Idaho Department of Health and Welfare Awards HMS Contract to Help Inspect Long-Term Care Facilities

HMS Will Support and Partner with Qualified Teams Provided by the Agency in Conducting Recertification, Follow-up Surveys and Complaint Investigations

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare has awarded Healthcare Management Solutions, LLC (HMS) a contract to help conduct on-site inspections of Intermediate Care Facility/Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICFs/IID) and inspections of long-term care facilities, including follow-up and complaint investigations. HMS will support and partner with state survey teams in conducting recertification, follow-up surveys and complaint investigations — as well as anything the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) might deem necessary due to COVID-19. HMS has inspected more than 200 facilities for Idaho since December 2016, and with this new contract will inspect hundreds more.

“We are honored and excited to have this opportunity to work with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare in support of its vital mission of helping Idahoans live safe, healthy and productive lives at all ages,” says Leah Heimbach, president & owner of HMS.

Recertification surveys are required by CMS for certified nursing homes. HMS will be partnering with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare in inspecting nursing homes’ critical element pathways, conducting a comprehensive review of everything from infection control and nursing services, medication, diet and exercise, patients’ rights, the physical environment and much more.

“We’ll be using our technology, expertise and long-term survey tools to assist Idaho’s survey teams in making these processes as efficient as possible,” explains Heimbach. “It’s a hands-on partnership that is ultimately as helpful to providers’ quality assurance efforts as it is to the state agency and to all Idahoans who expect excellent nursing-facility care for themselves and their loved ones.”

Idaho’s ethic of self-reliance, health, and independence doesn’t end at the door to a nursing home. In addition to making sure people are safe, clean, well fed, and of course not abused or neglected, these inspections also ensure that long-term care recipients are offered opportunities for friendship, for relationships, and have the ability to learn and continue their personal growth. Surveying long-term care facilities ensures that residents are able to enrich their lives with music, the arts, and pursue other interests.

“We are proud of our relationship with the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, and we’re eager to continue being responsive partners with them in the recertification process,” adds Heimbach. “This collaboration is all the more meaningful as the state and its long-term care facilities face the challenges presented by this new COVID-19 era.”

About Healthcare Management Solutions, LLC
HMS protects vulnerable populations and veterans. We blend our unique healthcare and technology expertise to create bold yet cost-effective solutions that federal and state agencies and our private-sector partners need to make sure your loved ones get the best possible care in nursing homes and other healthcare settings, no matter where in America they live.