About the Foundation
The Foundation for Quality Care (FQC), located in Albany, New York, is a not-for-profit, 501(c) (3) education and research foundation committed to improving the quality of care for elderly and disabled persons residing in long term care settings. The Foundation was created in 2001 as an affiliated subsidiary of the New York State Health Facilities Association.
FQC has a broad range of interest areas related to the field of long term care including but not limited to; clinical research, quality improvement, workforce development, health information and technology, long term care facilities/infrastructure, health care education, nurse education, and utilizing arts in healthcare.
Who We Serve
The Foundation for Quality Care’s core constituencies are the frail, elderly, and disabled who reside in long term care settings, and the healthcare employees and care providers that serve them. In New York there are over 670 nursing homes (also known as skilled nursing facilities) these facilities provide over 41 million hours of care to over 300,000 of our society’s most vulnerable people on an annual basis. In addition to being elderly and disabled, approximately 80% of skilled nursing facility residents are Medicaid and/or Medicare dependent. The 670 skilled nursing facilities in New York State employ approximately 180,000 people the majority of which are health care professionals and direct care providers.
Problems and Needs in the Long Term Care Setting
Improving the quality of care for people living in nursing homes is the overarching need that FQC is working to address. It is a complex and multi-faceted challenge that can not be resolved by any single project, program or organization. There are a number of systemic issues that make it increasingly difficult for long term care providers to maintain the quality of care that residents and their families rightfully deserve. Examples of some of the systemic issues facing long term care are:
- A rapid increase in an aging population that is living longer and requiring higher levels of care,
- Greater clinical complexities that are associated with longer life spans, e.g. co-morbidities such as diabetes and heart disease,
- Significant shortages of health care professionals in the field of long term care
- Rapidly escalating costs associated with pharmaceuticals, energy, insurance, and regulatory compliance
- A significant lag in the application of technology in long term care settings versus acute care settings
- A resident and employee population that is increasingly diversified in terms of culture and ethnicity
- A number of aging facilities and infrastructure that need costly physical improvements
- Growing reluctance of the state and federal government to bear the rapidly escalating costs of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement
- The changing role of nursing homes from primarily caretakers of the elderly to frequently providers of sub-acute care and rehabilitative services.
Approach to Problem Solving
FQC has a comprehensive approach to addressing the myriad of needs that affect the quality of long term care. Our approach to problem solving is based on research, education, partnership/collaboration, program development and scholarship. Many of the issues related to improvement in the quality of long-term care are systemic and require an enduring institutional commitment if they are going to be resolved. The existing populations, conditions and institutions affecting long-term care are rapidly changing and increasing in complexity. FQC’s commitment to resolving systemic issues and promoting change is expressed explicitly in the opening statement of its mission, “..to pioneer and promote activities to advance and improve the quality of care in nursing homes and related long term care settings.” FQC also demonstrates its commitment to the
programs, research and institutional
partnerships that it has forged and nurtured.
Recent Accomplishments
The Foundations Recent FQC accomplishments include the development and implementation of :
Mercury Web Solutions