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The Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care, developed through a partnership between The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation and HIGN/NYU Meyers is the recognition of a long-term community for its commitment to the practice of person-centered care. Person-centered care is at the heart of quality healthcare, but a clear definition of it had been missing. In 2024, The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation funded HIGN/NYU Meyers to define the key concepts underlying person-centered care and develop a mechanism to recognize communities who provide that type of care.
Seven domains characterizing person-centered care were identified through an extensive literature review and data collected from hundreds of residents, families and staff across 6 long-term care organizations. The HIGN research team used the data gathered relating to each domain to develop a survey, the Organizational Assessment Tool (OAT) which would measure the extent to which a long-term care community was meeting the criteria which characterized each of the domains. The seven domains are 1) Personhood, 2) Food & Dining, 3) Resident Care, Choice & Empowerment, 4) Enrichment, Socialization & Community Engagement 5) Staff Empowerment, 6) Physical Environment and 7) Family Engagement.
The HIGN research team validated the instrument through a pilot study in 5 long-term care communities which included assisted living and skilled nursing. Following an organization’s completion of the self-assessment, the HIGN team set up a time for a virtual meeting. During this meeting with organizational leadership, the team reviewed documentation submitted to support their self-assessment and the results of the survey. Areas of strength as well as areas for improvement were identified and organizations were provided instructions to develop a Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement (QAPI) to improve their practice of person-centered care. Follow-up will be done with the HIGN team after 6 months to ensure progress in the area. After submission of the QAPI plan, 5 organizations received the Inaugural Award of Designation of Excellence in Person-Centered Long-Term Care. These communities are: The Beatitudes Campus, Phoenix, AZ; Garden Spot Communities; New Holland, PA; Sequoia Living, CA (including The Sequoias San Francisco, The Tamalpais Marin, The Sequoias Portola Valley, and Viamonte at Walnut Creek); The Cedars, Portland, ME; and The New Jewish Home, New York, NY.
HIGN/NYU Meyers has received additional funding from The Mayer-Rothschild Foundation to further validate the instrument and the process. Communities from across the country will be invited and 30 will be selected to represent skilled nursing and assisted living. This Designation of Excellence will provide a structured framework for long-term care communities to assess these seven key areas of person-centered practice. The organizational self-assessment tool, along with online learning and best practice resources designed to enhance person-centered care, will help identify areas for improvement, educate the staff and strengthen continuous quality improvement across the organization.
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