention/risk management and incident reporting; legal liability; management and technology systems; sales, marketing and public relations; written agreements; quality assurance and performance improvement; leadership; internal and external communication; professional development).

Health Care Financial Management

The course must be at the 300 level (or equivalent) or higher and at least three credit hours. The course will be considered for 10 years from the date of successful completion.

The course must provide the student with a working knowledge of the accounting and financial principles needed to protect and maintain the financial integrity and resources of the facility. The course should be oriented to the issues unique to nursing homes and other health care facilities, and to providing the future nursing home administrator with the tools needed to maintain the financial health of the nursing facility. The course should include the following topics and content areas:

  1. Cost accounting in health care and nursing facilities, including step-down allocation, planning and forecasting, break-even analysis, maintaining cash flow.
  2. Budgeting and control; operating/program/capital budgets for proprietary, voluntary and publicly (governmental) operated facilities.
  3. Cost concepts; variance analysis; internal/external cost controls.
  4. Reimbursement and rate setting (i.e., Diagnosis-Related Groups [DRGs], Resource Utilization Groups [RUGs], cost-based reimbursement).
  5. Cost and quality.

The course must be at the 300 level (or equivalent) or higher and at least three credit hours. The course will be considered for 10 years from the date of successful completion.

The course must familiarize the student with the legal issues which govern the practice of health care facilities. Subject matter may include discussions of ethical issues in health care, but should focus primarily on the laws affecting health care delivery, the legal and regulatory responsibilities of health care providers and the rights of patients. The course should include the following topics and content areas:

  1. Principles of health care law; civil vs. criminal actions; torts and liability.
  2. Medical and professional malpractice.
  3. Corporate compliance.
  4. Contractual relationships; antitrust; managed care.
  5. Informed consent; reporting obligations; patient rights; Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); guardianship.
  6. End of life issues; Advance Directives, including health care proxies.
  7. Federal and state labor legislation.

Gerontology

The course may be at the introductory level and at least three credit hours. The course will be considered for 10 years from the date of successful completion.

The course must provide the student with a foundation in the social, biological and psychological issues of aging. The course should include many of the following topics and content areas:

  1. Historical and contemporary perspectives on aging; personal influences on aging; demographics.
  2. Biological aspects; the physical process of aging; changes to the brain/dementia; theories of aging.
  3. Psychological aspects; "loss of control"; dependency; loneliness/depression.
  4. Sociological issues; family relationships; crime; workforce and employment; age discrimination; elderly abuse.
  5. Death and dying.
  6. Economic and political issues of aging; societal costs; Medicare/health insurance/prescription drug benefits; AARP.

Personnel Management

The course may be at the introductory level and at least three credit hours. The course will be considered for 10 years from the date of successful completion.

The course must provide the student with an understanding of the central concepts and issues of personnel management and the application and administration of these principles. The course need not be specific to the health care field, but must include the key personnel concerns that a nursing home administrator should understand in order to manage a nursing facility. The course should include the following topics and content areas:

  1. Overview of personnel management; function of the personnel manager and relationship of the human resources department to the organization; maintaining a healthy work environment.
  2. Recruitment; preparation of job analyses and descriptions; interviewing, selection and placement of employees.
  3. Training and development of staff; ensuring competency and suitability of employees.
  4. Motivating staff; performance evaluation and the disciplinary process; workforce reduction.
  5. Compensation and benefits; retirement and the Employment Retirement Income Social Security Act (ERISA).
  6. Unionization and collective bargaining; the union effect on the work environment.