Applications to NASHP’s State Nursing Home Policy Academy are due March 20, 2024. To apply, complete this online application.
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), in partnership with West Health, invites state applications to participate in the State Nursing Home Policy Academy.
This policy academy will engage up to three teams of state leaders to strengthen state policy on nursing home quality, payment, and engagement with residents, families, the federal government, and others. These states will join state teams from Ohio and New Jersey that have been working with NASHP on nursing home reform for the past year and whose state leaders shared their actions and experiences at NASHP’s annual conference.
What’s in It for States?
Through peer-to-peer learning and access to nursing home policy expertise, states can accelerate measurable progress on policies that will address the complex and multi-faceted challenges facing nursing homes across the country.
Each state team will receive technical assistance from the NASHP team and outside experts and will engage in learning opportunities with other states working toward the same goals. By the end of the policy academy, participating states can expect to understand promising practices in nursing home reform, establish clear state goals, and receive technical assistance to make progress on these goals. Best practices and lessons learned from the policy academy’s work will be shared with other states.
NASHP will also engage federal agencies and organizations that represent nursing home residents and their families to ensure that consumer voices are front and center and reflected in federal and state policies. These collaborative organizations include the Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition, the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, and the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center.
Key Dates and Resources
Application opens: February 20, 2024
Applications due: March 20, 2024
Policy academy duration: April 2024–March 2025
To apply: Interested applicants should fill out the online application.
Policy Academy Structure and Support
The goal of NASHP’s State Nursing Home Policy Academy is to help states with instituting financial, delivery, and regulatory reforms to improve quality standards and quality of life in nursing homes. This opportunity can foster state thought leadership on reforms such as:
- Nursing home payment
- Data and quality
- Interventions with poor performing facilities
- Staffing and training standards
- Person- and family-centered care
- Diversions and transitions to the community
NASHP’s role within the academy is to connect state officials with peers and experts, identify and share strategies and solutions, and help provide insights and best practices for state leaders who seek to improve nursing home policy. The state policymakers within the academy will also serve as thought leaders on ways to engage federal leaders in dialogue on nursing home policy.
Anticipated Support
Over the course of the academy, states will be supported in the following ways from April 2024 through March 2025:
- Access to experts who will provide customized, individual technical assistance for the state’s identified policy priority area(s), including assistance with plan development, data and analysis, and cost and payment reporting, when applicable
- Monthly virtual meetings with NASHP
- Quarterly virtual meetings to exchange insights and promising practices
- An in-person meeting in Washington, DC, with federal officials to engage state and federal leaders
Application Requirements
Team composition: State applications should include a team of up to five members, comprised of state Medicaid directors, aging directors, health and human services secretaries or commissioners, governor’s health policy advisors, and other relevant team members. States may choose to include others such as state legislators, ombudsmen, and survey and certification officials. States must identify a team lead, who should be a senior state employee and leader with policy decision-making authority.
State teams will:
- Set measurable goals for improvement and identify the levers that they wish to use to improve performance
- Engage with technical assistance in policy priority area(s) to develop plans and take action to meet those goals
- Participate in monthly meetings to track progress and troubleshoot any barriers
- Attend quarterly all-state calls and an in-person meeting in Washington to share best practices and to engage with federal officials at the in-person meeting
- Agree to be featured in NASHP publications
Application Elements
- Team membership: Names and roles of team members, if selected.
- State goals: Applicants should describe specific and measurable policy goals they want to achieve in this academy in nursing home system reform. This should include identifying current challenges and how the state is seeking to address them. Applicants should also include a realistic timeline and suggested activities to achieve these goals.
- Capacity: Strong candidates should demonstrate foundational planning and capacity to address nursing home system reform and have a state leader with decision-making authority as the team lead on this project. Cross-agency participation in the policy academy is highly encouraged.
- Use of resources: Applicants should describe how they will use the technical assistance provided by the academy to make progress on their goals.
- Technical assistance needs: Applicants should describe what specific expertise, technical support, and other resources would be helpful in making progress.
To apply to NASHP’s State Nursing Home Policy Academy, please complete this brief online application by Wednesday, March 20, 2024. For questions or inquiries, please contact Wendy Fox-Grage, senior director, at wfgrage@nashp.org.
About NASHP
For over 35 years, NASHP has been a nonpartisan organization committed to developing and advancing state health policy innovations and solutions.
