Wellspring History
Among the earliest efforts to affect culture change in nursing homes was The Wellspring Program. Initially, The Wellspring Program was called the Wellspring Innovative Solutions for Integrated Health Care. It came together in 1994 as a proactive response to the managed care environments, with its inherent challenges of reduced reimbursements and limited human resources. Wellspring members' commitment to continued quality care required a cooperative effort to address the formidable challenges the industry faces. The core charter group consisted of 11 independent not-for-profit organizations located throughout eastern Wisconsin. Their skilled nursing homes ranged in size from 63 to 415 beds; in urban as well as rural areas. Together they formed an Alliance to network and share educational programs. Additional alliances formed in the Mid-Atlantic region, the Carolinas, and other states.
Wellspring member nursing homes have integrated the concepts of resident directed care, federal quality indicators, nationally defined best practices and new leadership paradigms to dramatically improve resident life, care outcomes, staff efficiency, and satisfaction . Wellspring believes the key to an improved resident experience and success is collaboration and cooperation among facilities, staff empowerment, data-based decision-making and accountability between partner organizations for improved resident outcomes.
The organizational change Wellspring requires is a substantial facility commitment in which line staff are coached on how to collect relevant data, critically evaluate information and finally, implement processes that improve care. Nurse consultants provide implementation guidance via quarterly visits and reviews. The education sessions are designed to address the current Quality Indicators with clinical content based on best practices as established by the Agency for HealthCare Quality, and Research (AHRQ) , and a variety of professional associations.
Wellspring's successful implementation and practices are spreading nationwide as more not-for-profit skilled nursing alliances are forming around Wellspring's quality care concepts. In June 2000, the American Association of Homes & Sevices for the Aging (AAHSA), through the Institute for the Future of Aging Services (IFAS), received a grant from the Commonwealth Fund of New York to conduct intense research on the founding Wellspring homes. Their research indicated charter Wellspring homes have higher immunization, fewer bedfast residents, lower restraint usage, more preventive skin care, fewer psychoactive medications, less resident incontinence, fewer tube feedings and more altered diets. These positive outcomes are achieved with the same staffing levels as non-Wellspring facilities. IFAS has since conducted additional studies that have confirmed the benefits of Wellspring.
