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CEO Update: What sets apart long-term care at CMH

Michael Calhoun shares the latest happenings at CMH in his monthly CEO Updates. He is the CEO/executive director of CMH and the Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation.

Staff at our Citizens Memorial Health Care Foundation’s long-term care facilities really go above and beyond. That shows up in the way that people respond to the service we provide.

Tim Francka, administrative director of long-term care, joined me in discussing long-term care at CMH. Keep reading this blog post or watch the video to learn more about what sets apart long-term care at CMH:

  • Exceptional, personalized care
  • National recognition for quality and service
  • On-site medical providers for continuity of care
  • Connected care with integrated electronic health records
  • Guidance for navigating senior living options

Exceptional, personalized care

Calhoun: We have excellent service measures. If we look at the resident feedback, it’s excellent across our system. Our facilities really stand out as some of the best facilities in the whole state and region. I’m really proud of the staff for what they’re doing.

Francka: I couldn’t agree with you more. That’s one of the things we have done since the inception of long-term care at CMH. We try to set ourselves apart from everyone else in the industry and provide exceptional services.

National recognition for quality and service

Calhoun: It’s not just service, but at the forefront of our vision is quality and safety. Those are more than just words for us. We’ve been recognized at a national level for the exceptional quality care we provide in our facilities.

We have two facilities that are five-star CMS (Centers for Medicaid Services) facilities. CMS rates facilities on a regular basis in long-term care. All of our facilities are exceptional.

We get surveyed a lot at our facilities. Butterfield Residential Care Center has a long streak of being deficiency-free.

Francka: The Department of Health and Senior Services and the State Fire Marshal’s office inspect BRCC every year. They currently are at 13 years deficiency-free, which is unheard of in the industry.

Calhoun: I also am really proud about this year’s National Ceca Award recipient at Colonial Springs Healthcare Center in Buffalo.

Francka: Shannon Gronniger was nominated by her supervisor and Roy Pace, the administrator. Shannon was chosen as a Caregiver of the Year by the National Ceca Foundation, which honors exceptional caregivers’ work.

Calhoun: We’re really proud of what we offer in those facilities. One visit to the facility, and you’ll see it’s something really special.

Francka: All of the facilities have won the American Health Care Association Quality Award. They don’t just give that to you. You have to earn that, and each of them has done that. I’m very proud of Butterfield Residential Care Center and Citizens Memorial Healthcare Facility. Both of them have won the Silver Quality Award, a very high level of distinction.

On-site medical providers for continuity of care

Calhoun: When we’re talking about our focus on safety and quality, one of the keys to that is having medical providers in the facility, not just on a monthly basis, but really all the time. Our facilities have been pioneers and at the front of making sure that our clinic system and our physicians, our nurse practitioners are there every single day.

Francka: I think we’re pioneers in the fact that we have embedded mid-level providers there on a daily basis. That support to our nursing team, to our clinical team, is invaluable. It allows them to get immediate access to quality care.

They’re able to do things on a quicker basis to make sure that we’re staying in front of whatever’s going on with their health care needs. We’re getting them the right services to meet them and hopefully keep them in that homelike environment.

Calhoun: We’ve recently added two geriatricians to our team that will allow us, as we move into the future, to make sure we’re at the front end of geriatric care. They’re specialized in that field.

Having that combination of the hospital and clinic system and physician support and our long term care facilities gives us the ability to put more resources to our long-term care facilities. That really helps us be to be set apart above and beyond what you typically would see.

Connected care with integrated electronic health records

Francka: Another unique thing about our system is we have had an integrated electronic medical record since 2003. That’s unheard of in long-term care. No matter where residents go in the CMH system, the provider is able to see all the other things that have happened along the way to help them make the best decision for their health care. Family members also can access medical information through our Patient Portal.

Guidance for navigating senior living options

Calhoun: If a patient finds himself in the hospital and they’re looking for that next level of care when they’re not ready to go home, we’ve got a great social services team at the hospital that can help them navigate what level of care they need.

We also have a survey on our website to help you determine options.

Francka: It helps you determine if they need independent living, residential care or skilled care. Or they may need our home care. We have an incredible home care team as well.

Calhoun: Once it is determined that a certain level of care is needed, we’ve got a team in our admissions department that helps navigate that with the insurance requirements.

Francka: We have a nurse and another specialist. All they do is work on authorizations and reauthorization. They try to make sure that you’re getting the benefits you’ve paid into, whether that’s through Medicare or a managed care plan. We want to make sure you’re getting all the benefits you deserve.

Calhoun: I’m really impressed by the work that they do to, you know, get a request and then work through the whole process to make sure that people get in the right care setting for what they need.

Just call us. Just make the request. And we can help walk you through that.

How to connect with CMH long-term care

  • Learn more online about CMH’s senior living options.
  • Answer a few questions to receive personalized senior living recommendations. A member of the CMH Long-Term Care Admissions team will reach out to discuss your options.
  • Call the CMH Long-Term Care Admissions team at 417-328-6731.
  • Already have a facility in mind? Call the facility to schedule a tour.

Related Video

nurse practitioner and resident

About long-term care at CMH

  • 6 skilled nursing facilities with a total of 705 beds in Ash Grove, Bolivar, Buffalo, El Dorado Springs and Stockton.
  • 1 Residential care center in Bolivar.
  • 5 Independent living communities in Ash Grove, Bolivar, Buffalo and El Dorado Springs.

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