CLC Receives Zero Findings During Ascellon Quality Review

Ascellon conducts an annual, unannounced survey every year that assesses the care VA Community Living Centers (CLC) provide to Veterans and their families

“Ascellon provides a review on the quality of the care that we're providing for our Veterans. I think that's one area where they’re different from the Joint Commission or any other accrediting survey, because it's very focused on the Veteran, and what their take is on the care that they get here as well,” said Kara Holt, Chief Nurse for GEC.

Scope of the survey

Over four days, Ascellon analyzed and reviewed procedures and processes, including medication management; prevention and treatment of unplanned weight loss; resident dining services (assistive devices); care and treatment of pressure injuries and wounds; and more. 

One aspect of Ascellon’s survey is to analyze the previous year's findings to assess the changes implemented by the CLC and evaluate patient care outcomes. Based on findings from the previous year, the CLC, support services, and staff identified which updates and opportunities would improve care for Veterans.

“We had to come together as a team and say, ‘Okay, what are we going to do to fix it?’ So last year was spent focusing on how to fix the findings that they discovered,” said Holt.

Patient and family experience 

Another aspect of Ascellon’s survey is the interview of Veterans and their families receiving care in the CLC. The interviews help Ascellon understand and capture patients’ opinions and trust in the level of care CLC staff provide.

“They conduct several interviews with residents who reside here and their family members,” said Holt.  “It helps them get an excellent take on how the family members feel about the care and how the residents feel about the care that they're getting.”

CLCs are VA nursing homes where Veterans stay for a short or extended period, depending on the complexity of the patient’s care and needs. VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System’s CLC is located at its Alvin C. York VA Medical Center campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The CLC consists of six sections, or neighborhoods: Providence Place, Tennessee Bay, Lighthouse, Caribbean Islands, Patriot Cove, and Patriot Haven. In total, more than 140 beds are available to provide different levels of necessary care for Veterans.

The unique names of the sections foster the patients’ mental health and wellness while receiving care. 

“We had the idea of a cultural transformation to really make the environment homier for our residents,” said Holt. “Since they're residing here instead of calling it a unit, which really implies more of a hospital nature, we call them neighborhoods.”

Driving excellence

For Dr. Ishrat Ansari, a physician and the acting Chief Physician for GEC during the Ascellon survey, the surveys were a valuable opportunity to promote the culture of excellence that the CLC fosters among its Veterans. 

“They held interviews with Veterans randomly across the CLC, and everybody had wonderful things to say about the facility, and receiving very compassionate care here,” said Ansari.

One way the CLC continues to improve patient care is through monthly quality improvement meetings. These meetings provide a holistic view of the CLC and opportunities to discuss and address quality metrics and process improvements. Ansari explained that Ascellon reviews the meeting minutes to ensure progress and enhancements are made to deliver the highest standard of care.

“A survey with zero findings is amazing. There are always one or two deficiencies in the environment or something. But this time, literally zero. I mean, this has to be a record,” said Ansari.