Sixty-six assisted living communities have attained two or more of the four goals in the National Center for Assisted Living’s Quality Initiative, NCAL has announced. The communities will be honored in March during the 2018 Quality Summit with parent organization the American Health Care Association in New Orleans.

The association announced the initiative in 2012. Initial goals:

  • Safely reduce hospital readmissions by 15% by March 2015.
  • Keep nursing staff turnover below 30% each year until at least March 2015.
  • Maintain the number of customers who would recommend the community to others at or above 90% by March 2015.
  • Reduce off-label antipsychotic use by 15% by December 2013.

In 2015, the campaign was extended for three additional years with new goals:

  • Safely reduce hospital readmissions by 15% or achieve a low readmission rate of 5% or less.
  • Increase staff stability by maintaining nursing and direct care staff turnover below 40%.
  • Increase customer satisfaction to 90%.
  • Safely reduce the off-label use of antipsychotics by 15% or achieve a low off-label usage rate of 5% or less.​

Of the 66 assisted living communities that will be honored at the 2018 Quality Summit, four met all four NCAL Quality Initiative goals, 13 reached three goals and 49 attained two goals, an NCAL spokeswoman told McKnight’s Senior Living. Fifty-six assisted living communities met the goal related to antipsychotic medication reduction, 37 reached the goal related to hospital readmission reduction, 35 attained the goal related to increasing staff stability, and 25 met the goal related to improving customer satisfaction, she said.

For a list of the communities that will be honored next year, see the NCAL website.