A Message from Clifton J. Porter II: Together, We Can Turn Vision into Reality
I want to take a moment and say thank you for the overwhelming support and affirmation in the Board of Governors’ decision to appoint me the next AHCA/NCAL President and CEO. I took some much-needed time off right after the announcement to be with family and reflect on this significant moment. Frankly, I am humbled and a bit overwhelmed. The notes, phone calls, gifts, texts, and well-wishes were very encouraging.
Given this announcement, I spent some time thinking about my personal journey and, more importantly, the experiences and people that have enabled me to accept this responsibility. In recent weeks, I have been meeting with members and even spent a full day touring four facilities in the Detroit metropolitan area. These visits were informative, educational, and emotionally rewarding and revealed the immense progress made in delivering quality care to our residents. These visits reminded me of why our work is so important.
Improving the care and quality of life for our patients has always been my why. My journey in this profession began as a volunteer through my church at a city-owned facility in Richmond, Virginia. This was 37 years ago and a far cry from the nursing homes we know and operate today – needless to say, it was not what our residents deserved. That was the day I resolved to make a difference, and this volunteer experience inspired me to pursue long term care administration.
Decades have since passed, and time has flown by! As I toured the Detroit facilities a couple weeks ago, I was deeply inspired by the progress and improvements that have been made over the years. These facilities are home-like, vibrant, and immaculate. They are filled with music and the welcoming aroma of amazing food. I learned how technology has improved medication administration. I observed monitors that wirelessly obtain vital signs and provide alerts relating to fall risks. One state-of-the-art facility was the first to be built in inner-city Detroit in over 50 years, and it provides meaningful, high-quality care for its residents. I was most impacted by the fact that the owner acquired some condominiums with the purchase of the land for the facility and GAVE these homes to well-deserving staff who worked at the facility.
We have made SIGNIFICANT progress these last 40 years, and I am proud of our collective accomplishments. However, we continue to face challenges on many fronts. Many regulators and policymakers want to hold us to a decades-old, failed regulatory construct that inhibits quality improvement. Regulations often remain stifling, inconsistent, onerous, duplicative and counterproductive. It will continue to be our focus at AHCA/NCAL to improve quality while amplifying the reality that we truly do yeoman’s work (or in my faith, “God’s work”) night and day, and we go beyond our duty to show love and compassion to the people we serve.
Changing our reality will not be easy and will be met with great resistance. We will continue to vigorously refute these objections with data, research, and facts that ultimately support our mission to improve lives by delivering solutions for quality care. We continue to rely on you to be beacons of quality in your local communities while we push back on the negative narratives.
We can only win by remaining UNITED. Mark Parkinson began his tenure at AHCA/NCAL uniting the profession, and it is my goal to continue to maintain and expand that unity by providing meaningful results and value to our members.
My journey as your CEO is just beginning, and I can’t believe I am in the last decade of my career! And that makes me feel a real sense of urgency. Our team at AHCA/NCAL is committed to making a lasting difference, and I believe that vision is the spark that makes that difference.
Imagine our sector where:
- Quality care is evaluated with objective, clinically-validated measures.
- Quality care is incentivized with increased reimbursement.
- Our regulatory construct is timely, focuses on improving outcomes, and is collaborative, predictable, and consistent.
- Our “Nursing Home Compare” system is simplified and focuses on the metrics that matter.
- Significant funding and resources are directed at improving the clinical workforce.
- Our government is committed to replacing and modernizing our facilities and ensuring that there is quality access for all, regardless of geography.
- Managed care payors are responsible to pay for and provide the services that Medicare beneficiaries have earned.
And this list is just a start!
Once again, I am honored by your outpouring of confidence, and it is my deep conviction that we have a solemn responsibility to provide our residents with the best quality care possible. If we stand together, our vision can become reality. You are my why. Let’s make history together!
Sincerely,
Clif Porter
Senior Vice President of Government Relations
Incoming President & CEO
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